Tire pressure part 2

I've found it best to always use the placard on the vehicle as a guide for the proper inflation amount. In your case, since Toyota wants 26/29 (regardless of size in your case), that's what you should have. The tire manufacturer will have a MAX PSI rating on the tire, which should not be exceeded. Usually 40 lbs is the max for a passenger tire-some LT tires will handle more.

Dave.

Your on the right track with watching tire contact...as long as the tire isn't too worn out already. Drop pressure down to about 35 psi. (front and rear...keep rears same as fronts so tire wear will even out on rear before you rotate tires back to the front) and observe tire contact. Forget about the 26 & 29 psi the manual shows. Sure, it will ride a little better but you'll be replacing tires all the time 'cause the outside edges (mostly fronts) will wear out.

Go to your local tire shop. They will have a catalog listing the details of the model of tires on your car, and the book will have a Load/Inflation chart. Make a copy of the chart, and circle the line for your size tires.

Go to a local truck scale - recycling center, landfill, truck stop, large distribution warehouse, etc. Get axle weights for your car. If you ask nicely, wait for all the truckers to get weighed and out of there, and don't ask for a Certified Weigh Slip (which you don't need), most scales will do it for free.

The Load/Inflation chart will give you the real pressures you should use for starters. Those are the minimum pressures - you can always go higher (up to the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall) for a firmer ride and better tire wear & fuel mileage, but never lower than the chart minimum figure.

And if you use the minimum, be sure to check the pressure every few weeks to keep them from dropping to a dangerously low pressure. That's when tires overheat and come apart.

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start fronts at approx 32psi and rear approx 29psi.

if you load the rear heavy, up the rears to 35psi.

the #'s given in manual i never go by, and the #'s on the tire is max psi.