Thread: Tire Pressure

My new 2007 Azera owners manual sez 30 psi, front and rear. I looked on the side of the tires, and it gave some maximum load number requiring 44 psi. After driving the car home from the dealer, I checked the pressure, and it was 28-30 psi hot all around. The front tires looked really squished out. I jacked the pressure up to 36 psi. I feel the bumps a little more, but I think the tires will last longer and the gas mileage (with only 400 miles on it a little disappointing) should be better.

Anyone know of any reason I shouldn't be running 36 psi in the tires?

The number listed in the manual will be a general figure designed for maximum comfort, and may or may not reflect the recommended pressure of whatever particular tire is on the car. As long as you don't exceed the maximum pressure listed on the tire you'll be fine. More pressure will give you a harsher ride, but should improve gas mileage, as there is less rolling resistance with a firmer tire.

Oh, and welcome to the site!

Welcome to the site!

Keep in mind that the recommended tire pressure on the driver's side door jamb is the pressure "COLD," i.e., not within a couple of hours of having driven some distance, as driving heats up the tires. Autos are shipped with higher than normal tire pressures to help prevent flat spotting while in transport and the dealer is supposed to let out the excess before delivery. If your pressure right after driving home from the dealer was 28psi, the dealer went a little too far in releasing air!

If your area experiences significant ambient seasonal temperature changes, it's a good idea to check tire pressures (again, "cold") several times per year, adding a bit more air in a cold Winter (colder temps cause air to condense, reducing pressure) and maybe subracting some air in hot Summer (hot weather causes air to expand, increasing pressure)...

Thanks for the replies, guys. Was pretty sure it wasn't a problem, just wanted confirmation. I've always run around 35 psi in tires for the mileage and wear improvement.

Back in the 1950's I seem to remember recommended tire pressures at 20-22 for the front and 24-26 for the back tires. Tires were bias ply and unbelted at the time. They never lasted more than 20K miles.

Them wuz big balloon tires, you c'ud inflate 'em with a gnat burp!...

According to this and other forums, the satisfactory tire preasure seems to be 32psi. A lot has to do with your personal preferance, of course. I fooled around with it for two or three months initially and finally settled on 32psi on my 06 Ultimate with the Michelin Energys.

OK, I'm going to drop the pressure to 34 then to 32 and see what I feel.

Update. I'm now running the tires at 38 psi (they're good for 44 psi). Handling through curves is SO much better with this pressure. The car sorta wallowed at 30 & 32 psi. At 38 psi, it's like it's on rails. On smooth asphalt, they're totally silent.

I wouldn't recommend this if your roads are pot-holed or rough in any way, though (ours are pretty smooth). Under those conditions, running the higher pressure would work the suspension a lot more.

It can be surprising how different a vehicle can drive when the tire pressures are changed. I wore out a rear bicycle tire last year and decided to replace it with a solid tire.

Next came a shock-absorber seat post 'cause the new tire was hard on my butt suspension! Also, hitting a rock with the rear tire meant that the bike would more readily shift to either side from the straight and narrow, since the tire was hardly yielding and a rock yielded not at all, so I'll not be replacing the FRONT tire with a solid rubber replacement...