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Newbie Here; Point me in the right direction?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Liberty B, Dec 7, 2021.

  1. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I'd rather be familiar with traction at all possible tire pressure levels on the specific roads I drive most often. That's way smarter then being ignorant of how much difference tire pressure makes under different conditions.
     
  2. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    You certainly have an attitude. I've lost count how many times
     
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    You're the one threatening me with my own death when you say "famous last words."

    If you think someone who is more open minded about learning how tire pressure relates to traction in various road conditions has an "attitude" maybe look in the mirror and ask yourself what kind of impression you give others that you might not yet be aware of?
     
  4. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Oh brother. You are nuts.
     
  5. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    NO.....what he is saying makes perfect sense. :whistle:

    Every time you start the car, you just need to remember what the current pressures are......and what the results of your "tests" were for that pressure.
    Then every time the road conditions change, you need to consciously factor that into your decision for how to drive at that moment.

    He THINKS he is doing something useful and that makes him happy.
    It probably is NOT good advice for anybody else though.
     
  6. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    I’m reminded of the Firestone tire lawsuits of decades ago where pickup truck owners in the hot Texas sun drove the tires for long past their useful lives until it killed someone, in fact many someones. Firestone was blamed and punished for not teaching people to retire the tires based on age rather than appearance.

    Upper design limits on tires pressure, age, miles, are there for a reason. People can do what they choose but when it comes to giving advice, I stick to the manufacturers specifications not vague advice of living on the edge to eek out a couple of extra mpg.
     
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    It's always wise to fact check before you post... In this instance you're just making stuff up to win your ridiculous argument...

    The firestone debacle was not caused by tires driven long past their lifespan, nor was it over-inflation. Under-inflation is sited in reference below though. Under-inflation is a chronic safety issue in vehicles because people don't pay any attention to checking tire pressure, let alone using the right amount of tire pressure for the particular road conditions. All the while you're grasping at straws with no references about why over-inflation is a problem.

    "Ford and Firestone both issued root cause analyses to NHTSA. Firestone argued that vehicle weight, tire design, low recommended inflation pressure, and lower tire adhesion for tires manufactured at the Decatur, IL factory contributed to the tire failures. Ford argued that the tire design led to higher operating temperatures compared to similar tires manufactured by Goodyear and that differences in manufacturing at Decatur led to weaker tires that were more prone to failure. Ford also argued that the size of the wedge, a strip of rubber between the first and second belts, is smaller in Firestone tires than Michelin tires making them weaker than comparable Michelin tires.

    Publicly Firestone argued that Ford's recommended 26 psi inflation pressure was too low and should have been 30 psi. In addition Firestone argued that the Explorer was abnormally dangerous and prone to rollovers in the event of a tire failure, leading to more injuries and fatalities. In the words of Firestone CEO John Lampe, "When a driver of a vehicle has something happen such as a tread separation, they should be able to pull over not rollover.
    " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestone_and_Ford_tire_controversy
     
  8. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    perhaps you should continue to experiment with your high tire pressure but hopefully only on roads that are otherwise unused by others. Good luck.
     
  9. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The original Firestone 500 tires were poorly made and Firestone would replace them after each blowout. I had some in the early years when only Michelin made a decent radial. Had several blow at 40-50 mph on a small car. Their reputation became so bad the stores were rebranded for many years. The tire's instant disintegration failure mode was common then but is unheard of in recent decades.
     
    #29 rjparker, Dec 13, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 13, 2021
  10. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    I hope the OP now knows that the Firestone tires were a bad choice on a Ford SUV
     
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  11. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Well that is not really true.

    The ensuing investigation revealed .....from memory here......that IF the proper size tires were installed AND they were kept up to the pressure recommended for that application, including extra air for towing or heavy loads.............
    That the Firestones didn't fail much more often than most other brands.

    It was when the tires were abused by running low pressures that the Firestones failed much more often and in a more sudden and dangerous way.

    Those Firestone tires weren't the best but they kind of got a bad rap because the failures were hi-lited without talking about the real factors causing the failures. And I think they were OEM on Fords for a couple of years. So every new Ford SUV had them which left few others to compare them to.
     
    alftoy and nancytheprius like this.