haha, I get to play spoiler
I counter with the NHTSA recommendations
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Tire Safety, Brochure (DOT HS 809 361 October 2001)
Quote:
Safety First–Basic Tire Maintenance
Properly maintained tires improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your vehicle. Underinflated tires and overloaded vehicles are a major cause of tire failure. Therefore, as mentioned above, to avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure, you should maintain proper tire pressure, observe tire and vehicle load limits, avoid road hazards, and regularly inspect your tires.
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Quote:
Understanding Tire Pressure and Load Limits
Tire inflation pressure is the level of air in the tire that provides it with load-carrying capacity and affects the overall performance of the vehicle. The tire inflation pressure is a number that indicates the amount of air pressure– measured in pounds per square inch (psi)–a tire requires to be properly inflated. (You will also find this number on the vehicle information placard expressed in kilopascals (kPa), which is the metric measure used internationally.)
Manufacturers of passenger vehicles and light trucks determine this number based on the vehicle's design load limit, that is, the greatest amount of weight a vehicle can safely carry and the vehicle's tire size.The proper tire pressure for your vehicle is referred to as the "recommended cold inflation pressure." (As you will read below, it is difficult to obtain the recommended tire pressure if your tires are not cold.)
Because tires are designed to be used on more than one type of vehicle, tire manufacturers list the "maximum permissible inflation pressure" on the tire sidewall. This number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should ever be put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
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Also another great source for tire safety information;
Safercar.gov
Also here is an interesting quote from that write up, suggesting that maybe not all police officers agree with running max PSI in their tires.
Quote:
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Many agencies maintain tire pressure at 35 psi since this is what is listed in the owner’s manual and on the door placard.
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Bottom line is that auto manufactures and anybody actually liable for when things go wrong basically say no.... people who like to push limits say it is ok. It leaves the whole air pressure question in limbo... what is the best air to run? lol