[Malibucdl]

On my 2001 Chevy Malibu, what is the best reccommended tire pressure to go by? Is it the pressure on the side wall of the tire itself, or by the sticker on the inside of the door jamb.

This of course is for aftermarket tires, not factory tires. I have Goodyear Aquatrea III's. They are the same size as the original tires. On the side of the tire is printed Max 44PSI. And, on the door jamb it says cold pressure 29 PSI front, and 26PSI rear.

I want to keep these tires as long as possible, so I'm trying to find that sweet spot for tread life. Any suggestions?

Chris

[lluciano77]

The tire pressure written on the tire is max. psi. I would go with around 35 psi.

[2-manytoyzs]

Yea, the tire pressure listed on the tire is the max pressure the manufacturer recommends they can be inflated to safely. The tire inflation recommended by the auto manufacturer is a balance between handling and soft ride. They will usually set it lower to get a better ride. I like to set pressure at 35 front and 30 - 32 rear. Use a tire depth gauge to monitor tire wear and adjust as needed.

[Malibucdl]

I could care less about ride quality. I honestly like it a little rough, the ride in the car that is. I think I to will be going to up the pressure to 35 and 32, that sounds pretty good. Thanks guys.

Chris

[Barz51]

I'd think if the max pressure is 44 psi you would the pressure to be closer to 40 psi. I would be afraid 32 psi would be too low and take a toll on the outside edges of the tire. Just my opinion.

[daimon1054]

The info on the tire is a general PSI, the door jam info is set by the MFG taking into account all vehicle info. It is the PSI that you need to go by.

[poncho62]

Allot of the newer tires have higher recommended pressures. Most that I have seen are 44 lbs. Don't know why, but I always go by the recommended max on the sidewall.

[2-manytoyzs]

I dont have a problem with the higher tire pressure if you want to go there. Thats why I said to use a tire depth gauge. If you wait and watch the tire wear its too late and you already have excessive wear. Record the depth of the tire tread in the center and the edges when its new. If the pressure is too high the center will wear prematurely. Rear wheel drive cars set the rear pressure a few #s higher than front wheel drive cars. MFG tire recommeded tire pressure doesnt take into account driving conditions, hilly and curvy roads vrs more straight driving.

[4 Jaw Chuck]

Tire pressure is a variable with the maximum level set by the rating on the tire sidewall, I would consider the mfg setting on the door jamb as a minimum/comfort setting. Running a tire pressurized to the max setting on the sidewall will cause excess wear on the center portion on the tire compared to the edges if your are running the car unloaded. Of course if you like taking corners a little faster than normal and slide her around a bit you will compensate in the wear department.

I run different front/rear tire pressures for front drive cars than for rear drive cars and play with them until I find a good balance. Using your front/rear weight split is a good method for determining how to stagger the pressure.

I run 36 front and 32 rear on the SHO with 215/65/16 series Goodyear GPS tires, it's a compromise for handling and pothole durability up here. Run a tire at 26 pds in this city and your going to bruise a tire on a pothole or hit the rim and destroy the bead. I like a firm ride and handling and the higher pressure is a safety factor for tire puncture resistance. It's a known fact that underinflated tires get more punctures.

At our local race track Vintage racing cars must run 40 psi minimum, it is very abrasive and has rough run off areas. Tearing your tire off the rim at speed when you hit a rough spot running off the corner is a real possibility. I ran 45 psi with stock radials on that track before I got a good wear pattern on the tire edges.

[malc]

I just adjusted my tire pressures up from 32psi to 37psi (2.5bar)and have noticed improved handling.The steering feels lighter, before I could feel the resistance when turning.Also the fronts were wearing on the edges. A higher pressure is less rolling resistance and better "mileage".

I run 225/60 15 on the front and 245/60 15 on the back.

[k2mooch]

You don't have that much of a center contact patch, so adding pressure won't likely increase handling too much. I have EAGLE HP's on my Eclipse and they have a 44psi max rating also. I keep mine around 46 just to keep the wear in the center of my tires. They always lose pressure over time and it balances out my surface wear nicely.

If you ever tend to floor it on the highway, more pressure is ALWAYS safer than less. You don't want the friction of saggy rubber building up heat at high speeds. Keep it tight. I wouldn't go any higher than 48. Just watch the sharp looking potholes, they don't get along well with a high psi tire.



MoocH