[Ross]

I just took delivery of an Insight..really cute car. I need some advice on tire pressure. The book says 38F/35R, but then I read some posts to raise pressure to 45.

So, what pressure is going to yield the best mileage? My commute is over I-80 total one-way is 39.6

I admit, this is a short distance so perhaps I should'nt expect 50mpg+, but I'll try.

Where is the most economical on-line site for floor mats?

Thanks for the help to a new member...


Ross

 

[b1shmu63]

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum.

Regular tires wear out in the center if they are over pressurized. Numerous anecdotal responses from members indicate that this is not the case for our special LRR tires. They seem to last significantly longer and achieve noticeably better mileage when inflated beyond the normal range. Check it out, but if I recall these tires are rated up to 55 PSI by the manufacturer. This is the same pressure used in many trailer tires. Under-inflate your trailer tires and they will disintegrate. :shock: Road noise will increase somewhat. Higher pressure, harder rubber, zero toe in or out and electric assist on the steering will make the ride significantly different to a regular car. I've stuck with the original tires and really don't notice the difference now that I'm used to it. Others have taken the mileage hit and put regular tires on.

Try it for a couple of weeks and let us know.

 

[Ross]

Tire Pressure

Thanks, Kip, for the prompt reply.

What I get from your reply is to try a higher pressure, but keep an eye on tire wear.

As I haven't had the car long I have no history to compare with; no base line. When it came from the dealer, the pressures were 45F/48R.

Yes, the ride was, well, stiff and noisy.

I'll reinflate to 45F/48R and start the record keeping.

Thanks, again. It's great to be part of a forum for such an unusual and well designed vehicle. I've always wanted one, and now I have an Insight at the right time, for the right reason.

 

[b1shmu63]

At 45/48 they should last longer than at the lower tire pressure!

A good friend and neighbour was commenting that it cost him 93 dollars to top up his Suburban. Hope someone warned you that getting high MPG can be addictive. :lol:

Enjoy your commute.

I use thick grey rubber truck floor mats as the car mats measured too narrow. :roll:

 

[Scott]

A 40 mile 1 way highway commute in a 5 speed Insight should give you much better than 50 mpg.

 

[goat961]

I admit, this is a short distance so perhaps I should'nt expect 50mpg+, but I'll try.

Ross

i'd be very suprised if you didn't hit at least 58 your first week. just watch the fcd bar and you'll be over 60 in no time.... especially w/ a 40 mile commute.

 

[cattygurl]

Congrads on your new insight. I am also a new insight owner! Now I can *officially* join the folks here instead of dreaming and drooling on the bench, so to speak.

As for floor mats, I love the rubber floormats that Costco sells. They contain a lot of spills on my old car! I'll be dropping by Costco to protect my new, beautiful insight!

My boyfriend drives 45 miles to his work, and we've been able to eek out 60+mpg so far on mostly freeway driving.

I hope you love your insight as much as I do!

 

[Tzepish]

I admit, this is a short distance so perhaps I should'nt expect 50mpg+, but I'll try.

You should definitely be hitting at least 50mpg on that trip. I have the same car as you (2006 5spd with AC), and I can easily get 50+mpg on my 15 mile commute to work in stop and go traffic. On the way home, without traffic, I get 60 to 75 mpg.

Enjoy your new car!

EDIT: I guess I should mention that I typically don't use the AC, I just spin the fan. I'm sure that helps my mpg.

 

[bretthans]

Congrats!

FYI - the tire pressure should be higher in the front than the rear to reduce understeer. Try 48F/45R instead. This exceeds the MFR max pressure, so my attorney says use at your own risk Personally I've been using 50/48 for 83000 miles on this set of tires with no problems. I can see the wear bars getting closer, though!

HTH

 

[Double-Trinity]

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forum.

Regular tires wear out in the center if they are over pressurized. Numerous anecdotal responses from members indicate that this is not the case for our special LRR tires. They seem to last significantly longer and achieve noticeably better mileage when inflated beyond the normal range. Check it out, but if I recall these tires are rated up to 55 PSI by the manufacturer. This is the same pressure used in many trailer tires. Under-inflate your trailer tires and they will disintegrate. :shock: Road noise will increase somewhat. Higher pressure, harder rubber, zero toe in or out and electric assist on the steering will make the ride significantly different to a regular car. I've stuck with the original tires and really don't notice the difference now that I'm used to it. Others have taken the mileage hit and put regular tires on.

Try it for a couple of weeks and let us know.

From what I understand, additional inflation should not lead to additional wear in the center for any steel belted radial tires, they will only resist deforming from a round shape more, the belts prevent the tire from bulging in the center. This means less deformations and less wear around the edge of the tread, common with underinflated tires. More pressure should mean less tire wear overall though.

Steering feel, hydroplaning resistance, and fuel efficiency should all imrpove by pumping up the tires closer to max sidewall rating. The main drawback is extra road noise and a stiffer ride.

I also believe the reason why there's a differential pressure for the front and rear tires is because weight is not evenly split in a FWD car like an insight, the front tires will deform more due to the extra load on them.