How you learn about being Bullheaded, my recent experience.

[Hermann]

As many know I have been a owner of a 2021 Toyota Venza for 5 months. Absolutely love the vehicle, it has been everything I expected and more. It is delivering everything I expected except, the ride while soft is often "Nervous Feeling".

When my car was delivered it had 50psi in all four tires. The sticker on the drivers door jam says 33 psi. A few days after delivery I lowered the pressure to 40psi thinking it couldn't hurt mileage, plus winter was coming.

As summer is near and the tires are going to have even higher pressure in a few weeks, I lowered the pressures to 35 psi. I'll be darned, the nervousness of the ride was gone. Now it truly drives and rides like a higher priced vehicle. Amazing what a slight tweak can sometimes achieve.

OCD Pledge for 2022, is to be less bullheaded about things.

 

[Silver]

PSI makes a huge difference on all my vehicles. I'd prefer to keep them high for wear and handling but they ride very rough if I do so I keep them at about 35. Tires are very universal things. The sidewall stiffness and overall thickness is rarely a good fit for the vehicle they're going on. PSI is the only thing you can adjust.

 

[Sayjac]

"I'll be darned", amazing how those door tire pressure placards are on there for a reason. j/k, sort of. I've always kept mine within +2-3 psi of placard.

Next door neighbor's son thinks max psi on tire sidewall is what's supposed to be run. Found out because I adjusted her tire pressure (wayyy high) last time I helped her with an oil and filter change. Told her what I found and she explained the reason. Told her, not in so many words, to keep him away from the tires.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Over inflated tires make a car ride horribly.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

"I'll be darned", amazing how those door tire pressure placards are on there for a reason. j/k, sort of. I've always kept mine within +2-3 psi of placard.

....

I've gotten in trouble for setting pressures according to the sticker in the door jam. I also get in trouble for wanting the heat on when it's 59 degrees in my office and for not turning off the thermostat vs setting a temp where the system won't come on..

 

[SwampSurvivor]

When my dad would have his (then, now mine) F-350 serviced at the dealer, they would inflate all 4 tires to 80PSI.

This is a 5900 pound truck. With 80 pounds in E-rated tires. Not only did it ride awful like that and felt nervous, it would lose traction if there was a cloud in the sky within 50 miles.

 

[MRC01]

When I used to autocross in SCCA, after each lap we'd look carefully at the tire edge from the tread to sidewall. Set pressures incrementally lower until signs of scuffing or wear appeared, then bump it up just enough to prevent that. That's to get maximum traction. This pressure was usually several PSI below recommended tire pressures for normal street driving as indicated on the door beam placard. These lower pressures that maximize traction can increase tire wear, so we found that the placard is usually a good rule to follow for overall everyday driving.

I don't often visit shops and dealerships, but on those occasions I have found they usually pump up the tires several PSI above the pressures recommended on the placard. I suppose they do it because they assume nobody ever checks their tire pressures, so over-inflating them will last a bit longer before they run low.

BTW, ambient temperatures make a big difference on tire pressures. Summer to winter, and if the car is parked so that the sun is shining on one side, that side will typically have 2-4 PSI higher pressure. Consider that when checking and setting tire pressures. The placard values are for all tires equally "cold" like morning or shade ambient temperatures.

 

[Sayjac]

I've gotten in trouble for setting pressures according to the sticker in the door jam........

I don't know what "trouble" would come from running placard psi or close, + couple/few psi. Whatever might be, in 5 decades of driving and tire maintenance, I've not experienced it (trouble).

As for checking tire psi, SOP to check early morning before sun can do its thing.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I don't know what "trouble" would come from running placard psi or close, + couple/few psi. Whatever might be, in 5 decades of driving and tire maintenance, I've not experienced it (trouble).

As for checking tire psi, SOP to check early morning before sun can do its thing.

"It wasn't what the dealership set the tires at". I just bite my tongue and say "sorry honey, my mistake".

 

[Sayjac]

"It wasn't what the dealership set the tires at". I just bite my tongue and say "sorry honey, my mistake".

LOL. I get it now. Wasn't sure what you were getting at. And yes, bite the tongue, and happy wife, happy life.

 

[Bladecutter]

As many know I have been a owner of a 2021 Toyota Venza for 5 months. Absolutely love the vehicle, it has been everything I expected and more. It is delivering everything I expected except, the ride while soft is often "Nervous Feeling".

When my car was delivered it had 50psi in all four tires. The sticker on the drivers door jam says 33 psi.

All this means is that the dealership that you bought the car from did a bad job during the delivery checklist.
The cars come with that much air from the factory to prevent flat spotting the tires during the time it takes to get from the factory to your dealer.

One of the first items on the delivery checklist is adjust the tire pressure.

Makes me wonder what else they didn't do when they charged you for dealer prep?

BC.

 

[Sayjac]

....The cars come with that much air from the factory to prevent flat spotting the tires during the time it takes to get from the factory to your dealer.....

Reducing flat spotting seems a reasonable explanation. I've wondered too, if high pressure is advantageous in loading, unloading vehicles from car carrier. Would make sense though, they missed pressure adjustment with the delivery checklist.

 

[Zee09]

Car dealers today do lousy PDI
Everything I have got had over inflated tires as the norm from shipping.
Same happened on my last buy just 4 months ago. If you can't correct things yourself don't take the car off the lot until you go over it.

My tires were all over the place from 8 to 20 psi high.

 

[Hermann]

All this means is that the dealership that you bought the car from did a bad job during the delivery checklist.
The cars come with that much air from the factory to prevent flat spotting the tires during the time it takes to get from the factory to your dealer.

One of the first items on the delivery checklist is adjust the tire pressure.

Makes me wonder what else they didn't do when they charged you for dealer prep?

BC.

Exactly!