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Tires, Noob eureka moment

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Offline 144man

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Tires, Noob eureka moment
« on: May 08, 2011, 02:36:26 PM »
I've only had my stock '87 Sammy since last Thanksgiving.  It needed two tires when I got it, so I stuck with the 215-70-15 that was on it.  The tire guys filled them to 32 psi, of course.  I finally read the manual, which said 20 psi front and 20 psi rear (26 loaded.)  That seemed a little low for road use, so I aired them down to 22 front and 24 rear.  WHAT a difference!  I no longer feel like I'm going to lose fillings driving it on the road.  I had no idea that fully half the suspension job is done by the tires.  When in doubt, RTFM!  (Read the f***ing manual.)

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Offline mike5721947

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Re: Tires, Noob eureka moment
« Reply #1 on: May 08, 2011, 05:50:44 PM »
yep, i had 205's on my sidekick when i bought it and swapped out to some 235's and the guys at the tire shop put them at 35 psi, drove like a rock. checked the door sticker and it was suppose to be down at 23 psi. aired them down and man, rode like silk.

got a family member with a BONE stock kick with 205's on it, they were noticing the ruff ride and i swapped my 235's on to there truck, they said it was night and day, way smoother.
1990 Suzuki sidekick 2Dr Conv.
385,000 km and still going strong.
31" kumhos 3inchs of lift.

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Offline Jonny Rash

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  • Too many Samurais, too little time
Re: Tires, Noob eureka moment
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2011, 08:54:04 AM »
Yep, tire pressure has a dramatic effect on the ride quality.  The tires are an integral part of the suspension.  Almost like a forklift where the tires are the suspension. 

One summer I loaned a Samurai to my brother and I decided to take it for a spin around the block to see how it was running.  The thing rode like a SWB dump truck.  Turns out he had the tires inflated to 35 PSI. 
25+ years of Samurai ownership!