I just put on a set of 225/55R16 95R BR BLIZZAK WS 60 snow tires on the SS and wondered if anyone knew what pressure they should be run at?
Belle Tire nitrogen filled them to 35 psi and I feel that may be OK for fuel mileage, but may be a bit high for snow.

Thoughts?

 

Bump

Belle Tire filled them all to 35 psi, and I upped the rears to 37 psi. running those pressures for about 500 miles I noticed a drop in fuel economy and the the fronts and rears still had a rather large "bulge" at the bottom, so I aired them up to 38 psi (frnt), 41 psi (rear). The "bulge" seems less pronounced and I upped my mileage by about 1.5 mpg.
I think that those pressures are too much for snow, so I will drop them down by 3 - 4 psi when we start to get some real weather.

Just wondering if there were any tire experts that can tell me the CORRECT pressure to run on our cars with 225/55 R16 Blizzak WS 60's??

 

max pressure on the tire is listed at 44 psi
i would say just wait for the snow and see how they roll.
couldn't find any recommended psi for that tire specifically

 

First off don't judge the bulge.

Second if you are not carry a lot of weight most people can run less in the rear. Most of the cars weight is to the front.

Start with 35 PSI and the adjust depending on the ride and wear. If they are wearing on the outside edge add if the are wearing more in the middle let some out. Too much air wears the center and too little wears the outside.

You may get less MPG as the tread on the winter tires is compounded for traction and that mean more stick and less MPG. Some tires show it more than others. Also if it is cold you will get less MPG anyways.

I am running 35 in the front and 33 in the rears. My all season Triple Treads I used last winter were worn even and showed litte use if any.

I went with the same pressure today when I put them back on.

Most winter tires have a price in Wear and fuel mileage. It is not much worse but it is noticable in most cases. But on the other hand they have better ice grip than the other tires. Note most electric and Hybrid vehicles that use special tires have horrible traction in any thing but dry but the tire improve mileage.

One more thing don't run the too low or the tread will not clean itself as it should. Companies design the tread to toss out the snow and clean itself. low pressure in wet snow can pack it in and make thing go from bad to worse.

 

Hyperv6, curious why you run higher pressure in the front? Our cars have terrible under-steer and loads of power (SS). I have always run slightly higher pressure (2 -3 psi)in the rear for 2 reasons.
1) better traction on the powered wheels. (rear never spins)
2) correction of under-steer. (lower pressure = better traction in the front, higher pressure = less in the rear)

 

I might as well chime in here since I've been watching this thread without subscribing.

Higher PSI in front will help protect the wheels from getting banged on bumps.
There's considerably more weight in front hence the need for higher PSI
I don't know why that never sunk into my grey jelly over the years.
I have always run 32-33 PSI just out of habit.

My winter Pirellis are rated for 44 Max PSI.
I've been running 33 actual (handheld gauge).
I'm going to add 2 PSI to the front tomorrow.
I'd rather deal with a slightly rougher ride than bent wheels 10/10.
Especially here in pothole-achusetts.

 

Simply because the car has the most cars weight is in the front. More weight more pressure= more load on the tire. The front tires on a FWD take a beating and with the extra weight, the drive of the traction wheel and side loads of turning take their toll on the edge of the tire wear up front.

The best thing to do is start a a base line and just read the tread and wear. Adjust from there.

The little extra pressure may help a little with the push but the MFG puts a little in to most vehicles to keep people from spinning out.

Besides you are running snow tires the pressure changes are most reflected in on the edged driving. 90% of the suspension tuning is with springs, bars and shocks. The pressure is just that little tweek that changes things at the limit. 2-3 pounds is not going change much in daily driving handling but it can effect wear greatly.

I know what I want to say here but not sure how to explain it. I hope you can follow what I mean.

Just my two cents for what it is worth.

 

Thanks stephenm, hyper and mowgli. Interesting to hear other opinions (other than my own).
For now, I will just run 37 psi in all 4 and when the snow hits I will probably drop it down to somewhere between 32 - 35 depending on handling.
Since the tires are new, it will take a while to see tread wear.... at least I hope :o)