I bought new rims for my accord coupe and the guy who sold them and installed them for me told me not to let the tire pressure fall below 35psi. When I went for an oil change the guys that check the tire pressure were telling me that 35psi is too much for those tires and that those usually use between 30 - 32 psi.
2007-08-31 12:25:03 · 7 answers · asked by DamnInk 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Your tire salesman is correct. The guys at the oil change place are wrong. Why? For one, they are probably not tire people so they do not understand how these things are calculated.
Your OE size was probably P205/60R16 91V at 32 psi front and rear. The amount of air in the tire determines how much weight (load) the tire can carry. Tires of different sizes have different load carrying capacities at different pressures so when changing tire sizes it is often necessary to change the amount of air you inflate the tire too. The OE tire size at 32 psi equates to a load carrying capacity of 1,301 lbs per tire. When changing tire sizes and trying to figure out what pressures to run in the new tires that load capacity is the spec you have to match.
The 225/45R17 91 tire at 35 psi provides a load carrying capacity of 1,312 lbs. Slightly over 1,301 which is just fine. 34 psi is under that that won't work. That means you tire salesman knows what he is doing and is giving you the proper advice. Not all of them are that good so be thankful. At 32 psi on the other hand the load capacity of this tire is only 1,190 lbs which is too low so if you followed the lube-guy's recommendation you would be under-rating the load carrying capacity of your tires by at least 400 pounds! It gets much worse at 30 psi.
On the plus side at least the lube guy is looking at the Vehicle Information Tag and taking the pressure from that instead of just putting 35 or 44 psi in everything like so many quick-lubes do. I'll give them a half-point for that. But the lube-guy is a lube-guy, not a tire guy. S/he is not accounting for the fact you have differently sized tires on the vehicle than stock that have different load and inflation requirements than the original sized tires. But at least they are looking at the VIT and following OE recommendations.
PS
If your new tire is actually a 225/45R17XL 94 (note the service description is 94 instead of 91) at 35 psi your load capacity is only 1,268 lb. You should increase it to 36 psi. This Extra-Load sizing is much less common though and it is likely you in fact have the standard load tire with the 91 service rating.
So how did I figure out all of this? Go to this link to find the load and inflation tables for most popular tire sizes.
http://www.tiresafety.com/images/Tire%20Replacement%20Manual.pdf
This document also contains a replacement for the factory VIT so that you can replace the existing inflation information on your vehicle with the adjustment for your new tires. You'll have to print it on sticker paper of course.
Hope this helps
ASE Certified Automotive Service Advisor working in the tire industry.
2007-08-31 15:45:23 · answer #1 · answered by Naughtums 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Follow the guidelines in your owner's manual. Tires have a max pressure which will definitely be higher than 35 PSI, but Honda recommends a different pressure based on the weight of your car. I would trust the tire guys over the oil change guys, the only downside to running a higher tire pressure is a stiffer ride. The advantages are better fuel economy (due to lower rolling resistance) and tighter handling.
Most cars also have tire pressure recommendations inside the fuel filler door or the driver's door jamb, if you don't have your manual handy.
2007-08-31 12:29:57 · answer #2 · answered by Nick N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
225 45r17
2016-10-02 21:44:03 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tire pressure is dependent upon vehicle. Look on the side of the driver side door for the recommended tire pressure.
2007-08-31 12:33:39 · answer #4 · answered by speedy266 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Look at the sidewall on the tires. They will tell you the max air pressure allowed. Normallyu, it is somewhere around 45psi.
So it is no big deal either way. I would go with the 35 and hold it there. good luck.
2007-08-31 12:30:08 · answer #5 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it sounds like too much pressure but some tires call for higher pressures. I would call a tire store who sells that particular brand and ask them
2007-08-31 12:28:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
35 is about right. what does your owner's manual say?
RTFM!
2007-08-31 12:33:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋