Tire & Pressure

Just buying a 2013 Tacoma Access cab 4cyl Automatic PreRunner SR5. The truck is for my daughter so a 4cyl and automatic is exactly what is needed. As it is a prerunner and 4cyl I want to stay with the stock size 245/75R16 (Firestone Destination LE2). It rides a little rough, then I checked the tire pressure three of the four were at 31psi the forth one was at 44psi. I know the door jam says 30psi but on my other autos the door jam is for comfort not fuel efficiency. What is the best psi recommended for comfort and mpg? So when it comes time to change tires, ride comfort & wet traction, which tires are recommended? I don't want off road capable tires as it will only create work for Dad. My daughter will surely get in over her head, stuck and broken stuff.

 

I recommend doing the chalk test to see at what psi it wears most evenly. I personally would run what the door jam states. Your fuel economy wont increase running a higher psi, and your tires will cup over time (wear out the center tread first)

 

you can also run the 2 fronts at 32 or 33psi and leave the rears at 30-31psi it might help the MPGS if the fronts are a few pounds higher than what the door jam says

 

Anything over 35 rides like crap on Tacomas. I would suggest 31 front and rear personally.

 

also its best to check the tire pressures when they are COLD

 

Running the tires to a pressure that will increase MPG an appreciable amount will cause poor handling and harsher ride (possibly wheel hop as well depending on shocks). Chalk test will get the best wear out of the tires.

Check and fill them cold, the increase in pressure due to expansion is built into the cold number.

 

what is the chalk test?

 

put a chalk line across the tread of the tire, drive a short distance and check if it has worn off evenly. If it wears off in the center the pressure is too high, if it wears off the edges the pressure is too low.

Modern tires are less susceptible to pressure issues than old bias ply so it can be a bit overkill unless you change the tire size from stock. If you start at the door jam number and the calk wears evenly you are good to go.

 

This is probably your best bet. I noticed after driving through some dust that with 35 psi all around, the rears definitely had less of the edges contacting the street, while the fronts seemed perfect. I’m too lazy to run different pressures but it’s nice to know.

 

This all sounds great and exactly what I wanted to know. I googled the chalk test it sounds like a great Idea!

 

Yes it is the best way to get it right for your vehicle.

I did it when I upgraded to 255/80/17's and I now run 36 PSI front 30 PSI rear for city and highway.

 

exactly what I was doing running all tires at 35psi for gas mileage purposes but the centers were wearing too much so I lowered the pressure down to 33psi, right now im experimenting with the psi's to get a good balance of comfort and fuel economy without too much adverse wear. I feel the door jam 30psi is too low, but that's just my opinion.

 

Strongly suggest the following procedure for maintaining tire pressure.
1. Get an accurate tire gauge - I use a digital.
2. If you don't have an air compressor at home, set each tire at least 5# above what you really want on the way home. Next morning, before driving and before sun is on your tires, adjust all tires to actual desired pressure and write it down along with the ambient temperature. If you have a compressor, again set to desired pressure before sun or driving - this way you have a true cold tire pressure at a given ambient termperature. Last, follow procedure to reset your TPMS.
3. Check pressure at least once a month, or when ambient temperature changes by 10 degrees or more (such as winter to spring, spring to summer, etc). Also remember your TPMS lights up when any tire's pressure drops 25% from your last TPMS reset.

 

I just had new tires/wheels put on last Saturday and the tech had all 4 tires at 42 PSI... (and now having to get them road-force balanced, but that's another story).

I dropped them all to 32 and my truck rides like a Cadillac now. Try the chalk test like a few have mentioned above, but I think 31-33 is your best bet.

 

If I was your daughter I’d be working hard to buy my own damn truck and make it big and powerful.

I’d be livid if I was a teenage girl and my dad told me I only needed a 4cyl because I was a girl and I couldn’t be trusted with truck tires because I’d surely get stuck and need a man to bail me out.

I keep my tires at 31psi. Ride is fine. 40+ is too high.
If there is more than 100k on the truck its due for struts on all 4 corners.

FWIW:
I hope my future daughters first truck is an F250 just like her daddy.

 

The chalk test is an excellent way to get even tire wear and longevity from a set of tires. But the question about tire pressures for "best comfort and MPG" it's just not possible. Best comfort will be with a lower pressure to allow sidewall flexing, best MPG will be with a higher pressure to reduce rolling resistance. So you will have to reach a compromise that best suits you and your daughter. Many people don't understand that tires are included as part of a vehicle's suspension. Specifically, vehicle suspension is designed to work with the original tire sizes and recommended tire pressures, and the flex (cushion) of the tire sidewalls is included in the overall suspension design. So if you change wheel sizes, tire sizes, tire pressures, etc. this can have a negative effect on ride quality, alignment, driving dynamics, and overall effectiveness of the suspension. I do run higher pressure in the front tires (3 pounds higher) because there is more weight in the front, yet the recommended pressures are lower in the front. Makes no sense. But my pressure increases are mild and seems to drive slightly better with this adjustment.

 

Firestone Destination is what I run and on my second set. I stayed stock size for MPGs. I run at 32 psi and the ride is fine to me.

 

My door jam recommends 29 front 32 rear. I keep them around there maybe a pound over

 

Really, playing the gender card? Where did the OP say at all that he bought her a 4cylinder because she was a girl.

 

“The truck is for my daughter so a 4cyl automatic is exactly what is needed”

Verbatim what he says.