Tire pressure question

[Fuzzylogic]

After running my SR5 4x4 with the Bridgestones at 32lbs., I decided to up the pressure to 38lbs. To see if the handling would improve. It did.

The tires say max 44lbs cold. The door sticker says 32.

Has anyone else done this? Are there any risks?

The truck feels more responsive at the higher pressure. At 32, it feels sluggish at turn in.

The same recipe worked for my Expedition and Titan.

 

[KevinG]

Just out of curiosity, which Bstones are you running?

 

[Fuzzylogic]

Just out of curiosity, which Bstones are you running?

The stock OEMs. The Duelers.

 

[Physgirl]

People here are pretty adamant about obeying Toyota's guidelines. If you run too high of a pressure you will have excessive tire wear in the center of the tires and that can also be dangerous in wet weather. The pressure is based on the weight of the vehicle and the tire being relatively flat to get a good mix of traction and tread wear.

 

[Snowfox]

I want to add to what Physgirl stated, if you run the tire under inflation it is going to wear on the sides.

 

[Mike G.]

I am running 37lbs on my stock Dunlops and it made a nice improvement, I would just keep an eye on the tire wear, but I think you should be fine.

 

[Jtraskell]

I can write pages on this subject, which would bore most everyone reading it. I will recommend you do some web research on tire pressure, the good, the bad and the ugly. Also, go to a reputable tire shop and pick the brain of the good folks there, you will be amazed. It will suffice to say at this point, that unless your running your vehicle at 70 mph plus, on black asphalt in the desert when it's 110 degrees outside, (heat expansion on your tires) you should be fine. The OEM tire pressure "recommendations" are just that and there is a built in overkill safety level at that 32 lb recommendation. Check it out.

 

[JB.]

I decided to up the pressure to 38lbs. To see if the handling would improve. It did.....Are there any risks?

No problem. That 32psi on the door combines a reasonable safety margin (against underinflation) with a lot of other things including ride comfort targets. I don't doubt that the truck handles better at 38psi. It'll get better mileage and probably better tread wear. With rotation I'll bet you'll never see evidence of wear in the center. As far as wet traction, it will be a little less on damp roads but hydroplane resistance goes up.

The safety issue with too high pressure (and you're not there) is increased risk of damage from impacts. Some people really into hyper-miling go more than 50psi (not recommended) on regular passenger tires but of course they're just gently rolling around at low speeds.

 

[Fuzzylogic]

No problem. That 32psi on the door combines a reasonable safety margin (against underinflation) with a lot of other things including ride comfort targets. I don't doubt that the truck handles better at 38psi. It'll get better mileage and probably better tread wear. With rotation I'll bet you'll never see evidence of wear in the center. As far as wet traction, it will be a little less on damp roads but hydroplane resistance goes up.

The safety issue with too high pressure (and you're not there) is increased risk of damage from impacts. Some people really into hyper-miling go more than 50psi (not recommended) on regular passenger tires but of course they're just gently rolling around at low speeds.

Thanks for the info. I ran 38lbs on my Titan and got 62k miles out of the OEM tires. Of course, 80% of my miles are highway, and I do rotate them every other oil change.

But, since I'm new to the T4R, I wanted to check to see if anyone saw any problems with the strategy.

My father-in-law runs his at 30lbs (he has the Lexus LX460) But, he lives in the hysteric part of town where there are lots of brick streets. And 90% of his driving is below 40mph and in the city.

 

[x67934]

I am running the firestone destination AT in LT Load C and 39lbs seems to be perfect.

 

[Mike G.]

I am running the firestone destination AT in LT Load C and 39lbs seems to be perfect.

That is good to know, I am having a set mounted tomorrow morning(275-70-17), and that is the psi that I am going to blow them up with. (Scientific Terminology):nerd:

 

[Fuzzylogic]

I am running the firestone destination AT in LT Load C and 39lbs seems to be perfect.

How do you like them? Has your gas mileage been effected? I want a more aggressive tire and the Destination is a good choice.

Do you know how they compare with regard to weight with the BF Goodrich A/T? I want to avoid too much unsprung weight.

Sorry to pepper you with questions...

 

[luv2eat]

I have a SR5 and I set mine at 39psi. I'm averaging 22+mpg on the highway. Handling wise, it is firm enough around the corners and I'm happy with the ride quality.
On my other cars, I always set the pressure 6-8 psi higher than the recommended. The tires have worned normally and I seem to get better gas mileage than at factory recommended settings. The temperature is mild here in SoCal so the expansion and retraction of the tires are minimal. I'd be more careful if the operating temperature was up over 100 degrees F.