What tire pressure are you running?

[jhu8]

38 cold here. Always have done that in my cars/SUVs.

 

[tlveik]

35 is recommended so that's what I use.

 

[ljcorby]

Hey, I have an idea. Fill your tires with whatever pressure you believe to be correct.

 

[ExPlat]

Hey, I have an idea. Fill your tires with whatever pressure you believe to be correct.

 

[Jon M]

It seems like the recommended pressure would necessarily only apply to the stock tires, or identically rated tires. If you put tires on with a different load rating or speed rating, that different composition might need a different pressure to perform the same. A stiffer sidewall on one over another would affect the needed pressure.

I've been running 35, but I'm going to play with it a bit. I used to run 37 in my Grand Cherokee. The dealer sent me home with it that way one day, and I liked it better, so I kept it that way.

Whatever you do, make sure to check your spare and air it up. Mine was down to 20 psi when I bought it. It was down to 50 last time I checked it.

I wish they'd put them underneath, or if they have to have them inside, give us room for a full size, matching spare. I did a five tire rotation on my Grand Cherokee because I had that option, and I got over 70k miles out of 55k mile tires.

 

[KayGee]

Most passenger car (p-metric) tires are rated to their max load rating at 35 psi. If you run less, you get less load rating, but upping the pressure won't increase the load rating. I believe xl p-metric and light truck tires and/or other truck tires have different load ratings at different pressures (max load at 42 psi).

Reinforced sidewalls are what xl and other truck tires usually have to get their higher load rating and run flats tend to have to allow them to run at low/0 pressure.

 

[LukerDooker]

"I wish they'd put them underneath, or if they have to have them inside, give us room for a full size, matching spare. I did a five tire rotation on my Grand Cherokee because I had that option, and I got over 70k miles out of 55k mile tires."

...that's awesome with 5.
No way in all of fiery hell a 20" would be inside, - not sure you could do it under either.
I see the various models but no one has mentioned their tire size...Limited and Plat - those must be 20" wheels?
Limited= rec psi is 35 cold for 20" wheels...
























'

 

[CarpeNoctem]

I'm currently running 36 cold in all (what discount tire suggested with the new wheels/tires) I haven't had the Ex long enough to really get a feel for it under different conditions to start tweaking the air pressures.

I don't believe the statement that someone made that tire inflation doesn't affect handling (did I understand that right?). Tire inflation makes a big difference as it has to do with weight transfer, tire footprint and the tire sidewall. Unless the suspension is softer allowing a wheel to 'plant' more, tires at 50+psi are going to slide more than 'dig' in. Just like with rolling resistance, the same could be said for lateral traction.

In my '06 F150, I kept 35 in the front and 33 in the rear - if I wasn't going to be hauling much. That allowed the wear to be good on the front tires and allowed a little mush in the rear end to help keep it from reduce sliding in the rain or sand. YMMV.

 

[Jon M]

"I wish they'd put them underneath, or if they have to have them inside, give us room for a full size, matching spare. I did a five tire rotation on my Grand Cherokee because I had that option, and I got over 70k miles out of 55k mile tires."

...that's awesome with 5.
No way in all of fiery hell a 20" would be inside, - not sure you could do it under either.
I see the various models but no one has mentioned their tire size...Limited and Plat - those must be 20" wheels?
Limited= rec psi is 35 cold for 20" wheels...

I'm pretty sure it was 35 on my '13 with 18" wheels as well.

The only reason it doesn't fit inside is that it's not deep enough. Otherwise, it will fit in the well.

 

[KayGee]

"I wish they'd put them underneath, or if they have to have them inside, give us room for a full size, matching spare. I did a five tire rotation on my Grand Cherokee because I had that option, and I got over 70k miles out of 55k mile tires."

...that's awesome with 5.
No way in all of fiery hell a 20" would be inside, - not sure you could do it under either.
I see the various models but no one has mentioned their tire size...Limited and Plat - those must be 20" wheels?
Limited= rec psi is 35 cold for 20" wheels...
'

GC is a 5 pass vehicle. The 5 pass Explorer equivalent is the Police Interceptor Utility which comes with a full size spare (18", inside). I haven't tried, but it may be possible to fit an equivalent 20" spare in the PIU (assuming the dimensions of the 20" spare are the same as the 18" - which they should be pretty close).

 

[Jon M]

GC is a 5 pass vehicle. The 5 pass Explorer equivalent is the Police Interceptor Utility which comes with a full size spare (18", inside). I haven't tried, but it may be possible to fit an equivalent 20" spare in the PIU (assuming the dimensions of the 20" spare are the same as the 18" - which they should be pretty close).

The size difference is so small, it should fit fine. It doesn't seem like it would take much additional metal to make a full size fit in the retail Explorer, with the 3rd row.

 

[Brendan Lusby]

I tend to run mine at 40 psi, it seems to be best for me

 

[dsantil]

What pressure is everyone running their tires at? I have some Michelin Defenders that were installed and they were filled up to about 42-44 PSI which I think might be a bit too much. I am looking for what is optimal for MPG.

Thanks.

Any tires should be filled to the recommended air pressure stated on the drivers side door! For best MPG, handling & tire wear.

 

[KayGee]

Any tires should be filled to the recommended air pressure stated on the drivers side door! For best MPG, handling & tire wear.

That advice is only applicable if one is running the same exact tire as supplied by the factory and OEM's have been known to provide different recommendations than the tire manufacturers, so everyone should take it with a huge grain of salt. The part about the best MPG, handling & tire wear is not entirely true/accurate. Different pressures affect the contact patch and rolling resistance of the tire and can have significant effects on MPG, handling & tire wear. There isn't a single pressure that magically makes every tire the BEST at all three at the same time. Everything is a compromise. If you change from the OEM tires, you should probably follow the tire manufacturers recommendations. Different tires will have different recommended pressures.

For those that may have forgotten about the Explorer/Firestone debacle, maybe it's timefor a brief refresher...
Ford and Firestone's Tire Recall: The Costliest Information Gap in History

Firestone emphasized the importance of maintaining proper inflation pressure. Firestone recommended a pressure of 30 pounds-per-square-inch (psi), whereas Ford recommended a range of 26 to 30 psi. Ford claimed its tests showed the tire performed well at 26 psi and that the lower pressure made for a smoother ride. However, Firestone claimed underinflation could put too much pressure on the tire, contributing to a higher temperature and causing the belts to separate.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

After many blowouts, slow leaks and the like with Firestone tires I have come to the conclusion that Firestone makes garbage. I won't go anywhere near them or any of their parent/sister companies tires.

 

[RhinoQuartz]

I have Michelin Latitude Tour HPs on my 17 base and am running 44 psi at a max (the temperature fluctuations where I live are driving me nuts to try and keep all 4 tires the same), as recommended on the sidewall. When I bought it, they were at a lower psi and I have been debating letting get back down to ~35 psi each.

 

[dsantil]

That advice is only applicable if one is running the same exact tire as supplied by the factory and OEM's have been known to provide different recommendations than the tire manufacturers, so everyone should take it with a huge grain of salt. The part about the best MPG, handling & tire wear is not entirely true/accurate. Different pressures affect the contact patch and rolling resistance of the tire and can have significant effects on MPG, handling & tire wear. There isn't a single pressure that magically makes every tire the BEST at all three at the same time. Everything is a compromise. If you change from the OEM tires, you should probably follow the tire manufacturers recommendations. Different tires will have different recommended pressures.

For those that may have forgotten about the Explorer/Firestone debacle, maybe it's timefor a brief refresher...
Ford and Firestone's Tire Recall: The Costliest Information Gap in History

Firestone emphasized the importance of maintaining proper inflation pressure. Firestone recommended a pressure of 30 pounds-per-square-inch (psi), whereas Ford recommended a range of 26 to 30 psi. Ford claimed its tests showed the tire performed well at 26 psi and that the lower pressure made for a smoother ride. However, Firestone claimed underinflation could put too much pressure on the tire, contributing to a higher temperature and causing the belts to separate.

Obviously different tires have different "recommended" pressures. I have had Michelin tires on our 04 Explorer & love them! The stock tires sucked! Even Michelin recommends following the vehicle's guidelines for tire pressure.

Tire Care and Maintenance | How Do I Care For My Tires? | Michelin US

But here is another link regarding tire pressure for other info too
Tire Pressure Calculators | TirePressure.com

 

[Odrapnew]

I have Michelin Latitude Tour HPs on my 17 base and am running 44 psi at a max (the temperature fluctuations where I live are driving me nuts to try and keep all 4 tires the same), as recommended on the sidewall. When I bought it, they were at a lower psi and I have been debating letting get back down to ~35 psi each.

Why are you running at max recommended pressure?
Also, not sure why your temperature fluctuations would impact pressure differences between tires.
My 4 tires all change about the same with temp changes. They are usually within 0.5psi from each other.
One tire doesn't change more than others.

BTW, I run about 38-39psi cold.

 

[Elfiero]

I have new Michelin Defender LTX tires and I keep them @40 psi cold. Any less and the ride is mushy and vague. Ford goes with the least amount they can get away with for ride perposes. IMHO, if you don’t like to ride in my car, feel free to drive yourself( and I’ll ride with you and not contribute to the gas cost).

 

[RhinoQuartz]

Why are you running at max recommended pressure?
Also, not sure why your temperature fluctuations would impact pressure differences between tires.
My 4 tires all change about the same with temp changes. They are usually within 0.5psi from each other.
One tire doesn't change more than others.

BTW, I run about 38-39psi cold.

I don't really see the point in running lower, plus I live in snowy conditions so it does seem to help with grip.

The tires don't have drastic variations in pressure, but I go by the monitor in the dash, which only shows integers so (by the display) they can be 1 psi different from each other cold (although in reality it seems to be far less than that, could even be only 0.2 psi difference, but that obviously wouldn't show).