My FR-S is sensitive (to tire pressure)

[babydriver]

I've noticed several times now that when the tire pressure is off by as little as one pound on one of the four tires, I can tell by the car's handling. When everything is right, the car feels as if it is cornering on a rail. When anything is off, the traction becomes ever so slightly unpredictable.

Had the wheels aligned last week (after about 4 months -- I have lifetime alignments at a local Goodyear dealer) and then checked the tire pressure last evening. Sure enough, one tire was off by one pound (too high). Even though it drove well after the alignment, it was noticeably better after the tire pressure check and correction!

I LOVE driving this car when everything is right! The security of the handling just inspires confidence. And these are just the OEM tires. At some point, I'll replace them with the Michelin PSS and then we'll really see some corners taken hard!

[Vampyre]

I can't tell with 5psi difference. I think it's in your head or troll.

[8R6]

wtf

[Burrcold]

Hahaha

[Ultramaroon]

Agreed! Such sensitivity to tire pressure gives me even greater pause when, daily, I consider any sort of suspension mod.

I'm in no hurry because it's so sweet right out of the box.

[babydriver]

Originally Posted by Vampyre

I can't tell with 5psi difference. I think it's in your head or troll.

Don't worry. I know who the real troll is.

[OkieSnuffBox]

What professional team do you drive with?

[babydriver]

Originally Posted by OkieSnuffBox

What professional team do you drive with?

Same one you do.

[Ultramaroon]

If you can't feel the difference you're not paying attention. I'm not sensitive to 1 PSI but I can easily feel 3.

[OkieSnuffBox]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

If you can't feel the difference you're not paying attention. I'm not sensitive to 1 PSI but I can easily feel 3.

Yeah, can I feel the difference in a 20 minute session when the tires pick up 6-7psi from cold to hot? Of course.


Can I feel one tire down 1 psi during street driving? Laughable.

[babydriver]

Originally Posted by OkieSnuffBox

Yeah, can I feel the difference in a 20 minute session when the tires pick up 6-7psi from cold to hot? Of course.


Can I feel one tire down 1 psi during street driving? Laughable.

Maybe the problem is that you don't have any curves in Oklahoma, only corners. We don't have that problem west of Austin.



Seriously, dude, I've checked it several times because I thought it might be my imagination at first. I have a precision racing air gauge used to compare the tires; it is accurate to within 1/10 lb. The first time it was a three pound difference between the left and right front tires and I thought there was a problem with the steering. It was the pressure; I equalized the tires and the problem went away. On two other occasions, I have noticed a small amount of unpredictability in the car's rear end (as it enters oversteer) when the rear tire inflations are not the same. A one pound difference makes a small but noticeable difference in the behavior of the rear end.

I don't really give a shit whether you believe me or not, and there really isn't any point in debating something when you're not willing to accept its possibility in the first place. So I guess we're done.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by babydriver

I don't really give a shit whether you believe me or not, and there really isn't any point in debating something when you're not willing to accept its possibility in the first place. So I guess we're done.

It's easy to be dismissive on the interwebs. "I'm a racecar driver so if I don't feel it you must be full of shit." SMH

[Vracer111]

Originally Posted by OkieSnuffBox

Yeah, can I feel the difference in a 20 minute session when the tires pick up 6-7psi from cold to hot? Of course.


Can I feel one tire down 1 psi during street driving? Laughable.

I can tell when the tires are about 2 psi low... and the difference in 1lb of unsprung mass between different tire/wheel setups with an otherwise about equal MOI... some people are more sensitive than others. I'm very sensitive to steering and chassis reactions of a car and drive by influencing the car subtlety through minute pressure changes rather than distance movement of the wheel and pedals. 'Sawing' at the wheel is foreign and completely wrong way to drive at the limit for me... especially with a chassis this finely tuned.

[Amaya]

If one tire is 2-3psi low it becomes extremely noticeable to me, like it makes me stop and correct it at the next gas station. I've always been very mechanically intuitive so I wouldn't be surprised if some (or most) people can't or don't notice things like that.