Tire pressure question

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I had some new tires installed recently on a 2014 Toyota Camry and the sidewall said max pressure 51 PSI. I always re-check the tires and the Lugnuts within the hundred or so miles after having new tires put on any vehicle. I checked the tire pressure and all of these tires were set at 34 to 35 psi. I bumped that up to 41 PSI and it made me curious as to how close do you get to the max PSI number to get good performance from your tires without being unsafe so I figured I'd post this question and my favorite forum! Thank you in advance for any helpful feedback
 
From my reading, ideal air pressure is where you get even wear; too low and the outside edges will wear, too high a pressure and the center of the tread will wear. But if you are taking a lot of corners, you may see rapid edge wear on the fronts; but that is taken care of through rotation.

I even read in one automotive magazine where a guy laid patches to insure his tires were correctly inflated, but look up the chalk test....
 
I'd use the manual as a guide. My 08 V6 Camry lists 30 PSI for V rated tires. I'm at 32 front 33 rear right now, down from 36, and the ride and handling are both good. In fact the closer I get to the manual rating the better it got. I may drop another pound at each end. 41 PSI will wear the center of your tires and in places like the frozen north, beat the suspension up on the lousy roads. The "max psi" number is put there by the tire company as a high speed, hot weather, and full load max ratings and has nothing to do with what the Toyota engineers have concluded is proper for regular use.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Use whatever pressure is listed in the door jamb.

+1
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Use whatever pressure is listed in the door jamb.


+1

Correct pressure is on manufacturers sticker in the door jam. Don't over or under inflate.
 
Originally Posted By: Tlhfirelion
I had some new tires installed recently on a 2014 Toyota Camry and the sidewall said max pressure 51 PSI. I always re-check the tires and the Lugnuts within the hundred or so miles after having new tires put on any vehicle. I checked the tire pressure and all of these tires were set at 34 to 35 psi. I bumped that up to 41 PSI and it made me curious as to how close do you get to the max PSI number to get good performance from your tires without being unsafe so I figured I'd post this question and my favorite forum! Thank you in advance for any helpful feedback


What is on the sidewall is the MAX pressure. You should inflate to what the sticker on the door jamb says. Thats assuming you have not changed tire sizes.
 
I ran the original Michelin Cross Terrain's that came on my 03 4Runner at 40psi and got just over 80K miles with very even wear. Then Michelin heard that I really liked those tires and they cancelled them so I could not get another set. Don't you just hate it when this happens with products you like?
 
While I agree that the door sticker is good place to start, I don't agree that it is always the BEST pressure. Since the manufacturer has no way of knowing how a car is going to be used, sticker tire pressure is a compromise between ride quality, handling, and wear.

In personal experience, Ford specified 32 lbs F&R for the early build 2003 Mercury Marauder...it was quickly discovered that that number was too low, and they raised the door sticker to 35 lbs for the later builds.
 
I set my tires overnight cold to the recommended pressure on the drivers door. This is the best compromise pressure with regard to safety, performance and longevity. If you deviate much you will get a trade-off. Ed
 
This comes up regularly and there's never an absolute consensus.

If you think about it, nothing catastrophic will happen between door jamb pressure and the sidewall max. But a blowout/ overheat etc would if it runs below jamb pressure.

I go a couple pounds over jamb pressure to account for local climate and cold snaps that could lower pressure. Plus air never leaks into a tire, so as I regularly check them, I would be dismayed to find it under the jamb pressure and simply annoyed to find it "down to" it.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Use whatever pressure is listed in the door jamb.


I would add, use no less than what is on the door jam, and up to 10% over.

Also, elevation makes a difference. My tire store is in town, 2000' lower. That is good for being about 2 PSI low, when I check at home.
 
Originally Posted By: 4wheeldog
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Use whatever pressure is listed in the door jamb.


I would add, use no less than what is on the door jam, and up to 10% over.

Also, elevation makes a difference. My tire store is in town, 2000' lower. That is good for being about 2 PSI low, when I check at home.

Actually, the measured tire PSI increases as you go up in elevation, but it's often offset by pressure decrease due to lower ambient temps at higher elevation, so it may be a wash.

Here is more info on this topic...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=167
 
Different tires have different performance parameters and wear differently...I had what were really summer UHP tires (despite being labeled A/S) and wore perfectly evenly @ 44psi on the Camry spec'd for 29! Their max was 51psi.
The current Cooper CS5 UltraTouring (touring), max rated @ 44psi, are wearing evenly @ 32-34psi...

Should be noted that the Camry's OEM tires were 15"ers, and I'm now running 17" rims so that may account for the difference.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Different tires have different performance parameters and wear differently...I had what were really summer UHP tires (despite being labeled A/S) and wore perfectly evenly @ 44psi on the Camry spec'd for 29! Their max was 51psi.
The current Cooper CS5 UltraTouring (touring), max rated @ 44psi, are wearing evenly @ 32-34psi...

Should be noted that the Camry's OEM tires were 15"ers, and I'm now running 17" rims so that may account for the difference.


Why would you run them at 44 if the placard specs 29? That seems a bit odd
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FYI, Barry from Barry's Tire Tech (CapriRacer on this board) has said the following on his site:

Quote:
But the points I want to make are:

Tire size and pressure info are vehicle specific and second guessing a vehicle engineer is not a good idea. Even after 30 years in the business, I rarely question a vehicle manufacturer's pressure recommendation.

*snip*

That means for otherwise comparable tires, you will find different maximum pressures stamped on the sidewall. This means you SHOULD NOT use the pressure stamped on the sidewall as any sort of reference point, except, of course, what it says - a maximum.
and there are a couple exceptions to that!!


From here:
Barry's Tire Tech
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Use whatever pressure is listed in the door jamb.


+1 Absolutely.

The MAX is the design max for that casing. The MFG has no idea what car/truck it is going on and what the wheel loads will be.

The car company knows through design and testing. As long as the tire is the size called for by the car company, use their pressures as listed on the door jamb for safest and best operation.

Roll your own tire sizes or aspect ratios like I do, you need to do your own testing by watching wear patterns and ride harshness to get to the new "best" pressure...
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
I ran the original Michelin Cross Terrain's that came on my 03 4Runner at 40psi and got just over 80K miles with very even wear. Then Michelin heard that I really liked those tires and they cancelled them so I could not get another set. Don't you just hate it when this happens with products you like?


I run 40 in my Highlander. Ride/handling is good and is ready for cargo as needed.
 
I've always found the recommended inflations on the door jambs to be about 10-15% low for ideal wearing. Both my cars recommend 30 psi cold...and max's in the 40's. I usually keep them from 32-36 psi depending on the season. No doubt you'll get a slightly cushier ride in the 28-30 psi range.
 
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