New nitrogen filled tires riding very rough

[izzzyyd]

I had the original mx4 michellines or whatever the model number is car was super smooth ride.

I just changed all 4 for pilot sports all season at Costco they filled them with nitrogen

Now car rides like straight trash I feel every bump it’s very jarring

Anyone know if it’s the tires or the fact it’s filled with nitrogen? They are filled at 42psi like recommend.

Or maybe I have to deflate them a bit?

Appreciate anyone who’s experienced the same

 

[MP3Mike]

It's isn't the nitrogen. (Normal air is ~78% nitrogen.)

It could be that the tires will break-in after they have been driven a while, but Pilot Sport tires are likely to be more firm than the MX4s...

 

[E90alex]

It makes no difference. 42 psi is 42 psi.

It’s like asking what is heavier, 50lbs of rocks or 50lbs of feathers.

 

[carpe_diem]

It makes no difference. 42 psi is 42 psi.

Not entirely; different gasses have different coefficients of compressibility. Two tires filled with two different gasses to the same gage pressure could have measurably different damping characteristics. But since these tires were filled with nitrogen, and as MP3Mike pointed out air is mostly nitrogen, I wouldn't expect any noticeable difference here due to how or with what the tires were filled.

It could be that the Pilot Sports are simply stiffer when filled to the same pressure as the MX4s due to differences in their construction. I'd try dropping the pressure a couple of psi at a time and see if the ride quality improves. If you can't get to the ride you want without over-deflating the tires then maybe these are the wrong tires for you.

 

[AZAV8R]

I had the original mx4 michellines or whatever the model number is car was super smooth ride.

I just changed all 4 for pilot sports all season at Costco they filled them with nitrogen

Now car rides like straight trash I feel every bump it’s very jarring

Anyone know if it’s the tires or the fact it’s filled with nitrogen? They are filled at 42psi like recommend.

Or maybe I have to deflate them a bit?

Appreciate anyone who’s experienced the same

I did exactly the same thing (no nitrogen). I now run my tires at 38PSI cold. I’ve driven 30k miles like that, with no weird tire wear or noticeable loss of range. What I did get was an amazingly softer ride. The thuds from expansion joints are more muted and the overall experience is way better. YMMV.

 

[karkrazy]

It’s the pilot sports.

 

[David99]

I always find it takes a while for the tire to break in to feel smooth again. New tires also have slightly worse range. But if the difference is as big as you describe, it's most likely the the different tire type. 43 psi is the official recommended tire pressure, but if you look up the weight rating of tires in relation to tire pressure, you can see those 43 psi are pretty high. Way higher than needed. You can go lower and be perfectly within the load rating of the tire. There is no risk nor compromise in safety going lower. Try 40 and see if that helps.

 

[jankratochvil]

You can go lower and be perfectly within the load rating of the tire.

Unfortunately between 35-36 PSI Tesla starts annoying with a warning. While 32 PSI or even some people say down to 20 PSI is still a valid pressure. The lower the pressure the better braking which is all what matters. I do not mind some percents of lower range as long as my car has not bumped into someone.

 

[rpiotro]

Michelin pilot sports are a high performance tire. I would expect a stiffer ride. That is the trade-off for more responsive handling.

 

[nate704]

NY roads are the culprit, not the car or tires.

 

[ewoodrick]

I had the original mx4 michellines or whatever the model number is car was super smooth ride.

I just changed all 4 for pilot sports all season at Costco they filled them with nitrogen

Now car rides like straight trash I feel every bump it’s very jarring

Anyone know if it’s the tires or the fact it’s filled with nitrogen? They are filled at 42psi like recommend.

Or maybe I have to deflate them a bit?

Appreciate anyone who’s experienced the same

Stop using Nitrogen or at least thinking that it's any difference from air.

If you get it for free, fine, never pay for it.

You changed tires, yes, the car will probably drive differently.

 

[BSinPDX]

Definitely the tires. Interestingly, the non A/S PS4 is more supple. I switch between them and the difference is very noticeable.

 

[Zcd1]

I had the original mx4 michellines or whatever the model number is car was super smooth ride.

I just changed all 4 for pilot sports all season at Costco they filled them with nitrogen

Now car rides like straight trash I feel every bump it’s very jarring

Anyone know if it’s the tires or the fact it’s filled with nitrogen? They are filled at 42psi like recommend.

Or maybe I have to deflate them a bit?

Appreciate anyone who’s experienced the same

Go back to Costco and tell them you’re not happy with the new tires. They’re loud in addition to not offering the best ride.

Get Hankook ION EVO AS tires instead. You’ll thank me later.

Or just drop your tire pressures to 37-38 PSI and see what you think.

Won't help much with the noise though because the noise is due to the tread pattern.

 

[izzzyyd]

Go back to Costco and tell them you’re not happy with the new tires. They’re loud in addition to not offering the best ride.

Get Hankook ION EVO AS tires instead. You’ll thank me later.

Or just drop your tire pressures to 37-38 PSI and see what you think.

Won't help much with the noise though because the noise is due to the tread pattern.

Was thinking maybe once they wear out a bit but could be wrong.

What does Costco do in these cases? Will they swap out your tires for free?

 

[izzzyyd]

I did exactly the same thing (no nitrogen). I now run my tires at 38PSI cold. I’ve driven 30k miles like that, with no weird tire wear or noticeable loss of range. What I did get was an amazingly softer ride. The thuds from expansion joints are more muted and the overall experience is way better. YMMV.

What’s actually hilarious when I had low PSI in the MX4 like 35 the car felt like it does now total *sugar* felt everything, when I upped it to recommended 42-43 felt amazing.

I’m thinking the Tesla shocks might be tuned to very specific settings so if it’s not the right combination your Out of luck

 

[GtiMart]

Going from a Grand Touring all season (MXM4) to a Ultra High performance all season, you should expect worse comfort, while gaining traction.

 

[Zcd1]

Was thinking maybe once they wear out a bit but could be wrong.

What does Costco do in these cases? Will they swap out your tires for free?

I don't know.

I buy my tires from Discount Tire and they'll replace any tire for any reason.

I'd think Costco would have some type of customer satisfaction guarantee as well.

 

[Zcd1]

What’s actually hilarious when I had low PSI in the MX4 like 35 the car felt like it does now total *sugar* felt everything, when I upped it to recommended 42-43 felt amazing.

I’m thinking the Tesla shocks might be tuned to very specific settings so if it’s not the right combination your Out of luck

That doesn't make a lot of sense, but who knows?

 

[carpe_diem]

Going from a Grand Touring all season (MXM4) to a Ultra High performance all season, you should expect worse comfort, while gaining traction.

I agree. Tesla likely chose touring tires for comfort, tread life, and noise. This reduced handling characteristics so they balanced the tires with stiffer dampers.

The combination of high performance tires paired with the OEM dampers has resulted in a pretty rough ride.

 

[izzzyyd]

Lowered it to 38psi livable now, road noise will just have to get used to it.

Costco doesn’t offer the hankooks, no discount tire nearby