-sNaFu*

Are you supposed to calibrate tire pressure based on specific tire or what's noted from the factory? The tire installer set my PSI based on the car's factory settings: 33F and 32R but the tires I have on my car are Falken FK452's 235/35/19 Fronts and 245/35/19 Rears and the max PSI for these are 50 PSI. I normally set my pressures at 40 F and 38 R but he said it was too much. I just wanted more protection from denting a wheel on a pothole so I increased the PSI all around.

What's the correct way to do it? Thanks!

dgracer

You are fine with what you are doing. Heck I run those pressures in my stock tires because I like better steering response. You may get a slight more wear down the middle but I typically get 40k+ miles out of my tires so obviously this isnt killing them. You are also within the 80% rule for pressure (many people believe for normal driving you should run the pressures at 80% of what the tire max is). I think you are fine. Just keep an eye on the wear in the middle and if it starts to show, you can always drop back to say 36 in the fr.

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

I fill up my pressure to about 36 psi all around

-sNaFu*

Thanks for all feedback! It's much appreciated.

cheers

Bearcat94

Tire Pressure is a balance. Firmness, footprint, turn response, traction, etc are all affected by tire pressure.

For example, if you drive aggressively (or AutoX or Track) you'll normally want a bit more pressure than recommended. There are markers on the sidewall and when properly inflated, you will wear the tire to those markers where the weight shifts to the outside of the tire sidewall.

If you under-inflate, you may cup the tires and reduce the footprint and introduce uneven wear. If you over-inflate you can also reduce the footprint and wear the middle of the tire faster than the edges.

A few pounds over the factory recs is usually OK, but 8 or 10 pounds over is getting pretty extreme for street driving. You should check your footprint and the sidewall markers. You're probably not getting the most out of your tires (or your money).