Quote:
Originally Posted by Gasoline Fumes
I'm running something like 60 PSI in my summer tires without uneven wear. But I've seen some tires wear out the centers quickly. The ones I've observed myself are Bridgestone Blizzaks. One set (175/70-13) was at the max pressure of 35 PSI. The other (185/70-14) was at 40 PSI (44 PSI max). On both sets, the centers wore out about twice as fast as the edges. I'm assuming the wear was related to pressure, but maybe Blizzaks always wear out the centers? My current Blizzaks (155/80-13) are wearing OK at 45 PSI (max 35). I'm assuming this is due to their narrow width.
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Yeah, it would leave a person wondering. As you realize these examples in which you saw wear at the centers were on tires that were at or under pressure. And the one you saw wearing evenly was over the recommended psi. Likely there's an explanation for the center wear that is not tire-pressure related. Tires are designed to sustain far greater pressures before one in good shape will blow out (in excess of 100psi, I'm told).
Here is the text of the 2005 US NHTSA rule on tire pressure (note that the agency has apparently been singling-out under inflation for regulation since 1970):
Tire Pressure Monitoring Final Rule
Here is a 2007 Australian study by insurance industry advocates/regulators that also singles out under inflation as the problem:
http://www.maic.qld.gov.au/forms-pub...port-final.pdf
If there are counter studies--perhaps there are--for modern tires, I'd be interested. I found these looking for any tire pressure related studies, not strictly under inflation.
Cheers,
james