Hi Guys,

I know this is a dead horse and has been covered, but I'd like a little confirmation from you guys please...

My FXD has stock Dunlops on it. The manual says to inflate them to 30 front and 35 rear unladen and 40 rear laden. The tires themselves (both) say to inflate to 41 psi cold. Someone said to inflate the tires to the max recommended on the tire which would be 41 for both. Seemed a little high to me so I called the service dept and the guy there said 32 front and 35 rear. Then he gave me this story about the contact patch getting smaller as the tire heats up and expands, so I need less air as the tire heats up to create a bigger contact patch. I would think that the tire company takes this into consideration when designing the tire.

So what say you guys?

Would the 32F/35R be a safe range to follow? My brain hurts...lol!

 

Usually what's on the tire is a maximum pressure, not a recommended.

My softail runs best at 36 front/38 rear. Took a bit of experimenting to find the best handling spot.

 

I agree, don't go by what's stamped on the tire. Tires aren't manufactured for one specific vehicle, so the MOCO would be better informed as to what pressure works best on their models. I wouldn't worry about it too much as long as you're not too low.