How close to the maximum should i pump up my car tires for maximum fuel efficiency?
September 28, 2009 in Maintenance & Repairs
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
Hi asked:
The max on my car is 44 PSI. How close to the maximum would you recommend without risking danger when driving?
Im not anywhere near the max at the moment…
Did you know that you can save fuel and run your car on water
40PSI IS THE BEST FOR THAT TIRE PRESSURE.the tire pressure set by the manufacturer is for the best/most comfortable ride not the best tire wear as most of these unknowing people here might think.for me i want the most life out of my tires.low tires set at the cars pressure will roll the sidewalls when you turn.ever hear a car in parking lot and it sounds like hes squeeling the tires?low tire pressures will cause that.the manufacturer does not care if you have to change worn out tires every two years in fact they want you too.keeps them in buis.
Only run your tires at the pressure recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.
Most vehicles have a sticker inside the driver’s door with the recommended tire pressure. Follow this label, not the number stamped on the tire.
If you exceed this pressure you gain very little if anything fuel economy. The loss of traction and excessive tire wear is not worth it.
Stick to your PSI recommended by the CAR not the tires.
It severely affects (negatively) when the pressure is too high. Any money you save on gas, will go out the window, in higher suspension damage and/or accidents.
good Luck…
id set them at 32-35 and see how they look most of the time you don’t want to run them at the max amount,also look on the door sicker and see what they factory recommends running them at,depending on the tire,you may have to run more in them,good luck,
depends on the tire make, i have found some ride rough at or below the required pressure, but actually line out about 5 pounds higher than max, while some like 5 pounds under pressure.
You could go all the way up to the 44psi max but that would result in a little harsher of a ride. i would suggest 35psi would be good.
40 psi. when your tires heat up the air will expand if you run 44 you will be over the max by the time you heat the tires up.
On all my vehicles I run the maximum rated tire pressure LISTED ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. This will give you the best efficiency in terms of fuel economy. I have never run a tire at 32-35 or whatever they list on the sticker on the door.
The manufacturer of the vehicle lists their recommend tire pressure, for handling and ride characteristics. An increase in tire pressure can stiffen the ride and slightly reduce the handling ability. But I’m not interested in handling characteristics of my 1-ton. Also, by running a tire at the maximum pressure, you get the maximum weight capacity of the tire (also listed on the sidewall); running a lower pressure reduces the max weight that the tire can carry because of added heat.
Another thing to consider when running a tire at max pressure (that is listed on the sidewall of the tire) is the wear pattern of the tire. Being at max pressure can cause the tire to ‘balloon’ and wear the center of the tread more than the outsides of the tread. If this begins to happen on your vehicle, reduce the tire pressure.
You shouldn’t. You should follow the recommendation of the vehicle manufacturer and tire manufacturer and inflate the tires to what is recommended for your specific vehicle.
An over-inflated tire might save you a very tiny fraction in terms of fuel economy (probably not enough to even notice). But it will also:
1. Wear out the tires more quickly – and tires still cost more than gas.
2. Make the tires far more prone to damage from road hazards such as pot-holes which in turn can ruin the tire.
3. Reduce cornering traction
4. Increase stopping distances
5. Reduce ride quality
On many vehicles, grossly over-inflating the tires can also cause a severe handling imbalance making the car difficult to control in an emergency situation.
Vehicle manufacturers work very closely with tire manufacturers to determine the optimum tire pressure to provide the best combination of ride, handling, fuel economy, tire wear, load capacity and safety. Rooms full of engineering degrees spend millions of dollars to come up with that inflation number.
Do you really think you can do better?
I’d suggest 40psi as well. The max pressure should be safe but I’m a wimp so I back it off a bit.
My car calls for 29psi and the side wall says max is 44 like yours. I’ve been running on 40psi for quite some time and the ride is a little rougher (I feel the bumps more) but the handling is no different ( I never feel any more out of control than when I ran at 29psi)
Plus my gas mileage increased about 10%. I’m also surprised to see someone say that higher pressure will wear out tires more quickly. Higher pressure means less tire surface on the road. How would that increase wear? I guess I’ll only know for sure when i see how long these tires last compared to the previous set.
Good luck.
-Frank