Overheard a guy at the tire shop say he runs 15 psi on the highway

I was at Big O Tires in Portland waiting for a rotation and this older dude in a beat up XJ was telling the kid at the counter he airs down to 15 psi for daily driving. Said it rides better and he hasn't had a flat in 3 years. I always thought under 20 was asking for a bead blowout on pavement. Anyone tried running really low pressure on pavement for a long time?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.elliot1mo ago

Honestly thats kinda wild but I bet the tire compound and sidewall stiffness matters a ton. Running that low on some flimsy all seasons would probably shred the sidewalls fast.

mila_brown101mo ago

Oh man, you're speaking my language. I've seen people run low pressures in cheap tires and the sidewalls looked like they were about to blow out after a few turns. Meanwhile my buddy's on some premium rubber and he's been running 20psi for months without any issues. It's wild how much the quality of the tire actually matters when you're pushing the limits like that. Gotta love when the "budget friendly" option turns into a sidewall shredding disaster.