Not sure why the other thread didn't show up. Here it is again:

I put on a set of 205/65/15 Arctic Alpins and I am not too sure what pressure they should be inflated to. The car says 29 psi front and 29 rear under the armest (98 GLE). But do snows need to be inflated more/less to obtain optimal traction? Or is 29 reasonable? I currently have them at 35. Thanks

 

When driving on snow, the tire pressure should be less than normal. I say 29-31 psi is good for driving through the snow.


~limsandy

 

every tire has specific pressures printed on them.

 

Yes this is true but is the the MAX pressure not what you should run them at.

 

Wouldn't you want a slightly higher pressure for dealing with snow (but don't exceed max pressure on side of tire)? I would imagine it being the same concept as wanting higher pressure to prevent hydroplaning in water (reference tirerack.com and other tire sites). Lower pressure would allow the tire to "float" over water (I presume snow, too). Higher pressure allows the tire to "dig" or "cut" through it to allow for greater traction. One of the sites had interesting pics of this from underneath the car while it was driving over glass flooded with dyed water. Higher pressures had a well defined contact patch, while lower pressures barely seemed to touch the glass. Check out the tip sections of tirerack.com and other tire sites.

Dave