The thing about keeping at 33 psi--manufacturer recommendation-- is that once the ambient temp drops you will be under inflated right at the get go. Adding 3-5 lbs over 33psi gives you that cushion and eliminate the chance of the TPMS going off on you. A little over is better that under inflated.

 

I set mine at 35 when the weather and the tire is cold. I think that's the best way to do it. 33# is really an odd number (it must mean something in Japan). I like 35 because that makes more sense to me.

 

OK, here's what I have done for 20+ years.

In the early 80's I attended a police driving instructor school conducted by the Washington State Patrol. This was a week-long school that covered many aspects of police driving, both classroom and hands-on.

Please keep in mind that state patrol and police organizations have a couple of priorities for their cars: safety and handling.

The info they shared with us - and which I have used ever since - is this: you can safely run your tire pressure up to the maximum indicated on the sidewall, while maintaining any front-to-rear-difference indicated by the manufacturer.

Let's break this down, using the example of a passenger vehicle with tires rated 36 PSI maximum on the sidewall. Let's also say that the manufacturer's tire pressure label inside the door jamb says 30 PSI front, 32 PSI rear.

That means to maintain the handling properties designed by the manufacturer, you should run the front tires 2 PSI lower than the rears.

Since the tires are rated 36 PSI maximum, you can safely run the rears at 36 PSI and the fronts at 34 PSI, maintaining the 2 PSI difference recommended by the manufacturer.

If your car manufacturer does not recommend any difference between front and rear tire pressures, you can run them all at the same, higher, pressure of 36 PSI.

(In no case should you allow the tires to run at lower pressures than recommended by the manufacturer. This causes accelerated tire wear and reduced gas mileage by increasing rolling resistance.)

So - what does this achieve?

• It makes the sidewall stiffer, helping the tires respond more quickly to steering inputs - improving handling.
• It may increase gas mileage slightly by reducing rolling resistance.
• It makes the ride somewhat firmer and will let bumps in the pavement be felt inside the passenger compartment.
• It does NOT wear out the center of the tires.
• It does NOT create an unsafe condition with the tires because you are not exceeding the design limits of the tires, even on a hot day.

Now, more and more tires are rated to use 44 PSI maximum. In this case, if you wish to, you could run the fronts at 42 PSI and the rears at 44 PSI. If you do this, you will have a noticeably firmer and harsher ride, but you will also have a perceptible improvement in handling. You probably will gain at least 1 MPG by reducing rolling resistance.

What you do with this information is up to you. You now know the SAFE limits of setting up your tire pressure, and the rest is up to your priorities and how you personally balance handling with ride quality.

My "sweet spot" based on feedback from my hands and rear end is 40 PSI all around in my Murano. Rides well, handles decently, and it's a good setup for my use.

 

Good advice pilgrim

I run 35 all around

 

Thanks everyone, and even though I'm tempted to 'follow the rules' and stick to the Manufacturer's readings, Pilgrim makes a damn good case for 'more is better'! I'll mull this over a bit more but likely up the pressure!
Cheers.

 

There are several schools of thought on this one. I would think the vast majority of drivers go by the tire inflation data plate mounted on the door frame, while others opt for slightly higher pressures. Pilgrim is definitely in the minority. I believe I have read only a handful of posts from members who state they pressurized the tires to the maximum listed on the sidewall. The ride is noticeably rougher at higher pressures.

I have run the tires anywhere from 33 to 50 psi (my dealer never reduced the high-pressure factory-fill when I took delivery, so I drove around for a week or so at 50 psi), but lately have settled on 36/35 psi (F/R).

You have to find what is good for you. The (car) manufacturer's recommendation is always biased toward the car's theme - lower pressure for comfort; higher pressure for handling and fuel economy. The MO is biased toward comfort.

-njjoe

 

Well said, Njjoe. I personally have always opted for better handling rather than soft ride. I just wanted to get that explanation on record. I am also aware that most of the drivers in the US don't know anything about tires, tire pressures or handling, so the best we can hope for is that at least once in their car ownership they looked at the recommended tire pressures, and that perhaps once every few months they check tire pressures (or have a shop do it).

I think the important things to understand are that:

- There is no tire pressure "carved in stone tablets" for your car. You have the option to try some different pressures and find settings that suit you.
- It is safe to run tire pressures as high as the maximum on the sidewall - that is within the manufacturer's design limits.

There's no reason that any owner can't try experimenting with different tire pressures and see what he/she prefers. I encourage owners to do this using the formula the State Patrol taught me, as it's safe to do so and it's a learning experience.

As anyone who has run in autocrosses knows, changing tire pressures even a few pounds can have a significant impact on vehicle handling. In autocrosses it's not unusual to run pressures higher than those rated on the sidewall - but in that case the car is not traveling much distance with those higher pressures.

 

I generally try to run mine at 35-36 psi. One interesting note - last year I had my car serviced at a Nissan dealer and mentioned that I was about to leave on a 700 mile trip that was almost all highway, and the dealer put the pressure to 38 when he rotated the tires. Car rode just fine for the entire trip. My point is the 33 psi recommended by Nissan doesn't have to be followed since their own techs will adjust accordingly for you.

 

I'm running 35 - 35 right now, as I stated above. I think they were set on 35 this winter and as it has warmed up I've picked up about a pound. When I picked it up from the dealer, it rode really rough, and I checked them they were at 45#, which is basically what the maximum pressure states on the tire sidewall. I'd never run them like that, especially on out bombed-out roads, because they'd jar the fillings out of my teeth.

 

Yes, that's a pretty harsh pressure setting. Although many tires are rated up to 44 PSI, running at that pressure will jar you on rough roads.

But if you were going to be tackling a twisty Idaho or Colorado mountain road, it might be more fun than softer tire pressures.

 

In all my cars I always pump 4 to 5 pounds more than the "normal" into my tires. For my 2004 MO, tire pressures were kept to around 38 pounds. Tire wear was perfect at that pressure.

 

Good Day All I have posted about my tires cupping and just picked up a set of Michelin latitude tour NEW, The car has 8000 miles on it. The tires are great. However they are starting to CUP again on the edges. The car was aligned at Nissan two times and is still cupping again. So my question is, what should I do. Bring it back to the dealer. Has anybody else have this issue. In time the tires sound like snow tires because of this cupping. So ideas anybody?

 

Cupping is not a tire pressure issue, it's a combination of balance, alignment/suspension issues and tire rotation.

If you have not rotated the tires in 8K miles, you are overdue...but not to such a degree that it should cause cupping to appear.

I think you need to get the suspension checked out front and back on that vehicle, and make sure that the AWD is not somehow engaging on dry surfaces. AWD engagement on dry surfaces will definitely cause cupping quickly.