tire press.? (i know, i know)

[henry 008]

i recently put on avon cobras front and rear. i have always kept tire press in my old E3s 38F and 40R.  the mechanic thought excessive tire wear was due to under inflation. he told me to keep the cobras at 42F 44R. now my ? i was at the color ride in indiana, heading 300+ mi home, i check my tire pres.  38F 41R, so i asked a couple guys there where a good place to get air would be close by. they said it was cold 58* and it was gonna warm up to 75* or more and wait and check them later. i did an hour later, it was 65* and pres was 42F 45R. should i have filled the tires at the start of the ride?  i surley don't want to wear out these new tires prematurely. and i don't want a blow out do to over inflation!   TIA

[John U.]

Checking air pressure on warm tires won't give you a comparable number. An under-inflated tire will get hotter and thus raise the air pressure, but it's still underinflated.
So that means yes, you should check and adjust air pressure before riding.

[The Anvil]

Well first of all, you could probably inflate the tires into the 60+ psi range before getting into dangerous territory. I know guys who hypermile bikes (BMW riders usually) who inflate their tires into the 50's with no issues. There's typically a wide margin of safety in terms pressure tolerance. The manufacturer's specified pressure is less about a safe pressure and more about longevity and comfort and as Mr. U said, lower pressure means more carcass flex and more carcass flex means more heat. Carcass flex + excessive heat has been know to lead to blistering and delamination failures.

That's not to say that keeping them at 36 psi is going to cause a failure either, just that if I'm erring, it's going to be a little on the high side with this particular bike.

[Jess from VA]

Always check and air up tires cold. 
 
Run 42-44 front 44-45 rear for best longevity.  This should still be under the MAX PSI printed on the sidewalls.
 
Never check them hot or warm.  (apples and oranges)

[98valk]

too much air pressure will also wear out a tire faster. it will also overheat from that condition, it actually starts skipping across the road surface. hyper milers as TA mentioned do it for higher mpg not tire life.
always check pressures cold, meaning haven't been riden for hrs and not sitting in the sun.
I evalute the correct pressure for the bike by checking the surface temp of the tire after a 20 min  hwy ride. front will always be a little cooler than rear due to air flow. using this method i have found that my not stock conti-go rear tire on the front requires 40 psi. any more or less and the temp goes up. so far I have zero measureable wear after 2k miles. I have done the same for the rear E3. for my bike's weight it needs 42 psi.
the temp technique is used by road racers. a google search will bring up much info and gages to buy.

[hal47]

Henry it was good riding with you,hope to see you next year. I run 42-44 in rear depending on how heavy bike is loaed,and 40 in front,not much weight on front,so a few lbs difference make it ride a lot harder on the front. HAVE A GOOD ONE  HAL

[Farther]

I do cold 45/45.  Handling noticably suffers with less than that for me, especially on the front.  Your experience may vary!

[sandy]

As Mr. RP once said: I'll wait till Christmas to check my tires cold. Cold in July means 110 deg.