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Reply to "Tire Pressure again"

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Richard, I've also been wondering about the Willhoit suggestions you quote.

29 in the rear isn't too far off from what gets kicked around here. (I think I've been running around 28 for a while now.)

But 26 for the front is maybe 4-5 lbs higher than where the forum consensus usually ends up (ha-ha, he said 'consensus').

I think most of us start out around there but usually end up lowering it to avoid the merciless pounding that usually results. My car definitely has a nicer ride at 21 than at 26, although it probably handles  better at the higher setting.

So, maybe our (lowered) VW front ends just ride harsher than an original 356 and those cars are more comfortable at the higher setting? I don't know the answer to that having never driven an original car.

Another thing that makes us favor lower settings is that VW originally recommended something like 18-20 up front for the Beetle. What is often forgotten, though, is that that was for bias ply tires. Bias plies have much stiffer sidewalls than radials, so at higher pressures tend to ride like rocks, especially if lightly loaded (like on the front end of a Beetle). Also those skinny, high aspect ratio tires were actually meant to be a significant part of the suspension - they supplied a good bit of the compliance. So, another reason for lower recommendations.

I don't know exactly when Porsche made radials standard. Michelin developed the 'X' in 1949 and they were pretty widely available by the mid '50s, but my hunch is they had to be optioned until probably the early 60s.

So was the 356 front end sprung differently than what most of us end up with a lowered VW beam? And does that make higher tire pressure up front more bearable on those cars?

Dunno.

Anyone got answers?

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