Tire Pressure....how much is too much?
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Never exceed the max cold spec.
44 is pretty dang high, I've gone up to 40 which is 8 psi over the door jamb recommendation.
44 is pretty dang high, I've gone up to 40 which is 8 psi over the door jamb recommendation.
Don't exceed what's on the tire.
The door jamb of my car says 32 psi but the the tires have 35 psi (recommended cold) 40 psi (max cold) molded in the sidewall. I go with the tire manufacturer because Dodge isn't going to know what tires are on my car and only give a general rating.
I run 40 psi in my car and 45 in my Dakota with no problems. It makes the ride a tiny bit harsher but you get used to it quick.
The door jamb of my car says 32 psi but the the tires have 35 psi (recommended cold) 40 psi (max cold) molded in the sidewall. I go with the tire manufacturer because Dodge isn't going to know what tires are on my car and only give a general rating.
I run 40 psi in my car and 45 in my Dakota with no problems. It makes the ride a tiny bit harsher but you get used to it quick.
Yeah, I haven't even looked at what the doorjam says because the tires are obviously not stock or anything close. They are 17" and the tires are more toward the low-profile side of things. I assume that's why they are spec'd for 44psi.
I will keep with the 44psi fills, the max suggested on the tire. Thanks guys.
*Edit* Sorry to be so paranoid, but I have to ask......is there any difference or risk in running the lower profile tires at the max psi rating? I'm all for better MPG, but not at the cost of a catastrophic tire blowout. I like to err on the safe side. Thanks.
I will keep with the 44psi fills, the max suggested on the tire. Thanks guys.
*Edit* Sorry to be so paranoid, but I have to ask......is there any difference or risk in running the lower profile tires at the max psi rating? I'm all for better MPG, but not at the cost of a catastrophic tire blowout. I like to err on the safe side. Thanks.
I'd expect that with a low profile tire, it might be better at higher pressures if you hit any big bumps or potholes. You'd be less likely to damage your rims since the tire will be stiffer.
Used to be if you ran your tires too low or too high it would affect the wear pattern and this was frequently used to determine the correct pressure. As near as I can tell, once we went to radials this went out the window. I wouldn't run a tire any higher than the max pressure listed on the sidewall but I always run 'em high for better gas mileage and control (steering). My Camaro has Z rated tires and at the (recommended) 35 psi it rides rougher than a hay wagon, esp. since I beefed up the subframes.
Running tires too much over the factory recomendation can be risky. High tire pressure will result in a blowout much quicker if you hit a curb or pot hole. The vehicles handeling will be affected adversly if you must make an emergency turn because the tire breakaway speed will be more abrubt and can lead to losse of control. I run my tires about 2 psig over the door recomendation. Most factories (except Ford Explorer) pick a pressure that is an all around compromise with respect to tire life, safety and comfort. For a daily driver you can't do much better than the factory specs.
I just go a few PSI above what the door jam says. also that high pressure is for when you haul something heavy. so unless you got more weight in the back. I wouldnt go for the max PSI. as said before it can cause problems. I have a 03 DAKOTA QC 4x4. I think my door jams says 35 so I go about 38 at the most. mostly when I am doing a long trip.
Ditto what the others say. I wouldn't go more than 3 or 4 psi over the auto manufactures recommended tire pressure. If it says 35 psi on the door 38 to 39 psi shouldn't cause any problems other than a little harder ride.
With a low profile you need to experiment.
I have seen suggestions like drawing a chalk line across your tread, driving a bit, and seeing how the chalk fares.
or use an infared thermometer to see whether the inside or outside of a tire is warmer.
I would pay a bit of attention to the front/rear bias, eg if the door sticker says the fronts get 4 psi more I would use that as my starting point.
One thing you can do is look up your tires' load range, eg 87T, and compare that to your car's maximum axle weight. Then you'll know if you're right on the brink of your tires' capacity or if you have a safety margin. If you're near capacity it makes sense to me to approach the tire's max inflation value.
But again with nonstandard low profiles you need to experiment.
I have seen suggestions like drawing a chalk line across your tread, driving a bit, and seeing how the chalk fares.
or use an infared thermometer to see whether the inside or outside of a tire is warmer.
I would pay a bit of attention to the front/rear bias, eg if the door sticker says the fronts get 4 psi more I would use that as my starting point.
One thing you can do is look up your tires' load range, eg 87T, and compare that to your car's maximum axle weight. Then you'll know if you're right on the brink of your tires' capacity or if you have a safety margin. If you're near capacity it makes sense to me to approach the tire's max inflation value.
But again with nonstandard low profiles you need to experiment.
Like I said, the tires and wheels are aftermarket so whatever the door jam says isn't really gonna provide any useful info. The tires are spec'd at 44 psi max, and a maximum weight of 1200 pounds per tire.
My car is a '92 Nissan 240sx base model, weighs about 2600 pounds. So I have some weight to play with I would assume.
I'm more concerned, as a general rule, is it safe to overinflate your tires beyond the specs on the tire? I have people saying no, people saying it's okay, and people saying no, but admitting they overinflate their tires.......I'm confused.
I'm running them at 44psi now(the max rating), and I guess I will keep them that way unless I hear that it is safe to inflate them a bit more, or it is unsafe to have them even this full.
My car is a '92 Nissan 240sx base model, weighs about 2600 pounds. So I have some weight to play with I would assume.
I'm more concerned, as a general rule, is it safe to overinflate your tires beyond the specs on the tire? I have people saying no, people saying it's okay, and people saying no, but admitting they overinflate their tires.......I'm confused.
I'm running them at 44psi now(the max rating), and I guess I will keep them that way unless I hear that it is safe to inflate them a bit more, or it is unsafe to have them even this full.
Ok, I see a lot of people with the advice of increasing tire pressure to get better fuel efficiency. I see some people suggest simply making sure your tires are filled to spec, while some people say it's okay to fill up to 5 psi above that.
After reading that I checked my tires(44 max psi), and they were all hovering around 35-40psi. So I aired all of them up to 44. I saw a noticable difference for the better in my mileage.
How much higher can you safely overpressurize your tires? Also, my tires are somewhat lo-profile if that makes any difference. Thanks.
After reading that I checked my tires(44 max psi), and they were all hovering around 35-40psi. So I aired all of them up to 44. I saw a noticable difference for the better in my mileage.
How much higher can you safely overpressurize your tires? Also, my tires are somewhat lo-profile if that makes any difference. Thanks.
As I recall from working in a tire shop years ago the pressure on the tire is for a certain amount of weight on the tire. It will read something like 40psi @ 1550 lbs. How much vehicle weight is on each corner of your particular vehicle? That can sometimes be found in the owners manual or on the door jamb. I've always tried to get the vehicle weight divide by 4 and come up with a number on each corner and tried to adjust tire pressure that way. I've found that the numbers on the door jamb are really pretty close.
If you over inflate your tires I think you will also find your car shaking and vibrating more causing early wear or failure on the sub systems like accessories, shocks and switches. You'll get more gas mileage but your car seems to fall apart sooner. Your ride will be much rougher. Your tires may also wear more in the middle and less uniformly. 44 lbs. seems like a lot unless your car is really heavy. kwg
If you over inflate your tires I think you will also find your car shaking and vibrating more causing early wear or failure on the sub systems like accessories, shocks and switches. You'll get more gas mileage but your car seems to fall apart sooner. Your ride will be much rougher. Your tires may also wear more in the middle and less uniformly. 44 lbs. seems like a lot unless your car is really heavy. kwg
For years I have been going with 1-2 lbs under the max cold on the tires and found that they wear much better then if I use what is recommended on the door. Especially on the front outer sides, they now wear evenly. Places like firestone, Goodyear etc. will not go beyond the door jam and actually make you sign the receipt that you wanted additional pressure. two reason, liability and sell more tires with the recommended pressure.
I agree do not go beyond the cold max on the sidewall but the closer you get to it the better the mileage and wear.
I agree do not go beyond the cold max on the sidewall but the closer you get to it the better the mileage and wear.
My 2005 Honda CR-V says 29.
It came from the dealer at 47!
I run them about 31, because I saw testing somewhere that showed 1-3 pounds over gives better wet traction.
It came from the dealer at 47!
I run them about 31, because I saw testing somewhere that showed 1-3 pounds over gives better wet traction.
currently my tires are about 10-11psi above factory recommendations, but then again it's a 95 ford explorer that specs on the door jamb 26 psi. the tires on it now have 44psi as max, I usally inflate tires to about 35-37psi, anything more than that and ride is really harsh, and feels disconnected with the road.
Thanks everybody.
would the savings in gas be greater then potentially wearing out your tires faster? what about less traction, therefore your safety? just things to think about.
Slightly over inflated tires should wear more slowly (longer tire life) and offer more traction in rain and snow...as well as better fuel economy. Ride comfort is reduced though.
I run 28psi in my Mazda3, even though Mazda recommends 32psi. I even got 39usmpg on winter tires at 28psi on a 500 mile highway tank at that pressure last month (EPA highway rating is 32mpg)! It gives me more traction and gets rid of the wheel-hop. The ride is better over our ugly roads too. I'm expecting better wear patterns at this pressure; I ran my previous tires at 32psi and they wore out the middle of the tread.
It all depends on the vehicle!
It all depends on the vehicle!
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