Quote:
Originally Posted by RidingOnRailz
I'm starting to believe that a 44 or 51psi max on a tire sidewall is marketing, and not a valid basis for determining vehicle specific tire pressure. All those two values do is tempt the, let's just say 'less knowledgeable', into inflating their tires to an even more ridiculously high pressure! So just assume standard load tables, 35psi, for passenger applications.
So burst is safely 3-4x any maximum cold pressure listed on a tire's sidewall.
I guess for tractor trailer and bus tires, oft pressurized to 90-105psi, have even a higher maximum pressure stamped on them, and an even higher burst pressure: 300psi and up...
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While I knew the marketing folks, I never asked them the question of how they determined the max pressure, but I agree with you: Marketing. Fooling the public they are getting more than they actually are. Not that it matters, because max pressure doesn't really mean anything. It seems to me to be a case of telling a white lie.
But there is a thing about speed rated tires tested at more than 35 psi - and that's where the 44 psi and 51 psi came from.
Truck/Bus tires? They don't have a max pressure printed on the sidewall. They use this form: Max Load XXXX at YY pressure.
What I found was that many people think that the above way of stating the max load means that is the max pressure, too. Sorry, but that is not the case. There are situations where a bit more pressure can be used. It just isn't a hard and fast rule.