Does anyone know the proper tire pressure for a big boat like a '65 Buick Electra 225? I don't know the tire specs and there's no tire pressure sticker anywhere in my car. Thanks!
Member
Does anyone know the proper tire pressure for a big boat like a '65 Buick Electra 225? I don't know the tire specs and there's no tire pressure sticker anywhere in my car. Thanks!
Member
Does anyone know the proper tire pressure for a big boat like a '65 Buick Electra 225? I don't know the tire specs and there's no tire pressure sticker anywhere in my car. Thanks!
You can't go wrong at 32 PSI.
How old are your tires?
-BC
Member
The tires came with the car when I bought it over a month ago, so I have no idea how old they are.... Maybe a few years. 32 psi sounds right.
Do you know how to read the DOT code? If the tires are more than 10 years old, I would change them even if the tread is good.
-Bob C.
Member
I'm aware of the DOT code, but not quite sure how to read it.
Have a look at this:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
Hopefully the code will be visible without crawling under the car.
The last four digits represent the date of manufacture. For instance, the code 1505 means that the tire was made in the 15th week of 2005.
Three-digit suffixes were used before 1999, so if you have 337, that indicates that the tire is made in the 33rd week of 1997.
The rule of thumb is that anything more than 6 years old shouldn't be used, however the "youngest" tire that I've personally seen age problems with is 8 years old (the sidewall had age cracks that were leaking air).
-Bob C.
Member
Thanks for the link and information. I'll check my tires and look for the codes.
Member
Thanks, Bob! I checked my tires and easily found the codes for the front tires, but not for the rear. In any case, the front tires looked OK, but both rear ones showed faint cracks on the sidewalls. I took the car to a tire specialist for appraisal and was told indeed, the front tires are still fine, but the rear ones need replacing. They gave me a good estimate, so I had new ones put on. Whew! Thanks again for the help!
Last edited by cktriplett; 11-08-2008 at 11:23 PM.
Good to hear. I know it seemed somewhat unrelated to the air pressure question, but if a tire has been sitting for a while and you increase the pressure you can run a risk of a blowout. Glad to know that your ride will be safer!
One other point. Do you know what the new tires have for pressure? Occasionally you will get someone who thinks that the "maximum" pressure on the sidewall is the "recommended" pressure, and since some tires can handle 44 PSI you'll find that your ride is very harsh. For your car, I would think that 32 or 35 PSI is probably your best setting.
-Bob C.
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