Tire air pressure

tiredrunner · 2025-03-05T12:12:43+00:00

I'll preface this topic by saying that I'm aware of the different schools of thought when it comes to air pressure and vehicular tires. While I have and exercise my preference, I also seek your opinions. I drive a 2007 Honda Accord sedan with I4 engine. I've owned the car for the past eight years. One of the first things I replaced was her shoes and I went with Kumho TA-11 all around 205/60 16's. The max air pressure stated on this tire's firewall is 44 PSI, so I always fill them to 40 PSI. Why 40 PSI? My school of thought is; When the weather gets cold or it warms up, the air inside the tires contracts or expands up to 3 PSI. If it warms up, the pressure could expand up to 43 PSI, and when it cools, that number can drop to 37 PSI. In both cases, the air pressure is within the defined spec of the tire. The Honda manual states tire air pressure should be 32 PSI. I personally find this spec to be asinine and designed to absolve them from liability, which is understandable. I've driven the car with the tires filled to 32 PSI. The car lags very bad and handles like shit. At 40 PSI, it feels just perfect. I simply tap the gas pedal and the car moves normal. One other concern I have about operating the car with tires at 32 PSI is the firewall sag. I'm middle-aged and have the typical body sags that come with that, but that pales in comparison to what the tires look like at this air pressure. At 40 PSI, the sag is minimal. So there you have it. What do you follow? The tire manufacturer's spec, or the vehicle's spec? Or what is your preference? TIA

egeezer

Andyross

Andyross Around here, Discount Tire has free tire inflation, but you may end up waiting in line for an hour or two

I buy my tires at Discount Tire in Grove City. Since I go to GC often, I periodically stop there to have them check pressure. I never have to wait unless someone else is ahead at the air station. That only takes a couple of minutes.

And also I have 12V air pumps and tire gauges as a backup stashed in the back of the van and trunk of the car along with a good set of jumper cables. I’ve used them more to jump someone else’s car than my own.

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