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Showing results for tags 'Pressure'.
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To start with you should use the door sticker and then pay attention to tire wear. If it shows more wear on the edges of the tire it is under inflated. All FFH/CMAX I have tested show signs of under inflation at 35/38 psi. I asked My FORD Service Mgr to ask FORD about tire pressures and he got a no comment. I did talk to Tire Rack tire testers and they said that it is common for FORD to under inflate their tires to get a little softer ride, tire pressures are a compromise between ride quality, gas mileage, handling and stopping among other things. The FFH/ CMAX have 35/38 psi recommended which is odd for two FORD cars that weight the same and have similar suspension. It would appear that ride quality/ smoothness is high on their priority list. Talking to Michelin Rep they recommend starting with FORD's recommended pressure and then find the pressure that gives even tire wear. I told him I was using 50 psi and getting even tire wear. He Said "Then he wouldn't have problem with that and not to exceed 51 Cold tire pressure" BTW the bursting pressure is around 200 psi , so you don't have to worry about that. An auto mechanic on CMAX forum used 55 psi with no problems, but I wouldn't recommend this. I did look at a number of used FFH in Dealers lots and sure enough the tires were wearing more on the edges than the center which is a sign of under inflation. So it is obvious 35 psi is to low to get even tire wear. Facts: FFH/CMAX can use 35/38 psi to 51 psi from OM and on the sidewall of Michelin ES safely according to the Michelin. With 220k miles of experience my tires last longer and perform better than they did at 38 psi and get better gas mileage +1.3 mpg at 50 psi. My last set of Michelin Energy Savers lasted 87k miles, only warrantied for 55k miles. The nice thing about tire pressure is you can raise it up and try it out and then decide what to do next, you can always go back. Note: Tires aren't very sensitive to pressure, if you go up to 40 psi you will probably not notice a difference. At 45 psi you will notice a little difference and 50 psi a little more. Also Your tire pressure should change with Gross Vehicle Weight . There is no info in OM about changing tire pressure unfortunately. For me I have saved about $500 going to 50 psi tire pressure by improved mpg's and tires lasting 25% longer. 50 psi does make for a little stiffer ride and I think all the improvements in performance, gas mileage, tire longevity and 1/4" increase in ground clearance is definitely worth it . You should have a tire pressure gauge and tread depth indicator in your car so you can monitor the pressure when you put air in your tires and also measure tread often to see how the tires are wearing. I use these to measure FFH/CMAX tire wear also have digital tire pressure gauge too. Paul