posted December 13, 2001 09:57 AM           

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Nokian recommends inflating their tires somewhat above the pressure recommended by the car manufacturer. I believe its 3 psi higher than the recommendation in the front and then the back 3 psi higher than the front. My Corolla recommends 30 psi front and back. I'm running 33 in the front and 34 in the back. The ride is quite a bit choppier, bordering on harsh, than with the original Michelin MX4's, which probably are optimized for ride comfort, since they don't seem to do anything else very well. I'm curious if you follow the increased pressure recommendation and if you have also noticed a rougher ride. The tires just "feel" over-inflatated, so I think I might lower them to 30.

Haven't had any snow yet, but the tires are very impressive in rain. I'm also surprised how quiet they are, given the very agressive tread pattern. Other than the rough ride, I'm very impressed so far, especially for the price ($70 each mounted and balanced for 185/65 R14). No-name snows at Sam's Club were virtually the same price, once all the additional charges were added in.

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posted December 14, 2001 11:20 PM           

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I wasn't aware of the 3 psi over recommendation, but I my preference is to set my tires a bit over recommended anyway. If you like a softer ride, I see no reason not to lower them to recommended pressure. Lowering pressure reduced the tire's ability to disapate heat, but as long as the tire's load capacity is not exceeded, you should be okay. You can call Nokian directly - they were very helpful in answering many of my questions.

You might consider going to a softer shock or even an adjustable shock if you want to fine tune your ride further. I had Tokico Illuminas on a former Integra and was quite impressed with them.

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