Odd question on a forum like this...tire pressure for a car

[Larry_OHF]

A tire's pressure says it's max cap is 44 pounds per square inch (psi). the car's manual states recommended tire pressure (front tires at 32psi, rear at 29psi).

To place them at the car's recommended pressure, the tires look a bit squatty. One person even made the effort to warn my wife of them.
However, I thought that the car's recommended tire pressure had precedence over what the maximum pressure the tire could withstand.
So is it alright to look squatty then?

By the way, I am not sure on how to spell squatty. You get the idea, however.

[Firestormalpha]

Originally Posted by Larry_OHF A tire's pressure says it's max cap is 44 pounds per square inch (psi). the car's manual states recommended tire pressure (front tires at 32psi, rear at 29psi). To place them at the car's recommended pressure, the tires look a bit squatty. One person even made the effort to warn my wife of them. However, I thought that the car's recommended tire pressure had precedence over what the maximum pressure the tire could withstand. So is it alright to look squatty then? By the way, I am not sure on how to spell squatty. You get the idea, however.

Well, first, I'm not even sure if squatty is a real word, but if it is, your spelling looks good to me.

Always go with the recomended tire pressure. The max is just that, the maximum safe pressure. If you fill your tires to max on a cool day, they will be over the max on a hot day. Not to mention tires get hot due to friction with the road while driving. If you fill to the max, you generate a risk of blowout at highway speeds.

questions to ask:
-What was the temperature when you filled your tires vs. the time of squattiness?

-Do you have a slow leak in the tire in question?

[Hindsight]

Radials can look a little squatty. Going by the cars recommended pressure, you should be fine.

[VulcanRider]

Tire pressure listed in the car's manual would only apply to the original tires on the car when it was first sold new. After you buy another set of tires, the book doesn't know what you replaced them with.

If your tires are steel belted radials in a regular passenger car style, not performance/low profile, they're probably going to look a little squatty normally. By the time you get enough air in them to get rid of that bottom bulge, they'd be overinflated.

My tires have a max pressure of 44 lbs. I usually run about 40 lbs. Pumping them up gives a firmer ride, but making them harder reduces rolling resistance which gives a little better gas mileage.

[Lord of Alcohol]

Larry it really does not matter, you are dying of polonium poisening anyway. In fact not inflating your tires properly will save you a lot of misery! Yes Larry, I am always ready to help!

[Bungleau]

The car manual is a general recommendation for the car. The number on the side of the tire is a specific setting for that tire. The tire wins... hands down.

After I got my Prius, I paid more attention to tire pressure. "Good-looking" tires can be as much as 50% underinflated... lemmetellya, that hurts.

Underinflated tires are one of the biggest sources of poor mileage. You can't judge tire pressure by looking at them, or even feeling them. You need to measure your tire pressure... and with a gauge you can trust. That 59 cent gauge that came with the box of corn flakes may not be your best decision-maker... (he says, with one of those in his car ).

It is quite common to have front and rear tires at slightly different pressures. One part of the car is heavier...

[wellard]

First off the word is TYRE mmmmmkkkkaaaayyy

Vulcan rider is correct the manual tyre pressure only applies to the original tyre. other tyres fitted though the same profile may require a different pressure +/- a few PSI from the original. The pressure moulded onto the TYRE sidewall is MAX pressure it is designed to operate too.

Usually the tyre manufacture has a website that will give the correct tyre pressure for the most common types of car and THAT is the figure you should use.

TYRE pressures are extremely important and over pressure is just as bad as under pressure but for different reasons

[Wolf Rider2]

Originally Posted by wellard First off the word is TYRE mmmmmkkkkaaaayyy

Only for us. They spell it differently over there

Definitely go by what the tyre tells you, not the manual. The number on the tyre is what they've been tested for. The number in the manual is much lower so you can't blame them if your tyres have too much pressure.

Manuals are overrated anyway

[ElfBane]

Originally Posted by wellard First off the word is TYRE mmmmmkkkkaaaayyy

Hmmm, isn't Tyre an ancient city in the Middle East? Bhaal worshippers weren't they?

[Hivetyrant]

I'm jumping on the Tyre bandwagon too.

And to slightly stay on topic, my "Ute" has 18" wheels that are recommended to stay at 36psi, but obviously it greatly depends on the size/type of tyre's you have and also the kind of car.

As everyone has said, stick with the recommended psi (In Aus is is usually printed on the inside of the door frame as well) but don't over inflate!