I have read conflicting advice re the "correct" tire pressure for my 2007 Camry. The door jam says inflate to 30 PSI, the tire sidewall says max psi is 44 (obviously I would not do the latter).

I was thinking 35 - because 30 feels too soft and I read that the manufacturers recommend low (in my case 30) because it makes the car ride softer which helps them sell more! And - without overinflating - a higher psi can provide some better mileage and more reponse.

Would welcome input re: what are you inflating at and why?

Thanks!

 

The 30 psi printed on the door jam is the recommended pressure from the car manufacturer. This pressure is based on factors such as ride quality, weight of car (and passengers, etc) and fuel economy.

The 44 psi max on the tire is the pressure setting for the maximum load the tire is rated to carry. Such as 44 psi at 1850 lbs. If you were to some how increase the weight on the tires of the car until they reached the max tire load rating, using 44 psi would be in order.

Tire pressure will vary with the tire load. More load requires more pressure up to max pressure on the tire. For all tires the tire manufacturer has formulated a graph of tire pressure versus load, however few car owners see this graph.

If too much pressure is put into a tire that is lightly loaded, it may experience unusual wear in the center of the tire, too little air pressure and it wears on the outer portion of the tread.

There are also factors such as ride quality, handling, etc.

You can try 35 psi and determine if this improves handling, MPG, etc. Most owners run 28-35 psi on passenger cars. Rotate the tires per the car or tire manufacturers schedule to help them wear more evenly.