Tire Pressure in winter

[helicopter23]

My 97 grand prix gt has 16 inch wheels, so I usually put 32 lbs of air in. In the winter with the snowy road conditions should I have a little above the 32 lbs or a little less than the 32 lbs?

[MagicRat]

You should maintain the manufacturers pressure recommendations. Most of winter driving is usually done on bare pavement, so you want to maintain recommended pressure to keep consistent handling and traction.

In my experience, there is little advantage to increasing winter tire pressure. But, there are certain snow conditions which respond to a modest decrease in snow tire presssure at very low speeds - to increase tire floatation and get more biting edges into the snow. However, you would need to air-up the tire before you got onto hard pavement or start to drive at the speed of regular traffic.

[BNaylor]

Maintain what is recommended on the tire loading placard located on the back of the trunk lid or driver's side door. Check cold tire pressure. Over inflation is just as bad as under inflation but you should not reduce tire pressure to help increase traction in snow, ice or mud. Use the right tires for the weather conditions. Also, are these tires summer, all season or snow and what brand?

Regardless, the important thing in the winter is to check tire pressure more often. With every 10 degrees of temperature decline tires can loose around 1 psi.

[richtazz]

I agree with Bob, either follow the tire pressure spec on the door/trunk lid or adjust to suit your preference. My 99 GP states 30psi cold, but I prefer 32-35psi. At 30psi, I noticed a little excessive outer edge wear and a little floatier ride quality. I prefer a little taughter ride feel, and 32-35psi works better for me. I would never run tires at the sidewall max pressure, as your car will ride like a lumberwagon and the tires may wear quicker in the center tread section.