| Author | Message | ||
     Migs16 |
im running dunlops on my front and it says max psi is 42. but i check it every few months and its extremely low. like it was at 28 psi. should i put nitrogen or is something worse that i need to know? | ||
| Terrys1980 |
It's not anything to worry about as long as you checked your tire with soapy water and it's not leaking. Also be sure to take off the cap and make sure the valve isn't leaking. I had one on my truck that leaked, but all I had to do was unscrew the valve then retighten it and it was good to go. The temperature fluctuations during winter months that is most likely causing the pressure drop. Where I live in Louisiana the temperature can vary 20-30 degrees depending on the time of the day. I go offshore for work a month at a time so I always have to put air in the tires when I get home. Every time the outside temperature drops 10 degrees you lose approximately 1 psi. It's not an exact science but you should get what I am saying. There are several benefits to running nitrogen. It does not seep through the rubber nearly as fast as regular air, it does not condensate, and the pressure will not change much with temperature fluctuations. On the other hand it cost $1 to fill both tires with regular air and about $10 per tire for pure nitrogen. | ||
| Fast1075 |
It amazes me how much places charge for nitrogen...they make a TON of markup on it. It is NOT expensive...you have to buy a bottle and regulator at the outset, but the gas is cheap. And who knows what grade you are getting when you pay to have it done....there is more than one grade. Here is the 411 on nitrogen on tires...ordinary air is about 70% nitrogen...the problem with ordinary air is the moisture in the air. Using "dry" nitrogen (dehydrated to remove the water) eliminates the problem. Without going into complicated math and charts and such...all gasses expand and contract depending on temperature...water vapor pressure changes greatly over a relatively narrow temperature range...you fill your tire with "air" at 70 degrees to 35#....heat the tire up to 150 degrees and the pressure goes up quite a bit...the big culprit is water...the oxygen and other gasses in the air expand and contract at different rates than either the water vapor or the nitrogen. I use nitrogen in drag slicks because the pressure in the tire is predictable and changes less as the tire warms up. And I use it to power the pneumatics (no worry about corrosion from moisture). The same applies to road tires and especially to sport or race tires. If you want to try it...find a 20 cubic foot cylinder or a 40...they are not hard to find, and can be purchased at a welding supply shop for not a lot...a single stage regulator from Harbor Freight is cheap. Throw on a coily hose and you are good to go. I don't have temperature/pressure chart handy to attach (makes it easier to understand temperature/pressure relationship)....the bottom line is dry nitrogen is good, argon is better, helium would be best, but it leaks out really easy due to it's molecular size......and for general use....air is fine as long as it is DRY air.....oh....don't use Co2 in tires...it has a CRAZY temperature/pressure relationship... | ||
| Gater |
You should check you tire pressure every few days to each time you ride depending on how much and how often you ride. Buell calls for 36psi front and 38psi rear. I once had a small staple in my rear tire and it had a slow leak. I noticed the leak each day when I checked my air pressure. You should check you air pressure often your life could depend on it. | ||
| Froggy |
+1. I have an onboard tire pressure monitoring system on my 1125R and noticed the same. I put the tires at 45PSI cold on a warm day, and it will drop into the low 30's cold depending on how cold it is out. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Froggy, an onboard PSI monitor? Where did you get that? | ||
| Brumbear |
This is an email and response I got from pirelli. Hello Tire bluing is normally related to aggressive riding, abrasive pavement, incorrect suspension settings for the application, or incorrect tire pressures. Tire bluing is not considered to be a flaw in the product. We would suggest that you bump up the tire pressure to 38-40 and just ride the bike. You should also note the DCIII is considered to be a ultra high performance street/track day tire and it is even used in Europe as a race tire. Finally you may want to double check the accuracy of your tire gauge too. Thanks for the e-mail and have a great day. US Pirelli Moto www.us.pirellimoto.com 800 747-3554, prompt 2 -----Original Message----- From: Pirelli Webmaster, IT Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2009 6:12 PM To: Pirelli B2C Moto, US Subject: my Corsa III tires From: David , Tweed Email: dtweed@drtweedandsons.com Topic of interest: Motorcycle Country of interest: United States of America Current Site: PIRELLI TYRE US Subject: my Corsa III tires Message: I have PC III tires on my buell xb12ss motorcycle I love them but the edges of the tire keep going blue I have a picture I will try to send it to you. The tire pressure is 35 PSI and I have not done any track days on the tires. I am heavy but not that it should make a difference. I would love to keep buying Pirelli tires but they are expensive and I need to get this sorted out first. Any help you can give me would be appreciated I also sent him this picture  I was surprised by the recomended pressure I used to run 32 front 36 rear I bumped it up to 38/40 and I still get bluein but not as bad. I also started to loose air when I jumped up turns out the valve was leaking a bit after I messed with it so please check your valve stem (Message edited by brumbear on February 12, 2011) | ||
| Cataract2 |
Froggy, what is the tire pressure thing you have? | ||
| Froggy |
 Box of magic pressure fairies | ||
| Cataract2 |
Thanks Froggy. I might consider this product. Could be very useful in many situations. | ||
| Vospertw |
Migs - I'm running Q2's on my XB12. Dunlop's website shows 36 front, 38 rear for both the XB9 and XB12 (Q2's and Roadsmart). | ||
| Migs16 |
sooo it looks like we dont always have to run them at the max pressure?? cuz my max says 42 but i think maybe if i run them at 40 i should be good. thanks for all the advice. | ||
| Vospertw |
No, you don't have to run them at max pressure. There's also a max vehicle weight listed for that max pressure - if you aren't running that much weight there's no need to use that pressure setting. Remember that your tires are also a big part of your suspension - higher pressures are going to make them less compliant, particularly on sharp bumps. Not arguing against using a higher pressure, but you can definitely feel the difference. I know some guys like to use higher pressures for better mileage. | ||
| Froggy |
Tire pressure is a huge factor in how the bike rides and handles. Play around with it a bit and see what you like. I keep mine in the mid or high 40's if I don't plan on riding hard as it gives better fuel economy and longer tire life, then I will take out 10 or 15 PSI if I am gonna have some fun.  | ||
| Dfishman |
Finally Froggy's trick for fuel consumption................... 10 more psi than every body else! | ||
| Sslowmo |
35 psi front and rear...LOVE them | ||
| Slaughter |
Tire pressure for tire life and mileage are in the "book" - BUT... ...but for "performance" riding, you MUST get the recommended pressures for your SPECIFIC tire and the conditions that you are riding. It's a racing-like decision. It is IMPOSSIBLE to say "I use XX psi" without stating which brand, which particular construction and which compound you are running. There are general statements that can be made - like lower pressure is better for handling, higher pressure for mileage but anything more specific and you need to be SPECIFIC about YOUR tire. There are no "one size fits all" pressure numbers - and they vary WILDLY from brand-to-brand, and vary wildly depending on construction and compound. Best advice is gotten trackside for your tire FROM the tire vendor - but only for "aggressive" riding. For mileage and wear, use manufacturer's recommended pressures. |
