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Hi, I've got to do 250 mile drive today (A Roads & Motorway) and I'll have the missus and two youngish children and a small amount of luggage for two-thirds of the way (a little over half a load) and just me and my bike for the remaining third.
The car's a Zafira and the manual says put 29 lbs psi in each tyre for up to three people or 32/front 38/rear for a full load. It's got 29 per wheel at present. Should I bother changing the pressures or is there an intermediate pressure I could use? Also, when the tyres are pumped up to the full recommended pressures I find the handling of the vehicle a bit harsh.
This different pressure thing for different loads is a bit difficult to manage on a day to day basis. After all, on an average morning you might have a full load on the school run and then just yourself for a few miles and then a car full of building materials. It's not very practical to keep on adjusting the pressures. What would you do?
Cheers.
32 psi all round
Well, if you regularly load it up a bit, just go half way.
If you're driving significant distances with heavy loads, or with significant heavy loads then change the tyres to suit, otherwise stick with a happy medium but realise there'll be some compromise and it may not grip as well as it should with a light load and may flex more than it should with a heavy load.
Just like with bikes, it'd be nice to have low pressure for grip all day but some sections of the trail are rocky so need higher, you dont change pressures on the trail, you just realise the risk of pinch flats and ride more carefully on rocks. If ou cant be bothered riding carefully then you go half-way and hope it covers most conditions.
Cheers guys, an intermediate tyre pressure all round it is then 🙂 Right, time to get packing and hit the road (with a short stop at the local garage). South Downs, here I come!
I have the same problem (with the same car as it happens) - often just me, but regularly 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs and half of Tesco's. I go for something inbetween the two as suggested above without any issues.