Tire pressures

[dougc]

I watched an in depth video about tire pressures in general. One thing I got from it is the huge variation in pressure with regard to temperature and load. If you air your front tire to recommended psi and then go ride on a 90 plus degree day, you will likely add as much as 5 psi due to the heat. The opposite for a cold day. Add to that the load of the bike and it can get really confusing - the more load, the higher the psi. It occurs to me that the trike is already heavier than stock, but the weight is distributed over three tires instead of two. And we run the rear tires way under normal pressure. SO, why not run the front a bit low to begin with? I’m thinking of knocking it down to 35 knowing that here in Texas at almost any time of the year it will heat up any way. And, I’d like to think it may smooth out the ride a bit more.

Thoughts???

[Jack Klarich]

You are correct, PSI is all over the place much like what oil do you use

You have to experiment with what works best for you with ride quality and tire wear

I believe none of the above is carved in stone anywhere, JMO

[paws]

I watched an in depth video about tire pressures in general. One thing I got from it is the huge variation in pressure with regard to temperature and load. If you air your front tire to recommended psi and then go ride on a 90 plus degree day, you will likely add as much as 5 psi due to the heat. The opposite for a cold day. Add to that the load of the bike and it can get really confusing - the more load, the higher the psi. It occurs to me that the trike is already heavier than stock, but the weight is distributed over three tires instead of two. And we run the rear tires way under normal pressure. SO, why not run the front a bit low to begin with? I’m thinking of knocking it down to 35 knowing that here in Texas at almost any time of the year it will heat up any way. And, I’d like to think it may smooth out the ride a bit more.

Thoughts???

Kept the front tires on my GL1800 Motor Trike,,starting cold,,at 37-38 psi and the rears at 24. Held it like this year-round.

Otherwise it rode like a pogo stick in front…very uncomfortable…and would beat me up riding it over here in the Hill Country.

[cScjhb]

I've tried adjusting TP a bit. My trike is a GL1800/California Sidecar. Not sure if there is any additional load on the front tire due to triking the bike. I do know my vehicle weight increased by 300#s but I suspect the vast majority of that increase is carried on the rear tires. On 2 wheel Goldwings I always aired up to 41#s both front and rear. That worked for me for over 30 years and many different tires. On my trike I reduced the front to 40#s and run 22 in the rear. All pressures are done cold, of course. The only times I have messed with TP while touring have been when spending a week or two at high altitude (above 4,000 feet). That happens when touring Utah and Colorado. Then I remove 2 PSI in order to get to my cold target pressures. The air is then added back when going to lower altitudes. Again, I don't mess with this unless I'm at higher altitudes for prolonged touring.

I, too, ride in a little hot weather and have found that 40 front and 22 rear works best for me. Good luck..... Jim