Hey all,

I guess I am a little confused on what appropriate tire pressure is.

The original 215/70/16 had a cold MAX of 44 psi and the door said to set them at 32psi (roughly 72% of the max pressure).

What do I set tires that have a cold MAX pressure of 35psi? Do I set them at 32 like the door says? That would be inflating them to 91% of their max pressure!!

The tire guys said stick with the door but I wonder. I had on tires that had a 51 psi MAX pressure cold and 32 PSI hardly inflated them so they were put at 43 and were much better.

So my question is can I go LOWER than what the door says in PSI since the tire installed now has a much lower MAX pressure?

The tires at 32 (the ones that have the max pressure of 35) feel a bit floaty on the highway.....

Thoughts on this??

Thanks
Dave

 

To read a good article and maybe answer your own question

Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 3 of 4

Go down to half way on the page, the paragraph is called

What's the "correct" tyre pressure?

 

Thanks for the link...I did read it. Still a bit nervous dropping lower than the pressure on the door....however the feeling on the highway is beachballish if needing to change lanes quickly.....

 

I would stick to the recommended pressure otherwise your TPMS might complain and your insurance will definitely, in case of accident.

 

That's exactly why I don't want to drop it below 32...yet it's at 91%of the max pressure which I really think is causing some white knuckled driving on the highway...(very vague feeling) - even the girlfriend said it feels like the tires are skinnier.

I used to run the OEM yokos at 36 (=36psi/44 psi max=82%) of the max. I am tempted to do that with these (29psi/35psi max=82%).

This is waaay more confusing than it should be

 

My experience is the more pressure in the tire the sharper the driving at the expense of comfort.

If you don't like 32 psi just play around until you are happy.

What tire are we talking about?

 

They are Toyo Open Country HT...stock size (215/70/16).

I am getting used to the pressure at 32. It was down to these and the Kumho Solus KL21..Thought I'd take my chances on the Toyos.

 

Are the roads grooved in your area? If yes the squirreling might be because of groove/thread design interaction.

I had that in a previous vehicle on a particularly heavily grooved road.