[vallansa]

Hi. As I mentioned in other threads I am the owner of a Stelvio in Madrid (Spain) and as I understand there are some other measures for Stelvio tires. What tire measurements do you have and what tire pressures do you have on the tires?

I have a 19" 8j wheel and a 235/55 R19 wheel.
The pressure I have is 32 psi (2.2 bar) forward and 34 psi (2.4 bar) back.

 

[lost1750GTV]

a problem encountered by many on the Giulia forum is dealers not reducing air pressure from "shipping" pressures (in the range of 50 psi) to driving presssures (noted on the drivers doorjam).

 

[vallansa]

Yes, that also happens here. And in the Stelvio in the only place that puts the pressures is the manual book.

a problem encountered by many on the Giulia forum is dealers not reducing air pressure from "shipping" pressures (in the range of 50 psi) to driving presssures (noted on the drivers doorjam).

 

[BklynG]

Learned the hard way ...drove from a dealership on 47psi surely the next day found a nail stock in my tire had to go back for them to patch it up and of course deflated to 33psi- I checked the tire preassure myself but I figured cool it must be right since dealer had it this way (I never owned a car before, know nothing about any types of vechicles - and I did mention it to them putting a stress on that) somehow no one thought this was important.

 

[lost1750GTV]

U.S. law requires the sticker in the doorjam.
they figure we aren't smart enough to read the manual, and after reading on this and the giulia forum, I guess they have a point.

 

[karlfevans]

Wouldn't the tire pressure indicator warning light come on when tire pressure is 50 psi?

Also dealer delivery preparation should adjust tire pressure if they ship the Stelvio with 50 psi.

 

[lost1750GTV]

low pressure light? I don't know if it would register too high. many dealers don't catch it in dealer prep, and don't do software updates etc etc.

 

[BklynG]

U.S. law requires the sticker in the doorjam.
they figure we aren't smart enough to read the manual, and after reading on this and the giulia forum, I guess they have a point.

It never even acured to me that info would b on the door and when I did notice the sticker I figured dealer knows better then I do after all they inspected the car before reliesing ...nothing to do with being smart or not smart. I never owned a car before how was I to know any different? I understand the buyer % that know nothing about cars is very very small but we exist and I think first thing dealer should have done is deflate those tires after making a sale.

If it was hot that day my tires would have poped on a way home!!! Of course I had no idea about that ether and learned after the fact...but can u imagine?!!

Wouldn't the tire pressure indicator warning light come on when tire pressure is 50 psi?

Also dealer delivery preparation should adjust tire pressure if they ship the Stelvio with 50 psi.

Agree 100%

 

[lost1750GTV]

sorry if it seemed I was picking on you, BklynG, because I wasn't. This has popped up on the Giulia forum so much that it's turning into a new owner checklist type of thing, and very few (if any) of the people who have encountered it are first time owners.
It ABSOLUTELY should be done by the dealers, and it is incomprehensible how many don't.

No, your tire wouldn't pop - but it will give a harsh ride, have poor traction, and wear excessively in the center if left too high for many miles.
People should not have to check their tire pressure, oil level etc when picking up a new car.

People should know to read their owners manual so they know about their car, and should know to consult it when they get a warning (idiot) light on their dash, etc etc . there is plenty of information in the manual, and on Alfa's youtube channel, which others are constantly pointing people to when they ask questions on forums.

the tire pressure warning light is for low pressures, apparently not for high ones, as it does not light up.

 

[joelmac]

Learned the hard way ...drove from a dealership on 47psi surely the next day found a nail stock in my tire had to go back for them to patch it up and of course deflated to 33psi- I checked the tire preassure myself but I figured cool it must be right since dealer had it this way (I never owned a car before, know nothing about any types of vechicles - and I did mention it to them putting a stress on that) somehow no one thought this was important.

Wow - the same exact thing happened to me! The screws were not long enough to puncture the tire so I didn't make them give me a new one (although I think I may have the slowest leak ever now since I've had to add air to only this tire so I'm kinda regretting that now). But a few days later I noticed I was also around 45PSI or so. Here's a picture of what I found when I was admiring my new car with my friends within 20 minutes of leaving the dealer. I assumed these screws were on the floor of the dealership but who knows.

 

[BklynG]

sorry if it seemed I was picking on you, BklynG, because I wasn't. This has popped up on the Giulia forum so much that it's turning into a new owner checklist type of thing, and very few (if any) of the people who have encountered it are first time owners.
It ABSOLUTELY should be done by the dealers, and it is incomprehensible how many don't.

No, your tire wouldn't pop - but it will give a harsh ride, have poor traction, and wear excessively in the center if left too high for many miles.
People should not have to check their tire pressure, oil level etc when picking up a new car.

People should know to read their owners manual so they know about their car, and should know to consult it when they get a warning (idiot) light on their dash, etc etc . there is plenty of information in the manual, and on Alfa's youtube channel, which others are constantly pointing people to when they ask questions on forums.

the tire pressure warning light is for low pressures, apparently not for high ones, as it does not light up.

No worries, I didn’t take any offense was just trying to stress the importance of the Dealer’s knowledge of owners manual vs the consumers like me. Dealer represents the brand It’s their responsibility to insure the safety and longetivety of a product they’re selling. They should always assume that the buyer haven’t had a chance to study owners manual prior to making a purchase reguardless of their driver experience or a lack of.

 

[BklynG]

Learned the hard way ...drove from a dealership on 47psi surely the next day found a nail stock in my tire had to go back for them to patch it up and of course deflated to 33psi- I checked the tire preassure myself but I figured cool it must be right since dealer had it this way (I never owned a car before, know nothing about any types of vechicles - and I did mention it to them putting a stress on that) somehow no one thought this was important.

Wow - the same exact thing happened to me! The screws were not long enough to puncture the tire so I didn't make them give me a new one (although I think I may have the slowest leak ever now since I've had to add air to only this tire so I'm kinda regretting that now). But a few days later I noticed I was also around 45PSI or so. Here's a picture of what I found when I was admiring my new car with my friends within 20 minutes of leaving the dealer. I assumed these screws were on the floor of the dealership but who knows.

Crazy...yep very similar to my scenario( except I found my nail the next day and had to drive all the way back to the dealership on a Sunday I live an hr away and I feel this inconvenience could have easily been avoided not to mention a feeling of a brand new tire violated, not being perfect anymore - all because the dealer didn’t read his owner’s manual which is his job in the first place.

 

[lost1750GTV]

joelmac, looks like you ran over a bag of screws. must have made a heck of a racket when you were driving with all those winter studs.
if you have a slow leak, it should be patched from the inside - a plug works but it would seem the hole is so small it wouldn't make sense to ream it big enough to take a plug.

 

[joelmac]

Yep, definitely a bag of screws. But I was so happy with the car that I didn't even notice it with the windows closed, etc. I'm sure the people outside heard me coming from far away though. Hoping there is no leak but if there is its really, really slow. The dealer is holding a tire for me in case I change my mind and want them to replace it.

 

[SailDrive]

BTW, the infotainment system will report tire pressures for all 4 tires. it's under the Car section.

IIRC the manual recommends 33psi front / 36 psi rear for the 255/20 tires on the Ti Sport.

The tire itself actually says / dictates what the maximum pressure is, it has nothing to with the vehicle manufacturer specifications. Adding a few PSI of pressure to the tires is a very common thing to do on performance cars to improve handling. My BMW is spec'd in the manual at 30 PSI, but I found it handles much better at 40 PSI. That tire is rated for 55 PSI, so anything 55 and under should not have uneven wear. My Evoque handled best at 34 rear and 37 in the front (and was SUPER sensitive to left / right pressure imbalances, it would start to gently pull to the lower pressure side while on the highway at even 1 psi difference)

I've been considering adding about 3 PSI of pressure to my Stelvio, but holding off for the moment since the weather is hopefully going to warm very soon. I'm very OCD on the pressures, and when I add air I try to match the pressures to within 0.1 PSI accuracy between the tires.

 

[lost1750GTV]

unless you have a very heavy, as in maximum load, 55 will have the center of your tire wearing quickly. guaranteed.
yes, there is room for preference between ride/handling, and if you are going really fast, or carrying a lot of weight, pressures should be adjusted accordingly - and yes, the tire manufacturer determines pressures for their tire - but for most people and situations that convenient sticker in the door jam is just fine.

 

[SailDrive]

unless you have a very heavy, as in maximum load, 55 will have the center of your tire wearing quickly. guaranteed.

Eh, that car always wears out the edge of the tread first, outside tread block always gets rounded off. In that car's context, Higher pressures mean harder cornering :grin

but to your point, agreed a regular passenger car should never be at max loading, though I've never seen uneven wear caused by going up as high as 45psi. Also in theory any modern steel belted radial should maintain a flat contact patch all the way to max loading (that's the entire reason for the radial steel belts, which are now often both Kevlar and steel), though you do absolutely increase one risk as you increase pressure, blowouts....

 

[vallansa]

The problem that I am having with my Goodyear f1 asymmetric suv 235/55 R19 is that if I put the pressure of the Elum 2,1 forward - 2,3 back I'm comfortable in the city but the wheel looks loose. And if I raise them a bit to 2.3 forward - 2.5 backwards which is as the manual says for high speed I'm stepping very hard. I think you have to see that the Goodyear f1 asymmetric suv have a very soft flank.

What brand and measure wheel and what pressure do you put in America?

 

[SailDrive]

I have Continental 255/45/R20's

 

[AlfaDream]

Thanks for this post, I had no idea the dealer didn’t adjust the pressure before my pickup about a month ago. Here is a pic of my pressures up until I read this thread.