Hey, guess what I discovered!
The more you inflate your tires, the easier they are to spin.
You know why they spin more easily? Because there's less surface area on the tire actually touching the road. Less surface area = less friction = easier to smoke tires from a standing start, even with an automatic tranny (like mine)!
Fun! Fun! Fun!

Until, that is, you attempt to get on the gas out of a turn and break the rear end loose, causing you to do an impromptu donut in the middle of a busy intersection that can be corrected only when you bang up against a curb and scratch up the rims on your heretofore unblemished 18" fanblades.

Nobody hurt, damage minimal, but pride and ego completely deflated.
I hate being a moron.

The moral: If you see your low tire pressure light come on because it's gotten cold all of a sudden, be careful not to go too crazy with the air hose. And if you notice it's a whole lot easier to smoke the rear wheels, maybe dial the pressure back a tad, mmmkay?

Merry Christmas everyone.

 

Funny as hell!

But seriously, sorry about your rims and glad you and the car are ok.

 

Well I guess it's good you have a sense of humor! Sorry about the rims though.

Uh...I'll be right back......

 

DOH!

Glad you are ok. You know you'll subconciously avoid that intersection for about a month now.

 

Get a good digitial tire pressure guage, and make it a habit to check your air at least once a month, and check it during any major swing in tempurature.

Tires leak down about 1 psi a month if they are in good shape, the problem is compunded by temp, they increase/decrease by 1 psi for every 10 degree change in temp from the original inflation pressure temp (compounded by humidity), another good idea is to switch from air to nitrogen to mitigate the pressure loss due to air escaping from the tire and pressure change due to water vapor in the tire.

Tires are considered severely underinflated when they are 20% below the vehicle manufacturer's reccomended inflation pressure (ie; if your Mustang calls for 30 psi then at 24 psi they are under inflated).

Tire pressure is the #1 reason for tire failure an d the #1 reason tires need to ber replaced prematurely, #2 is lack of rotation.

 

yeah especially if its near your house. if it was repair the fan blades and trade in the car. otherwise someone you know had to have seen it. you will never live this one down!

 

What pressure did you set them at?

 

Speaking with the voice of experience, get your alignment checked.
I've done this (spinout) twice. (not with the stang)
The finish against the curb ruined my alignment both times.

 

Very good point Leonard.

 

Ruined alignment means you bent parts! w00t!

 

i just put air in all 4 of mine today, the front left only had 15 psi

i put them all at about 32 psi.


hey uh, what are you gonna do with those rashed up 18's?????

 

TCS on or off?

 

After I got the warning light, I set the pressure to about 30 psi all way around. Incidently, it was my front right tire that apparently set the light off -- pressure had dropped below 20 psi.
I have since drawn down the pressure on my tires to about 28 psi.
TCS was off -- I usually keep it off, but may have to rethink that. The damage appears to be purely cosmetic - some gouges along 1/3 of the edge of my back right wheel. I have driven about 50 miles since the drama this morning and detected no alignment problems -- and believe me, I was feeling for them. I may be taking it to a specialist just in case this weekend, however.

If anyone knows what the proper tire pressure should be for OEM BFGoodrich tires, i'd love to hear about it, because I have found nothing about it in the owner's manual.

...and I'm keeping the wheels -- for posterity. Like a rolling reminder not to drive like a knucklehead (the odd burnout/stoplight drag race notwithstanding -- the hooligan in me needs some kind of release every so often).

 

As I understand it, the proper inflation for any tire on a '05+ Mustang is 32psi, regardless of size or brand of tire.

 

True (32 psi cold). Looked it up in my owners manual and on the door frame when I first saw this thread.

 

It might be fun to over inflate the tires but exceeding the availaible friction in the friction circle is never a good thing. If the tires have lost grip then you have exceed the available friction. Tires work, due primarily to the friction built up between the tire and the road surface...less contact with the road surface means more slip between the tire and the road...and non chocolate donuts.

 

*in best Peter voice*

mmmm, chocolate donuts.

 

Consequently, if you're ever in snow (heaven forbid the pony plays in that mess), and you need to gain traction...let air out, until the sides bow, that will increase the tire's surface area, sorta like a snow shoe. I always carry a tool box, and a air compressor in my vehicles, you never know when you'll need them. My mom had a flat, and the spare was also flat, luckily we had a compressor.

 

dont be too embarassed, happens to anyone. just have to use a large S*** happens complex, thats what Forrest Gump taught me

 

sounds a bit like what happened to me, though I wasn't trying to do a burnout. It was raining and I was turning on the main road and overcorrected and ended up slamming my left rear tire into the median then went on top of it and back over and finally rested. Scary stuff...I am so thankful that no one was hurt.