Tire Pressure

[piggyncsu]

ok so for my 92 es (he came home and i'm the happiest person EVER) i was told to put some air into them (looked really low)

so i went to the glove compartment.... it said

for 4 people in the car use 26 psi for the front and back...

and for a full load max or something use 32???

what do yall recommend for the original sized tires (p205?). my dad said 26 and my boss said 32...

the front has about 27 or 28 right now, and they look mighty low, the back end has about 28 or 29 and looks perky....

seeing as how this is my first car and um..i dont know what im doing......

and i figure i'll need new tires in about well a couple of weeks (need them now..damn baldies...but you know...parents dont care that much)

i figure for my bday in a couple weeks i can get some...and touch up paint.....damn rust spots from where no one touched up the rock knicks...

when it comes to new tires, ill bug yall again ;)

thanks ahead of time for any response...better than doing it "blind" and messing up the wheels and whatever else i could damage

[amanda]

you know, when my tires were 13 psi (no, it's not a typo), they looked totally fine to me.

but i've read in several places that you should keep them a few pounds higher than the recommended (26). so i keep mine at 31-32. you get better gas mileage that way too.

oh, when you do the touchup paint, if your car is metallic, you should really take the extra time and spray it instead of brushing it or using the pen. it's supposed to look pretty dark and crappy otherwise.

i am doing some spraying next week. i put chips on the side the very first time i parked in my gargage. stupid pillars.

[amf1932]

I always split the difference........I use 30psi for front and back. I used this on my '94 and I continued using it on my '03. Even at 30psi the tires still look low, but I found this a good compromise. ;)

BTW: When my '03 was delivered to me the tire pressure was 37psi in one of the tires and the rest varied between 26psi to 32psi. I was really surprised that the dealer didn't check this before delivery. <_<

[steviej]

piggy, for some reason I have always gone 4lbs below max.

My stock 215s say max 36, so I run them at 32. The book calls for 29.

My low profile Toyo FZ4s max at 44, so I run them at 40.

They are both wearing fine and even.

In an attempt to preanswer your tire questions. I would say, look into the Continental ContiExtremeContact tires. Probably available at many tire shops. Should run you around $80 per tire.

Now, what was done to your Lex that has made you so very happy? What was fixed, what was found?

Does this mean no more **sniffles**? I was kinda liking them, very cute.

steviej

[SW03ES]

Mine were all over the place too Alan, I also run them around 29-30.

Spraying on touchup paint? I dont reccomend it lol. I think you'll be.....quite upset with the result.

Check this thing out: www.autosharppen.com

[amanda]

dc steve, you are hands down the expert on car care, but for metallic paint, you gotta spray. everyone i've talked to who's done pen or brush cap with metallic paint has had crappy results. the metal flakes clump and settle if you let it run off or brush onto anything. you've got to propel it so that all the flakes spread out evenly.

i have heard it is a pain in the derriere process. but i can't stand the thought of looking at stupid dark clumps everytime i walk by the car.

i am going to punch out a hole on a cardboard or something to minimize the spray painted area.

and if it comes out crappy anyway (probably because i have no experience), i am going to get a white car next time. beware all you metallic car owners.

[SW03ES]

I've never heard of spraying paint chips on the car yourself before. Pros use airbrushes to touch up chips, but I've never encountered anyone doing this until now...

I've used normal paint to touch up a metallic silver LS400 with good results, and the pen to touch up my VERY metallic ES with great results, you just have to be careful.

If you go ahead with the spraying, you're gonna need this www.langka.com

And actually, white touches up very poorly, even more poorly then metallic cars because white darkens quickly as the car ages. White is also the hardest color to do bodywork on, its almost impossible to make the paint match. I have a white Explorer.

[bbsal]

i also never heard of spraying yourself unless you sand the car down and try to do it like a professinal but i dont think you will be happy with the result.anyhow that product sw03es just showed might help out a little. :D

[SW03ES]

The idea of spraypainting a chip is entirely foreign to me, never even heard anyone consider it before...

I'll have to mention it on Autopia and see what they say...

[amanda]

hmmm. you guys are saying some interesting stuff here. i am still very strongly inclined to spray (because i am obsessive compulsive), but i will keep this in mind. we'll see next week which i decide to do, though i already did order the spray paint cans.

so the metallic came out well with the pens, huh. this is the first time i've heard anybody say that.

actually, i have bought all sorts of supplies to sand the area and all that crazy stuff. we'll see.

thanks for the tip. but it is another thing for me to obsess over.

ack!

=================

hmmm. i just checked out that autosharpen site and they also say the spread-on metallic paint will not look as good as the spray on stuff. they probably mean professionally sprayed on, but you know, i used to compete in art competitions, so maybe i'll get a break.

see how obsessive-compulsive i am.

watch out for a thread titled, "HELP!!! I HAVE A BIG BLOTCH ON THE SIDE OF MY CAR AND I DIDN'T GET LANGKA!!!" about the end of next week.

it is interesting what you say about matching white paint and its being the hardest color to duplicate. i've read time and again that metallic is the worst, especially gold (just my luck). i've ran into that autopia site's tip on touching up paint and the guy also mentions that metallics are very difficult but that white and black is relatively easy.

maybe you had such good results on the es because the car is already dark so any darkening wouldn't show up so much?

[SW03ES]

Sanding too?!?!? Oh man, be really careful Amanda. Sanding a car is a VERY delicate procedure that requires a lot of products and machines to bring the finish back up to gloss afterwards, products and machines frankly you dont have. Products I dont have like a rotary polisher.

I wouldn't come within 100 feet of my car with spray paint or sanding supplies no matter what the blemish.

Its your choice though. If it really bothers you try talking to a body shop about airbrushing...

And the AutoSharpPen site is talking about a complete sanding and repaint of the entire panel.

[SW03ES]

Are you SURE that you're not misunderstanding people Amanda?

Metallic and Tri-Coat paints will always look different touched up versus sprayed on. When spraying these paints, the metallic flakes will spread out and lay down differently. If you touch up these paints, the metallic and pearls will look more condensed, since there is no air behind the painting process.

This is the quote from the AutoSharpPen website. You took it to mean spraying on your own car with a spray can. This is NOT the case. They're talking about when the paint is originally sprayed onto the car at the factory, or by a body shop. The act of repainting is called "spraying"

Again, I have never heard of someone spraypainting chips on their own cars. Yes, detailers airbrush chips but an airbrush is much more precise than a spray can. As for the sanding, yes detailers and bodyshops wetsand vehicles, but this is a VERY precise skill that takes years to master and requires constant running water. It also requires paint thickness gauges and stepped abrasive polishes applied with a rotary to return the finish to its original shine.

I dont think you're prepared for what you're going to do, you're going to have overspray, dulled and marred paint, its going to be a mess.

I strongly advise you reconsider.

Touchups are never going to look perfect whatever you do.

[H8R Proof]

I wouldn't come within 100 feet of my car with spray paint or sanding supplies no matter what the blemish

Me either. No freakin' way.

[bbsal]

i agree also!!DONT DO IT.your going to wish you never sprayed anything on your car.is your paint really that bad?if so maybe a body shop can help! :(

[piggyncsu]

wait wait, explain the spray thing....where do i get the can o spray paint to match the car...i thought the dealer gave a jar of paint and u um..painted ;) and yeh, all touch ups look like crap..even professional ones (at least on the eclipse they just chipped right off).....

as for tires, the TIRES say max 44psi...i was told to do what the car says, not the tire...

i was told at 32 psi it would make the ride rougher....ill probably pump em up to 30 or so today...

and as for the car being fixed, NO. it's still a big POS.hasnt been fixed or anything...i just stole the car from my parents...i mean....they were driving it anyways, i wanted it...im a better driver in my car than my mom is in anything..

so yeh, there are more *sniffles* on the way..trust me...ill let u know when it's fixed...stupid stupid parts..stupid stupid thing...*Grunt*

[piggyncsu]

whats pen too..i know brush...but pen...wtf? i guess ill um...not spray..watching my dad use spray paint on the 99 camry..well..it turned me away from anything like that..ghetto fixing cars SUCKS...

get paint from the dealer or somewhere else.....i dont have a clue...

[amanda]

hmmm, what started out as piggy's innocent posting on tire pressure has gotten pretty lively.

ok, everyone is worried about my car paint. but i just don't think it's such a big deal. it seems like a fairly straightforward, although painstaking process. i have four chips about the size of barley grains across the lower half of a door (why didn't they just make it metal? the metal upper half that rubbed against the stupid pillars didn't chip) plus a few stone chip specks on the hood.

so i am thinking i make these little, itty bitty sand pencils that'll make the barley chips the size of baby peas. once it's smooth, i am going to punch out a hole in an index card or something like that and use it sort of like stencil to keep the spray painted area fairly limited. i prime maybe 3 times then spray on the paint. i do this very, very, very, very slowwwwwwwwwwly so there's no clumping, dripping, streaking, blinking, winking, thinking, finking, what have you. then i spray paint the clear coat, buff and finished. i just don't see what's so hard as long as you are verrrrrrrry patient.

incidentally, i met a mechanic at autozone who knows guys in body shop business. he told me the same -- metallic must be sprayed on. he did mention that the prepping work (making the area smooth with either putty or sanding and putting on a good primer is 90% of the job).

so i am thinking i could get that langka stuff (though my paint guys tell me it's just lacquer thinner) and start with one itsy bitsy chip. if i don't like it, then i could order that pen stuff and go on from there, no?

anyway, i usually have to learn things the hard way.

everyone who warned me can give me a noogie when i screw up next week.

[SW03ES]

They're telling you that sanding and priming is 100% of the job, Amanda they're talking about real bodywork involving primer and putty. You're not capable of that job, you dont have the experience or the equipment to do it properly. Again, I strongly strongly urge you to rethink what you're doing. You could be costing yourself thousands of dollars in future repair.

Modern paint has several stages, primer, color coat, clearcoat. You're talking about removing those stages and replacing them. Its going to look different then the rest of the paint, I 100% guarantee it. Thats why body shops repaint the whole panel and then some into the other panels, becauseyou can't spot spray paint like that and make it the right level. It is possible to do what you're saying but you're not going to be able to make the area smooth, its going to be uneven because you dont have the equipment to wetsand, or a rotary polisher to use graduatedly abrasive polishes to bring the paint back up to gloss.

I talked to some detailing people that do what you're talking about here. They agree it can be done, but you have to wetsand and polish with a rotary afterwards. You dont have the equipment or the experience to do this job right. Its going to be uneven and miscolored. There's at least 2 hours of work on the area that has to be done AFTER the steps you're about to do.

Okay how about this. Order the pen. Anything you do with the pen can be easily removed with laquer thinner or Langka (Langka is just thick laquer thinner, so it doesnt run). If you're not satisfied, send the pen back THEN try the spray paint.

I'll even buy you the pen.

I just hate to see people screw up their cars...

[amanda]

ok, how about if i don't sand it but put putty in then spray it. i really would like to spray the darn paint rather than brush/color it on.

[SW03ES]

The spraying is the problem, I really think that on a small area like that, the pen is going to work a LOT better.

Also, there's no reason for putty because there's no dent. You should be working 100% with paint.

[amanda]

you drive a hard bargain, mister.

[SW03ES]

I do LOL.

Please, try the pen first! All I ask!

[H8R Proof]

I'll even buy you the pen.

Sooo kind!  ;)

I just hate to see people screw up their cars...

Me too! It's heartbreaking.

[amanda]

you know i have this beautiful chateau out in the french countryside and the walls get so damp i was thinking about putting up vinyul siding.

but you know what they say about tacky vinyl siding.

now, if i can get a couple of you to chip in forr a complete environmental control system...

[piggyncsu]

ok so um....i buy a pen from where.... should i get the painting paint, or the marker (?) kinda paint..and the langka stuff i dont really understand..went to the weblink..whatever.......*Sigh*