Tire Pressure Poll - Where is Yours?

Since I run aftermarket tires I didn't respond to the poll.

My tires are rated at 50psi max.

I run my tires at 48F/46R. Tire wear is perfect and handling is great. The ride is obviously more bumpy but I'm used to that after driving the Corvette. lol

I drive mostly freeway miles with summertime temps in the 90s-100s so I am a little more cautious with overinflation.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ May 24 2007, 11:20 AM) [snapback]449205[/snapback]</div>

I just bought new tires yesterday with a 51psi max rating. I'm still running at 42/40 for now, but I'll see how the mileage is and eventually increase the tire pressure after the tires "break" in. I could have gotten a different set by the same manufacturer (Toyo) $10 cheaper, but decided to go with the slightly wider, higher pressure tire. The tires were described has haver a stiffer sidewall, which supposedly helps lower rolling resistance.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Masnyd @ May 20 2007, 06:35 PM) [snapback]446323[/snapback]</div>

Sorry about the late reply. I'm glad I could help, it's really not hard after doing it once.

I looked at the manual this weekend. I didn't know that the tire pressure sensor compares the current pressure with it's saved pressure, and if it drops noticeably below that then it gives the warning. (Keyword here is 'noticeably', the manual does state this is not a substitute for manually checking the tire pressure on a regular basis). So if you increase the tire pressure, you should reset the sensors so that if it drops noticeably below the new pressure it will give a warning, otherwise it won't give a warning until it drops noticeably below the original setting. I only thought it knew the original setting, not that you could change it. So thanks for letting me know about that, I will do that now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ May 29 2007, 01:25 PM) [snapback]451523[/snapback]</div>

Thanks Nerfer,

That's real good. I copied that reply also. Good to know that stuff.

Mary

 

I've onlyhad mine for 3 weeks
(1.000 miles though, 40 mpg), and now I'm tweeking my psi tires.(excellent article by the Dr. by the way). When people talk about their psi, are they referring to cold or hot readings?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sms228 @ May 30 2007, 08:41 PM) [snapback]452527[/snapback]</div>

Cold.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ May 24 2007, 06:57 PM) [snapback]449507[/snapback]</div>

How's it working out for ya?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sms228 @ May 30 2007, 08:41 PM) [snapback]452527[/snapback]</div>

Mine is usually warm. I don't have a compressor at my house any more so I have to drive 2 miles to the gas station to fill them but I'm only doing 35mph to get there. So I would say it is closer to a cold reading than hot.

One thing I have noticed is that due to the small internal volume of our tires, I have a hard time taking measurments without losing air pressure. IE I stick my guage on the valve stem and if I don't get it perfect I lose ome air. Normally this is no big deal but with these high pressures and small internal volume I can lose 1ps really easy. Thus I rarely check my tire pressure like I should. /end rant

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ May 31 2007, 11:09 AM) [snapback]452695[/snapback]</div>

It's still to early to say. I understand new tires need to be "broken in" some, and the driving is never consistent enough (my wife drives the car too) to be certain how much difference any one change makes during a short while.

The next time I could make any real tests is the next time my wife takes a trip for a week or two. That could be nearly a year.

Dave M.

 

I picked ours up Saturday evening. I stopped at a gas station and added air (Lot's). They had 35 in each. It took $1.50 in quarters to get them up to 55psi. I have ran 60psi in my Insight tires for the last 3 years and 90,000 miles. The Prius rides like a Cadillac compared to an Insight with 60 PSI. I put 50 psi in the new Civic hybrid last week as well.

 

I'm driving the Prius to work for the first time today. I raised the pressure to 60psi in each tire. I'm driving the same route that I routinely get 75 to 90 mpg in the Insight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ May 31 2007, 11:31 AM) [snapback]452717[/snapback]</div>

I'll give an update. I was quite discouraged with my mileage. It dropped to about 50 mpg, including some slow driving, but not nearly as much as before. However, I discovered a few days ago that the dealer had dropped the tire pressure to about 40 psi at my last oil change a little over a week ago. That's in spite of the fact that I told the service manager that the tires were new and I had the pressure where I wanted it. I think he made a note on the service slip, but I guess the tech didn't notice that. I suspect the oil changes go through a sequence, including them adjusting tire pressure, even before it gets to the tech that does the change.

I won't know much until after I make my next fillup.


Dave M.

 

I have had Lola's at 40/38 from the get go...that is soon coming up on three years. Average is 53 to 57 mpg, except during the lowest temps in the winter. I will not accept going without the heater then. Some things are a trade off.

I have been very happy with her. The higher the price of gas goes, the happier I am.

 

I've been running 65psi for awhile now. Higher before that but i cant take the really harsh ride. You can fill every flaw in the road.

 

.
52f/50r
.

 

I was driving 40/42, but went up to 50 for the Green Grand Prix. Since the ride and handling we quite tolerable, I have bumped up to 42/44.

 

I'm at 38/36 psi, and just got in after a thunderstorm. The Integritys grip and stop just fine in the rain. mpg averaging 51.6 in suburban driving. Some short trips.

 

I boosted mine at the weekend to 36/38 from 35 all round. Already the ride is a touch harder so I think I'll hold steady at this for now, particularly as the quality of roads in Britain are generally so poor.Normally I see around 62-63mpg (or 51-52 mpg in US gallons) on my commute into London and today I saw 63.7 (53) without really trying hard. Best so far was 65.7mpg (54.7) last week which is the official mpg figure in the UK (i.e. hypermiler!).

 

Just below the max sidewall listed pressure. I trust gauges as far as I can throw them and my shoulder is messed up so I cannot throw very far.

 

35 PSI on my Michelins. Any issue with keeping all four tires the same?

Personally, I wouldn't do anything beyond 44 PSI on Integritys since it's beyond the Integrity's maximum specification. Yeah, they'd probably be fine, but I think it's pushing it. However, I do think Toyota's recommended pressures might be a tad low. The unfortunate part is that the dealers may be setting them even lower. The edge wear on my Integrities has been much more significant than the centre wear, but I wonder if part of that is because my dealer has not been setting them at the factory recommended 35/33. See below.

When I got my new Michelin Primacy MXV4s today, the tire shop set them at 32. I asked them why and he said that's at about what they should be set, and he recommended no more than 35. So I thought I'd try it at 32.

At 32 PSI, these Michelins felt like mush, and even more so than my Integritys. I didn't like the very soft handling. I just so happened to be going directly to the dealer to get an oil change so I asked the dealer to set the pressures at Toyota's specs. When they were done, I asked them what pressure and the Toyota mechanic said they kept them at 32 like they should be. I told him that I'd like them set at 35 front and 33 rear (like the manual advises), but the mechanic specifically told me not to have different front and rear pressures. Anyways, I then said fine, but told him to raise them to 35. So now all four are at 35. With just the 3 PSI change, handling is noticeably better. I'll do a bit of driving on them at 35 but I suspect I might push the fronts to 37, and keep the rears at 35. Is there any problem keeping all four pressures the same, given the weight of the engine in front? (Luckily, tire noise is less with the Michelins, so I suspect 37 for the fronts will be perfectly fine for noise.)

BTW, in terms of tire pressure, I don't care about mileage at all, despite owning a Prius. My reason for adjusting pressure is handling vs. comfort. With the PSI at 32, handling is compromised so much that I become uncomfortable, even though it's a soft ride.

P.S. There are some crazies out there. At the tire shop, I saw some tires that had just been replaced. They had so much edge wear that even the steel belt was worn through at the edge.