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mattman 
Groupie
Joined: 31-March-2004
Location: United Kingdom
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 Topic: E36 Tyre Pressures - What should they be?
Posted: 02-April-2004 at 08:54 |
On my 97 318i SE with standard 15" alloys, what should the tyre pressures be? I read somewhere that is 30 on the front and 34 on the rear which I set mine too last night, but it seems a little on the hard side driving to work this morning.
Any other suggestions?
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E36 318i SE
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor
Joined: 27-August-2003
Location: Lost somewhere in time...
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Posted: 02-April-2004 at 09:29 |
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According to the BMW 3 series handbook it should be 28 on the front and 34 on the back.
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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b318isp
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Posted: 02-April-2004 at 10:14 |
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Although I'd raise the front pressure to something like 34-36psi to dial out some understeer. 28psi is ludicrously low.
Edited by b318isp
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Webdunk
Moderator Group
M3 GT Register
Joined: 16-October-2002
Location: Central Scotland
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Posted: 02-April-2004 at 10:29 |
323/328 pressures for comparison :
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Adamski
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Joined: 06-April-2004
Location: New Zealand
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Posted: 06-April-2004 at 11:54 |
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I have 28 and 34 for my 323
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jgymer
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Joined: 05-April-2004
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Posted: 06-April-2004 at 12:33 |
See what performs best for you... the sticker on my 328ci (E46) says 2.2 front and 2.6 back for 18", but that's completely wrong. If you want to grip in the corners then much lower is better. I'm currently using 2.1 front and back. If you use the recommended pressures you'll probably end up with more wear in the centres of the tyres than the outsides.
Bottom line - experiment with what feels best for you and your driving style, but keep an eye on the wear.
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b318isp
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Posted: 06-April-2004 at 13:30 |
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2.1 is too low, even for 15". The sidewalls will be taking most of the weight of the car. Lower is not generally better as BMW set pressures for a bit too much understeer. The bigger the rims, the more pressure you need too, to make the centre of the thread take its share of the load.
At lower pressures the tyre wall will flex more, deforming the contact patch too and will heat the tyre up as well.
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jgymer
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Posted: 07-April-2004 at 10:06 |
I think maybe we're talking a different language, about the same thing... my 2.1 bar is about 31 psi.
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b318isp
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Posted: 07-April-2004 at 10:33 |
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I know, for the front I'm suggesting 2.4bar+. I find 38psi optimum for me on 205/55/15.
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Shamus
Really Senior Member II
Joined: 06-March-2004
Location: Law / Scotland
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Posted: 07-April-2004 at 16:11 |
I have 32 on the fron and 34 on the back now.
Seems to be driving ok sizes 235/40x17
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b318isp
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Posted: 08-April-2004 at 09:52 |
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Try 38-40 up front and see how you like it!
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Peter Fenwick
Bavarian-Board Contributor
Joined: 27-August-2003
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Posted: 08-April-2004 at 10:30 |
I tried 38 on the front and found it to be a little bit on the firm side. I have since dropped it to 34 and I found this much more to my liking. Increasing it from 28 to 34 has made the car a lot less likely to understreer although the knock on effect of this is the car now oversteers more than it use too. Not altogether a bad thing. Mind you I was comming up to some traffic lights this morning ready to turn left. I saw they were on green so I sped up a little just in case they decided to change as I reached them. Took the turn in second gear with just a little too much power. Back end swung out but I just kept the power down and it straightened up nicely. The little old ladies at the bus stop were not impressed at all!
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Entering an age of Austerity and now driving a Focus Diesel.
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Pegsta
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Joined: 03-March-2004
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Posted: 08-April-2004 at 12:49 |
34 on the front and 32 on the back seems to work for me. Only understeers if you hit a bend at excessive speed. Back end slides out nice when you hit it with a little more gas than normal - ie when you're trying to get it out.
With this setup I haven't been caught out yet (he says touching alot of wood!)
Cheers
Gareth
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1998 Boston Green 328i SE
Chipped by ChippedUK 
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Adamski
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Joined: 06-April-2004
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Posted: 08-April-2004 at 12:56 |
Are you guys talking solo passenger figures - because it could be quite different pressures with a half/ full load, eh?
I'm gonna try 34-36 front now based on this advice
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E36 Tyre Pressures - What should they be?
