Tire Pressure

Run it at recommended......1 PSI is not going to make any difference in wear or efficiency.

 

Mine came with 39 in each. I'm going to leave them there as I'm not a fan of the Toyos that came with the car.

 

I go 39/38.

Higher tire pressure (within reason) gains fuel economy, handling performance, and tread life.

The losses would be traction in adverse conditions.

 

I'd make them 36 all around, just for expedience. Might make the back-end slightly jumpy, but I'm sceptical. Makes rotations simpler.

 

A tire tread gauge is a cheap investment. Even if you run at factory pressures.

 

Not sure about Toyota, but most POEs over inflate tires because they are heavily cinched down during transport and helps prevent dented rims. If yours came in a 39 lbs, your dealer forgot to reset to factory recommended pressures. Highly recommend resetting or you'll get excess wear in the center of your tires and I'd bet it rides as rough as a cob at 39 lbs.

 

https://www.bridgestonetire.com/learn/maintenance/how-to-check-your-tire-tread-penny-test/#

What do you think about the penny test?

 

Break down and get the real thing; they're $4~5.

 

Trying to decide which is more difficult: buying the tool you describe or finding a penny...

 

Actually, it rides much better than I thought it would. My experience with new vehicles is that most dealers forget to reset the tire pressures. I'm used to running a few pounds over anyway to maximize fuel economy.

 

You got to bend over to 'read' the penny.
The main disadvantage is that it can't actually measure the depth for tracking wear over time. The coin method is really only a pass/fail test for whether the tire is legal, and tires now have little wear bars molded into the tread for that.

A gauge takes an actual measurement. So you can track how quickly your tires are wearing. More importantly, you can compare the middle and sides to check for uneven wear.

 

Especially if you're selling used tires, posting a pic of tread: tread depth gauge saves potential customers doing mental gymnastics.

Or use a steel ruler with gradations that go right to the end.

Tread depth gauges are handy for measuring brake pad thickness too.

 

Mine was under $2 US a few years ago.

I rarely even have cash in my pocket. Would have the search the parking lot for a penny.

Many reports of under inflated wear on OEM tires set to the placard settings with the gen2 Prius.
Which is why the gauge is a good idea, even if you don't want to try higher pressures.

 

Walmart shopping carts up here require a Loonie (CDN dollar coin). I got one from the bank, eventually forgot it one time in a cart, found some sorta challenge coin in another cart that matched dimensions, used that, lost it, and last time we were at Walmart, thought "hey why don't I try this washer" which I'd picked up a few days back, and it worked, lol.

https://youtube.com/shorts/n9F7Wrdh0vI?feature=share

 

ALDI requires quarters here for carts. Seen such at other stores, but that seemed to depend on locale than company policy.

 

This is what happens when you take ashtrays out of cars!!!!

You remember those old film cases for 35mm cameras, I keep change in them in the center console - Now nothing takes change anymore.. Bridge toll is $7 now and a Loonie wouldn't get you anywhere here, maybe a straight-jacket.

Center console change actually comes in handy for camp showers.....Don't know how long that's going to last....

FYI; I keep my tires @ 40psi all the way around - battery pack keeps the rear end down + no fuss when rotating the tires. Haven't experienced center tire baldness due to over-inflation

 

I live in a wet climates, and long ago found that the penny (2/32") is too little. My tires have had unacceptably poor wet traction before wearing down that far.

The more modern test is the quarter (4/32"), which comes much closer to where I start finding inadequate rain traction:
Test Your Tires: Use a Quarter
"New study shows penny test is outdated; tire must have an eighth inch of tread."

New Tire Tests Show the Quarter Is the New Penny
"These days, Tire Rack says, quarters are safer than pennies when it comes to checking your tires."

Yes, a U.S. penny (I think Canadian pennies are no longer in circulation) does show if the tread is legal in most places. A very few places (e.g. dry California?) even allow 1/32". But that doesn't mean most of us actually want to use such worn skinny slippery treads.

... and I moved to an actual tread depth ago years ago, it helps for tire replacement planning.

 

Picked mine up on Saturday at it was set to 38 lbs. drove 270 miles at it worked out great. Still very quiet drive with Toyos. 2023 Premium Prime Awesome Car. When I got mine set to 36