Do you inflate by manual specs or tire specs?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Okay. Thanks all. The consensus seems to be a few psi over the door sticker.

The reason I was interested in the first place is because I've noticed my Camry tires are squealing just a bit when I take turns sometimes. I'm not a crazy driver and all of my tires are at the manufacturer recommended 30 psi, so I was wondering if it was an inflation issue. If I am to understand the over/under steering thing, a few extra psi in the front should (theoretically) help this?
 
Originally Posted By: skaughtz
a few extra psi in the front should (theoretically) help this?

There is only one way to find out.

Sometimes it's just the particular tire model mounted on a particular car that will result in squeal, regardless of pressure. The OEM tires on my old Accord would squeal very easily. It was quite embarrassing.
 
Originally Posted By: Traction
Still can't believe people still think sidewall pressure is correct! Some tires are rated for 51 psi. Just run the door placard pressure, and check more often would be best. When set to 30 cold they will come up from there anyway, 4-5psi on a hot day.


+1

..And the arguments that go with it..
 
Original rubber on my car was 185/65R15, "Q" rated tires.
Max pressure was 35 PSI,

Current is "H" rated 205/60R15,
Max pressure is 52

I run 47 psi, I get great treadlife and mileage,
Not having any problem with the center of the tire wearing out...
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: HerrStig
Who at the factory where the number is molded into the sidewall knows what kind of car it's going on?

LOL! Precisely.



The manufacturer of the vehicle knows exactly what spec of tire is supposed to be on the said vehicle. Load rating, speed rating, size. That is why they put the placard on the door in te first place. Otherwise why ever put that there?
 
Running them at max safe pressure is just stupid. That's like jumping from the max height before you snap your femur, it'll still mess you up.
 
Vehicle manufacturers are willing to sacrifice tire life, and in some instances safety, for ride quality.

I trust the tire manufacturers recommendations more than the car maker.
 
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
I trust the tire manufacturers recommendations more than the car maker.

But tire manufacturer does not make such recommendations. The Max PSI listed on the tire sidewall is not a recommendation.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
3lbs. over the door sticker.


This is essentially what I do. If the car calls for 30-32 PSI, I put 35 PSI in.
 
Since I put 17's on my Nissan I just run 33 in the front and 35 in the rear. However, when I had the factory 215/70/14's on the truck the placard for some reason recommended 26 psi in the front, and 35 in the rear. I always just compromised and just did 32 in the front and 35 in the rear. Never once had an issue with tires wearing out too fast.
 
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
Vehicle manufacturers are willing to sacrifice tire life, and in some instances safety, for ride quality.

I trust the tire manufacturers recommendations more than the car maker.


The tire manufacturer didn't engineer the suspension or entire vehicle(could even be put on the incorrect sized rim), just a tire that can be fitted to any vehicle for all sorts of intented purposes. But the vehicle engineers did design their specs off a certain tire size, load rating and speed rating.
 
Last edited:
32 posts and no one has asked what tires the Camry is running...
...what brand/type tires, and whether they are the OEM size rims...sooooo....
To answer the question we need to know...
stock/oems tires? ... A/S, UHP summer tread? What?)
What size rims....again, OEM?

The Camry is a very light car for it's size (typically 3100lbs) and with very soft suspension...hence the squealing accompanying dip and rolling on OEMs
...I ran my OEMs @ 20% over doorjamb spec of 29psi with A/S tires and got perfectly even wear from shoulder to shoulder and a much better ride...

When I upsized from 15s to 17"ers and ran UHP tires rated @ 51psi max, I ran them 33% over...@ 40psi....20% under max.

When I got new tread rated @ 44psi max, I reduced PSI to 36, again about 20% under max.....

The ride is firm and not jarring...no squealing tires...and I'm getting even wear an all corners on each tire from shoulder to shoulder...

Another consideration is your level of maintenance...if you check the tire after the sun comes up and warms the tire I'd run a couple of PSI high....if your tire loses 1lb a month (typical) and you don't check it often I can see you running a bit more as well...

On the other hand, if you check the air with the tires cold, if your tires don't lose air (my experience) then run tires exactly where you experience the best ride, performance in dry and wet condition, on corners...and of course the comfort you prefer...
 
When DT installed my Duratracs, they inflated them to the 30 PSI listed on the door sticker. The truck felt soft and mushy when driving, especially in any type of cornering. The sidewall says max PSI is 51PSI. I inflated the tires to 40 PSI and the truck handles much better.
 
Great responses above. I think you never have to go more than a couple PSI above the door jam placards. I like a tad too much rather than a bit under-inflated. And temperature factors in.

For Hypermiling, you can inflate to the tire sidewall max psi. People did that a lot back in 2008 when gas prices spiked during the summer.
 
Originally Posted By: ExMachina
For Hypermiling, you can inflate to the tire sidewall max psi. People did that a lot back in 2008 when gas prices spiked during the summer.

So you save a little on gasoline, and then spend more on suspension fixing. Do you still come out ahead in the end?
smile.gif
 
The manual's spec pressure is the one to use. Best for ride/handling and even tire wear.

The value written on the tire is the MAX pressure (cold) it should ever receive. Continued high pressure will make the tire wear only in the center and will ride very hard.
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
The manual's spec pressure is the one to use. Best for ride/handling and even tire wear.

The value written on the tire is the MAX pressure (cold) it should ever receive. Continued high pressure will make the tire wear only in the center and will ride very hard.


For passenger cars, I would agree. Trucks can be a different animal.
 
I run 40# in the 225 70 16's on my Highlander.

65 front 80 rear in my pickup.

30 in my TJ.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
Tire dealers over inflating tires
2 3
Replies
45
Views
1K
altaylar
JHZR2
Proper PSI for unloaded truck with range E tires?
2
Replies
39
Views
3K
Skippy722
R
Tires & Tire Pressure for 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis
Replies
12
Views
3K
Sequoiasoon
L
Tire over inflation
2
Replies
26
Views
3K
zzyzzx
racer12306
19 Ram 1500 Classic Tires - 265-70-17
2
Replies
32
Views
4K
OVERKILL
Back
Top Bottom