Tire pressure(psi) question

When I had bought my Tacoma in September of last year I had noticed that the PSI in the tires was 29 psi. In the place that I live in the temps in the winter time can go up and down a lot within the day. The TPSM came on when it was at that PSI just when winter was coming. I filled up the tires to 36 PSI. I have had them at this level since November and haven't had any problems. When I had taken a highway trip, I was getting horrible kms when it came to highway travel. I was getting around the same kms on city. Once I upped to 36 PSI. I was getting over 100 kms on highway with that then at 29 psi.
So my question is, is it okay to have them at 29 psi? Even though the manufactors say that's what they recommend? Is it okay with me just having it at 36 when I am comfortable and what not?
Any information would be great. Thanks

 

maybe call dunlop or whichever company makes your tires, they can tell you what psi you should run them at

 

running them way high can cause a blowout at speed. theyll get hot... id chalk the tires faces and see how they wear the chalk off. adjust air accordingly

 

I keep mine around 34 psi year round.Tires wear good but ride is a little rougher.The book says if you run high speed a lot to inflate 3 psi more than the door jamb says so you could at least run 32 all the time for better MPGs.

 

32 is always my starting point.

 

I do 34 on my Goodyear Wrangler P265/70R17. But google "Chalk Line Test" and set accordingly.

 

35 -36 PSI got me 60K miles from the cheapo Dunlops. They are rated to be filled over 40 PSI but I can't exactly remember how much over.

That was highway and city driving.

Toyota suggests less PSI in order to give you a smoother less bumpy ride.

 

The amount of pressure required in the tires depends somewhat on the tire itself, but mostly on the weight of the vehicle. That is why the recommended pressures are given by the vehicle manufactures, not the tire manufactures. The maximum pressure listed on the tire is to be used when the maximum load listed is on the tire. The chalk test is a good place start if you think the pressure listed by Toyota is off.

 

Max. PSI on the stock Dunlops is 51. I run 38-40 all year round. Have 25k and they are like new.

 

Dont want to start a new thread so Ill attempt asking it here.

What would you guys run 265/75/16 BFG Mud-Terrain KM2's at? Load Range E....

 

32 rear, 29 front

 

That low?

 

yes, you can go higher if you want to but that will do just fine

 

Im guessing this is the best PSI for the best tire wear?

 

exactly, but even if you do go higher they will wear about the same but the ride won't be as great. just don't go too high

 

Running with low tire pressure causes heat and blow outs ( side wall failure ).

 

I still have the stock dulops, 45K but had the vehicle for 15K. I noticed my ride was rough when I bought the vehichle and lowered the pressure to what the door say, around 30-31. I got extreme side tire wear and had tire rotated and aligned and 5K later same where on the new front tire...talking really bad. Finally I checked the side wall of tire since I was before thinking maybe alignment issue and the side was says up to 51 psi max. I recently increased to 40 psi after also talking to Toyota service rep. Hoping tires will last longer now. I am not sure why Toyota recommends a low pressure that will cause such extreme tire wear on the outsides of the tire as they are almost bald in 5K miles at the edges.

 

Load range E is a robust tire- probably can run these at about any PSI you want- as stated though the lower the PSI the more heat they generate also as mentioned 29 is probably a good start point. I generally air up on the higher end of the scale for better MPG and better on road handling. I also usually run my tires a little more in the front then than the rear. The front has more weight and corning loads to contend with then the rear. Lower PSI will allow the tire sidewall to flex some and give a smoother ride - Play with it, there is really nothing to hurt- dial in the pressure you like for the tires you have- what works for my brand will not necessary work for yours. Start with comfort because you can do that back to back testing really quick over a couple of days maybe, then check for mileage. If you want better mpg air the pigs up. At some point the tire may crown- this is what the chalk test is for, driving through a puddle or a changing from a dusty road to paved- just looking at the tread to see how much of a contact patch you have rolling in a straight line. You may find with higher pressures that you have only 3/4 of the tire in contact with road surface going straight- most people like to have all the tread in contact so air down a couple of pounds until you see the wear pattern across the tire. Again I usually find that my fronts I run a little higher than the rear. Somewhere in there is happy medium that YOU will like. Cheers!

 

The pressure recomendation is a happy medium for all driving environments and situations. Think empty truck, towing or heavy loads, pavement, dirt etc. the tire companies have no complaints about selling more tires because of under inflated tires wearing faster on the outside edges. 90% of drivers never change or adjust inflation for optimum use. I have OEM stock BFGs still and carry a small air compressor on board. I have run tall rubber 36-40 psi for city driving and lower pressure when going off road 29-32 psi. Afterwards I Fill em' back up for city use. Been doing this for 20 years on all my vehicles and I have always had even tire wear.

Every tire should be adjusted for its rating and environment for best results.

Chalk test helps see where you're at also.

 

+1, PSI on door jamb is only good for stock OEMs. I have BFG ATs load range Ds from factory and Toyota sent me a sticker for 46 lbs. I have kept 46 in them until last month. I now have 42. They will go 70k+ easily. I am at 66.5k and no where near the wear bars. The ranch I run is hard on tires. I had 265/75/16 Duratrac load Cs on my '09 Prerunner and Discount said to run 42 in them. 42 seemed about right based on tread wear when I sold it.