Tire Inflation Questions

aftermath wrote:
Grit Dog said: "Grossly over inflated ties ( for the load, even if within max sidewall psi) can be almost as dangerous as under inflated tires in some (maybe different) situations."

I don't agree with this. Inflating a tire beyond what is needed to meet weight carrying needs is not a dangerous thing to do. It will most likely cause the tire to wear faster, but that is it. When the manufacturer prints the maximum carrying capacity of a tire at the maximum pressure listed it means that the tire is safe for this weight and pressure. If you have less weight than the max but you still air it up to max you are not doing anything dangerous.

When a tire is properly inflated, it's tread is making maximum contact with the road surface.

When a tire is overinflated, only the center of the tread is making contact with the road. Less square inches of contact means less traction. Less traction means longer stopping distance when you brake. It also means that steering will be less than optimal even on dry roads, and much, much worse on wet ones.

I'd call that dangerous.