2012 Camry's spec is 35 for all four. The other day, one of mine was at 29, and the other three were 32. So I went to Discount Tires' drive-thru to get them up to spec. The guy inflated the two rear ones to 35 but the two front ones to 42, then gave me the spiel of one was bad and all four need to be replaced. I said "Thank you very much, I'll do it later" and went on my way. Went home and deflated the two front tires to where they're supposed to be.

Some will argue that the door placard is only for the factory specified [as delivered new] tires.
+1-5psi is better than -1-5 IMO.

Too much & you get more center tire wear.

Heard someone make the claim that 'no one ever had a blowout from being a bit overinflated, but it's much more likely in an underinflated tire'

I tend to fill mine 1-3 over the door placard.
In your case, were it my car, I'd likely fill to 35, easier to manage on a cheap tire gauge.

If you over-inflate a tire the wear will be in the middle of the tread vs the outer edges.

Perhaps the outer edges of your front tires are more worn than the center?

If that’s the case you wouldn’t have to replace them as soon.

You need a quality metal tire gage. They have no interest in your tires air pressure and wear. 35 psi for all 4 if you carry passengers and or heavy luggage. 32 psi is for a comfortable ride. I've had to run my steer tires heavy, 43 psi as one has a leak around it's valve stem at the rim. Over a year adding air to one tire to keep it from going too low. I bought the little repair kit of valve stem parts for 4 bucks. Now the leak has gone away.

I used to take cars to a dealer for oil change; they would always return with a very stiff ride; the tires would be around 42-45.
This hasn't happened lately.
This was on a sedan or minivan BTW, not a truck IIRC.
It's actually unsafe (not to mention uncomfortable) to have them overinflated, as there is a smaller patch of tire in contact with the road. At least that's what I was taught waaaaay back when.

You can bring them up a couple or maybe 5 PSI over placard. Typically, people do this for mileage purposes. Better fuel mileage. Depending upon your driving style, you may not achieve any better mileage.

RMD

^^^ R took the words out of my mouth. I always keep mine several pounds higher. Remember that ambient temperature plays a role too.

quote:

Remember that ambient temperature plays a role too.

Yes. Cold weather will invariably knock the numbers down quite a bit.

High pressure allows the tire to skid better. You can do Hollywood style stunts easier. Also, you can't tip it up onto just 2 tires and drive down a narrow alley without overinflated tires.

Supposedly, car manufacturers come up with a pressure that gives safe performance, considering weight distribution. This is why front vs rear pressures may be different and change with heavier loading. People in the back seat and luggage in the trunk usually calls for higher rear tire pressures.

Using a good gauge, I set automobile pressures to the sticker pressure, considering the expected loading. After market tires get the same pressures, because I haven't done the testing to prove something else is better.

Manufacturers set it for safety AND ride quality, remember the Ford Exploders debacle with Ford setting the suggested pressure for the Explorers tires too low, subsequently there were blowouts and rollovers as a result, at least that's what was the reported story.

For the most part though it's a balance of the three, mileage, safety, ride quality.

I run mine at two over the 35 on the pickup, no center wear issues and the rides a bit firmer which I prefer, mileage is up from 11 to 11.1.

That would be too high on the front, maybe the guy thinks you need more air pressure to compensate for the heavier balance of weight with the engine and trans drivetrain up front on a FWD...

I run my tires 4 to 5 psig below the "max cold tire pressure" stated on the sidewall. In the winter, I allow the pressure to fall to the door label for better snow traction.

As I recall Firestone recommended a higher pressure for their tires on the Explorer but Ford decided against it and chose a lower pressure that produced a better ride and lowered the COG 1/2".

My FWD car spec's 35F / 33R, my AWD truck 35 both F&R. I keep them right at those pressures.

My car's doorplate says 35 in front and 32 in rear. It has to do with weight distribution. I run them 37/34. It gets a few percent better mileage and I don't have to change them when I go to the cold mountains.

I've been doing this on this vehicle for 8 years and my tire dealer is Discount Tire. Never once have I had them, during rotations, ever mention excessive high wear.

quote:

What's the purpose of inflating tires to way more that factory specified pressure?

None, or very little, at least. There is a little room to play with it, but 99.9% of people won't notice the difference. Some people like to inflate them to the maximum pressure on the sidewall. Unless you also plan to load the cargo compartment with 500 or more lbs. of stuff, this is needless.

And don't just keep adding air until the sidewalls flatten out. A radial tire always has a "bulge" appearance to it even when the pressure is correct. In my former work I got to see lots of over-inflated (and the reverse) tires. One "pegged" a 50 psi and 100 psi pressure gauge. Only when I broke out a 150 psi one did I find it was over 120 psi.

My own car has a recommended 30 psi. I set them to 32 just so I don't have to go as long between checks. At this pressure they wear perfectly and last just fine. Also, the car (bought new) now has 204,000 miles on it, still has original steering and suspension parts and never needed an alignment.

If you even know what your tire pressures are, you're better than 90% of the public. Many people don't pay any attention until they notice them very low or a warning light comes on. Under inflation is the worst condition, not over inflation.

There are a number of considerations that might cause a knowledgeable person to tweak the pressures a bit for different conditions.

If you're just looking for something that's safe, set them to the door sticker and you'll be fine.

I thought it was because shops set the pressures with the car in the air because it's easier to get to the filler valve instead of stooping over. Saves the techs back, and saves time.

When the car is put back on the ground the weight on the tires increases the pressure.

quote:

If you even know what your tire pressures are, you're better than 90% of the public. Many people don't pay any attention until they notice them very low or a warning light comes on. Under inflation is the worst condition, not over inflation.

I was going to say similar...

That's what I love about Sigforum: A wide range of (mostly) informed opinion and discussion.

Some people use higher pressure in the front as they carry a much higher load- the weight of the engine, the stress of cornering and braking. However, it also reduces the contact patch and therefore adhesion, so you may experience under-steering.

Remember placard pressures are for cold tires. Ie not driven around for a hour before checking.
Just driving around will add 3-5psi due to the tire heating up

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:
You can bring them up a couple or maybe 5 PSI over placard. Typically, people do this for mileage purposes. Better fuel mileage. Depending upon your driving style, you may not achieve any better mileage.

RMD

This is correct. Fronts with a little more pressure than the rears because it’s either FWD, or AWD that is FWD biased.

I agree with you 121, however, whatever the door jam states from the mfr., stick with that unless it’s a performance vehicle where you will be cornering in the canyons, mountain roads, or rural twisty roads, and/or track. All of which you’d lower the PSI to get the tires to stick better (traction) because aggressively driving on them will heat them up more.

Tires being replaced or not: Go by the depth gauge, and that’s it. I replace my tires on all my vehicles when they are at or less than 20% on the depth gauge. Tires are the most important thing on the vehicle (brakes being a close 2nd).