Hi, I have a 2011 Highlander, on the door is says tire pressure 30 psi. What scientific tests does Toyota conclude that this is the recommended pressure for all 4 tires? This 30 psi does make for a nice soft, smooth, comfortable ride, BUT??? {black}:surprised:
Tire pressure is not so much for ride comfort but more for tire wear. It means that at 30 psi, the tire tread will wear evenly. If you over-pressurize or under-pressurize, then the tire tread will wear unevenly. Usually 30-35 psi is a good tire pressure range.
Highlanders are designed for comfortable, almost pillowy rides! Mind you, … you can experiment a bit. Yes. Try 32 psi for a bit. If you like it, … keep it there. If you still want more stiffness, … er, roughness, I wouldn’t go past 35 psi. One thing is obvious, however, Highlanders ain’t sports cars!
F.S.
Divide the total weight of your vehicle by the total area of the contact patch your tires make. Add a margin for things like occupancy, fuel weight, sudden G forces etc. Test and tweak. Iterate over around a century of making cars, and you arrive at your number.
@mountainmanjoe
Yes that’s probably how they do it, I enjoyed your humour! Right now I have 38 psi in the front tires and 35 psi in the rear. The tires are 245/55R19 I’m guessing there is a 60 to 40 weight difference. Yes the car feels stiffer but i believe I’m getting better roll resistance and I’m not going to wear out the front tires since they have more weight on them than the rear. Does this sound reasonable?