Greatly appreciate any feedback!


1.) Tires are Michelin Pilot Super Sport 215/45/17.
2.) Daily Driver. Take turns aggressively (i.e. spirited driving).
3.) Roads are smooth.
4.) Zero added weight inside the car. I weigh 190lbs.

I checked my tire pressure this morning with the tires cold. I got 32 & 34 in the front and 33 & 33 in the rear. Is that good? Or should I play around with it? I think everything feels fine, but again just curious to hear any other feedback/opinions.

Car is a 2013 Mini Cooper JCW. OEM R112 Wheels.

Thanks!

 

Look on your driver's side door jam for the recommended tire pressures.

It doesn't matter which tire you put on your car although a little higher pressure would be fine for a non runflat.

For street use, front and rear 33 to 37 psi cold is OK. Higher pressure usually gives slightly firmer ride and less rolling resistance.

The Super Sport is a great street tire, good choice.

 

06 cab with every possible JCW option running 215/40-18's on JCW wheels:

38/39 front
36/37 rear

 

My driver's side door panel says 38 psi. That's of course with the 205 runflat tires.

I think I'm going to bump them up to 36 cold and see how I like it. I have a feeling if I go up to 38 cold, that 38 cold is going to turn into 40+ when the tire's are warm. I think that's a little too much.

Thank you for the complement on the tires. Yeah, they are great. I love them. I'm a huge Michelin SS fan. Had them on past vehicles too.

 

Don't worry about what the pressure will be when the tires warm up from driving. The manufacturers know this will happen and plan accordingly. Thus, you can even run your tires at max pressure (set cold) and though the tires willl end up with more than the max tire pressure when they warm up, that, too, is just fine.

I wouldn't hestitate to run 38 in the front.

 

Start from what is listed on the drivers door and adjust slightly up or down (1-2 psi) from there. In the case of a 17" rim like mine, the Mini recommended pressure is 38 psi all around. I run 36-37 psi all around reduce harshness somewhat.

 

Keep in mind, though, that most car manufacturers recommend tire pressures based on comfort. And since small changes in tire pressure result in differences in the ride that most people can't notice, it's often best to go higher than the factory recommends.

However, never exceed the max pressure on the tire sidewall and frankly, don't run the max unless you're heavily loaded or running a very high speeds.

 

Max tire psi is typically 50-55 psi or so. That is pretty high.

 

Max tire pressure varies with the tire and it's application. Many ordinary passenger car tires have a max pressure rating of 36 psi. Heck, I've even seen max's of 36 on wires on a Ford Explorer, but that's a different story. The max tire pressure on higher performance passenger car tires, like my Hankook Ventus V12's, is 42 psi. The only time I've ever had a tire that was 50 psi or more were the big truck tires I had on my Toyota 4Runner.

I'd bet money that most of the max tire pressures for all the various Mini tires are either 36 psi or 42 psi.

 

Just looked at my conti DWS 215/45 17 and it says 51 psi max. My Dunlop z1 star specs lists 53 psi.

When you say max tire pressure, you are talking about the max number printed on the tire.

 

I actually run my 215-45x17" tires at a lower pressure...34 psi all around for the street and the ride difference is really noticeable with the non-run flat I have.

 

Yes, the max number on the tire.

Interesting that your tires have that high a max pressure rating.

 

My hankook ventus v12 on my other car is rated 50 psi max.

Just curious how much money I won.

 

Three hobo dollars.

 

I like the ride & sure handling I get at 38psi on all four.

 

it's a vapor win with a vapor prize. Looking forward to trying my luck at that powerball prize.