Handling with higher PSI in rear
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Ever since my race at the drags last week, I never reset my tire pressures after rotating my tires. I used to run 36/33 front/rear, but then I lowered it to 30/33 (front/rear). Anyway, I'm finding that the car seems to drive better in this configuration. There is less understeer, or plowing ahead when the car is pushed to the limits. It also seems to take bumps better this way, maybe cause theres more cooshying with the lower air pressure under that heavy engine. This is quite contrary to the factory rating of the fronts being higher then the rear and also that of those that a FWD car's understeer will decrease if you pump up the front tires. Thoughts?
the setup you have no induces understeer, which the Maxima has no problem doing in stock form.
Generally speaking, more air in the front and/or less air in the rear will cause more oversteer.
Less air in the front and/or more air in the rear will cause understeer.
Each tire has an optimal tire pressure that they work at. It's probably that the tire pressure was too high for your tires, so lowering it allowed for better traction and a lower slip angle. Try 31 front/29 rear or something close to that and see if it feels any better.
Generally speaking, more air in the front and/or less air in the rear will cause more oversteer.
Less air in the front and/or more air in the rear will cause understeer.
Each tire has an optimal tire pressure that they work at. It's probably that the tire pressure was too high for your tires, so lowering it allowed for better traction and a lower slip angle. Try 31 front/29 rear or something close to that and see if it feels any better.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 402
Each tire has an optimum tire pressure range for maximum contact patch size. Above and below this range will reduce the contact patch size. The larger the contact patch, the narrower the slip angle and the more traction you have, versus larger slip angle.
With the 30/33 front/rear configuration, you are probably at the optimum setting for the front and too high for the rear, thus resulting less traction rear and less plow front.
You could've gone with something like 30/26 front/rear and achieve the same result. The two draw backs with this config is more tire wall flexing and more heat for the rear tires.
With the 30/33 front/rear configuration, you are probably at the optimum setting for the front and too high for the rear, thus resulting less traction rear and less plow front.
You could've gone with something like 30/26 front/rear and achieve the same result. The two draw backs with this config is more tire wall flexing and more heat for the rear tires.
Originally posted by Enduro
Each tire has an optimum tire pressure range for maximum contact patch size. Above and below this range will reduce the contact patch size. The larger the contact patch, the narrower the slip angle and the more traction you have, versus larger slip angle.
With the 30/33 front/rear configuration, you are probably at the optimum setting for the front and too high for the rear, thus resulting less traction rear and less plow front.
You could've gone with something like 30/26 front/rear and achieve the same result. The two draw backs with this config is more tire wall flexing and more heat for the rear tires.
Each tire has an optimum tire pressure range for maximum contact patch size. Above and below this range will reduce the contact patch size. The larger the contact patch, the narrower the slip angle and the more traction you have, versus larger slip angle.
With the 30/33 front/rear configuration, you are probably at the optimum setting for the front and too high for the rear, thus resulting less traction rear and less plow front.
You could've gone with something like 30/26 front/rear and achieve the same result. The two draw backs with this config is more tire wall flexing and more heat for the rear tires.
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4th Generation Maxima (1995-1999)
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Sep 11, 2015 04:55 PM