i30 Owners Club

Higher tyre pressures and uneven wear

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Offline marti30

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Over inflation causes tyres to wear quicker at the centre than at the edges. At what sort of psi will this happen on a car like the i30? I prefer to run mine at higher pressures than the 32psi recommended by Hyundai but don't want to risk uneven wear. Out of interest, how low does the pressure need to be for the edges to wear quicker than the centre?


Offline Asterix

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I run mine at 2,5 bar / 36 psi with no problems.
Many on here run the tyres at 35-38 psi, you should be fine with that.

Don't know how low pressure have to be to start wearing the shoulders.
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Offline Surferdude

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In general, 36psi is fine. The 32 is set by car companies who understandably want your driving experience in their car to be as smooth as possible. The load carrying capabilities of modern tyres mean that, at 32 they carry the load (and then some) with no trouble.
Any increase in pressure means a slightly harsher ride but 4 psi would not be noticeable to the average punter.

Now, as to the levels at which uneven wear might begin, that varies with useage.

Someone who does a lot of high speed (motorway/ highway) driving is going to see more centre rib wear because centrifugal force come sinto play. Whilst tyres are designed to distort as little as possible, everything is a compromise because drivers have such varied requirements. Not to mention driving habits.

Conversely, someone who spends most of their time in areas with roundabouts, is going to suffer more shoulder wear - again, pretty obviously because the tyre spends more time distorted by cornering. This can be complicated by the fact that, if you drive on the LHS of the road, simple turns to the right are going to be done at a faster speed than any to the left, because the arc of the turn will be wider. Doing U-turns (pretty much all to the right) will magnify the problem.

There are obvious benefits to cars which spend a lot of time on the motorway as far as wear and tear is concerned, so if those benefits are slightly offset by a bit of centre rib wear, I reckon that's a fair trade-off.

In summary, work on 36 psi and keep a close eye on the front tyres for feathering (which will happen before any serious wear takes place).
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Offline marti30

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Thank you for your replies. On an exceptionally warm day (for the time of year) I set my pressures to 40 psi thinking that as most days and nights would be cooler they would always be above the recommended 32 but not over inflated either.
My front tyres now wear evenly, adjusting the alignment stopped the inner shoulders wearing prematurely.
One of the rears has now covered 100,000 miles (the other was swapped with the spare when about half worn so that it can take this one's place when it finally wears out). That way the three rear tyres (I'm including the spare here) might be good for a total 150,000 miles between them.


Offline Dazzler

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One of the rears has now covered 100,000 miles (the other was swapped with the spare when about half worn so that it can take this one's place when it finally wears out). That way the three rear tyres (I'm including the spare here) might be good for a total 150,000 miles between them.

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Offline The Gonz

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I routinely inflate mine to 40psi and they can drop to as low as 36 before the next check. They are the originals, done 40,000km since new 3yrs ago. Wear has been nice and square across the tread on all four tyres.

I've noticed some lumpiness lately as they are approaching replacement time and I'm considering the Continentals as the next set, thanks to this board.
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Pip
One thing to consider, and I don't know if it's been covered, is maximum wear versus uneven wear. I mean that the greatest mileage might be achieved even although the centre is worn more than the shoulders (or vice versa).

I'm of the opinion based on experience of my own cars only that it's almost impossible to over-inflate tyres. A lot of the time (between pumps) the pressure will be lower than the maximum pumps anyway.

I pump my 16" to 40PSI and they (and the missus) only complain when the road is bumpy. My wear is looking good so far. Heading for 80,000km if (very) lucky for the five. Should get 70k easy.


Offline Surferdude

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One thing to consider, and I don't know if it's been covered, is maximum wear versus uneven wear. I mean that the greatest mileage might be achieved even although the centre is worn more than the shoulders (or vice versa).
A very good point Pip. And an astute observation.
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