205 65R 15, new tires. Placard in dash says 32lb/in for 5 passengers. I always drive alone, and the tires are new. Sidewalls are hard to read in the fading light, but I can see Max. Press of 53 lbs/in.

The ride feels a bit hard with 34lbs/in in rear tires and 32 in front. Who do I believe on these specs?

'94 V-6 Coupe

 

For a given tire pressure some make/models of tires are firmer then others.

The Max tire pressure listed on the side wall is always connected to a Max tire loading listed next to it. Such as Max Pressure 45 lbs @ 1850 lbs. Don't inflate a tire above the Max pressure tire load printed on the sidewall as this is dangerous.

Look on the your tires for the Max loading.

Tire pressure is proportional to the weight on the tire.

For the above example if the tire was carrying a weight of 1850 lbs then the tire should be inflated to it's max pressure 45 lbs (cold).

Tire manufactures rate tires for a certain max load and create a chart of recommended pressure per tire load. More load, more tire pressure.

The car manufacturer uses this data in part to determine their recommended tire pressure but include issues such as ride and MPG. Keep in mind the tires on the car when it was new are different then the current tires.

And example is if you replaced your tires and wheels with very low profile wheels the recommended pressures may be much different.

Something between 28 and 32 psi should be OK. If loading down the trunk or pulling a trailer then upping the rear tires to 32-34 might be in order.

 

No idea of the actual weight of the vehicle. It's a 2-door V-6, and I always drive alone. No cargo in trunk.

It feels sort of hard riding. Back tires are at 34lbs. I'll get them all to 31lbs and see if I like the ride, and adjust it from that starting point. For a 17 year-old, the struts are sure doing their job well.

Thanks for the advice.

 

Camry? 32 is proper inflation for single passenger. you really should not be even looking at sidewall markings. your guide is manual and in door jam sticker. manual will have guide how to re-inflate with every pass added, but who will be doing this... set at 32 and forget it.
sidewall ply also has much to do with comfort. more sidewall ply=stiffer ride.
oh, and for 94 - drop about 250 Lb ballast in the opposite to you trunk corner. you'll see a lot of difference. drives better, corners better, softer ride.

 

Finally got around to adjusting the pressure. All tires are now at 32 lbs/in.

Before, the rear tires were at 35 & 34.5. The fronts were at 33 and 31.5. I just went on an 8 mile errand at about 35-40mpg and the ride was much softer.

My friend gave me a digital inflation gauge, so my settings were pretty exact. And I'll try the sack of cement in the right rear corner of the trunk to achieve balance.