I tried searching the forum because I am sure this has been discussed before but the forum search software just locked up on me...

What pressure do people put in their stock tires? I know on my old Corolla the door panel said 26psi but I generally kept them at 30-32 psi because they rode much better and I got a bit better mpg. The Fit door panel says 33 psi which is similar to what I used on the Corolla, but the I kept the Corolla at higher psi than on the door panel.

Relate to the above, on a specific trip I did last summer in our brand new Fit I got 54 and 48 mpg respectively on outward and return trips. I just did the same exact outward trip and only got 46 mpg. It is winter but since this wasn't a short trip the car was well warmed up for 99.9% of the journey. No difference in load, speed driven. If anything wind speeds were less favorable last summer and the leg we got 54 mpg was the leg I just got 46 mpg. Only 1000 more miles on the car since last summer (we rarely drive). Winter gas mix (I thought that might only account for a mpg or so)? I was wondering if since last summer we had just bought the car the tires has last been inflated by the dealer, maybe even when they put it in service last winter, the tires were over the 33 psi I set them to last week? I didn't measure psi last summer but if they were at, say, 38 psi would that produce the higher mpg on last summer's trip? Is this a case where I should be thinking about a higher psi than on the door panel?

 

I keep mine at 33 psi. I think you'd have to over inflate 5 or 6 psi to see mpg improvement. So the 38 number you mentioned would probably help mpg - just don't know how much.

I haven't had that big of a mpg discrepancy as you have during my many trips. I go over the same (GA, FL) highway at pretty much the same speed and at the end of most trips it's usually between 43-45 mpg. If I slow down a great deal I can increase that number quite a bit. A strong headwind can drop the number also. A lot of variables can affect mpg in these little cars. But like I said, mine have been steady low to mid 40's (hwy @ 75mph).

46 mpg for you is still pretty good - almost a hybrid number.

 

I run 38-39 in my Fit (2012), door says 32 IIRC. My lifetime average for the car is 20% above the EPA highway number (39.4 real-world mixed use MPG vs 33 EPA Highway)

In my Fiesta SFE the door said 36 or 38 (I don't recall) and I ran 41-43. My lifetime average for that car was also about 20% above the EPA highway number. (51-52 mixed use MPG vs 43 EPA Highway)

 

The recommended pressures are a compromise between ride comfort and load capacity. You can raise the PSI without issue, just don't go past the MAXIMUM on the sidewall of the tire.



I'm willing to bet that your decreased MPG is a result of two factors:

1. Winter Blend gas, which has more ethanol in it...less efficient burning.

2. Your tires will actually run at a higher operating pressure during warm weather. (They are in contact with hotter pavement) This, even if you set the pressures to the same PSI, cold.

On our track car, we reduce the cold pressure to maintain the same 'hot' pressures under the stress of track cornering.

 

Can anyone post a picture of the sticker where it says the tire pressure to be set at 33 psi.

Mine says 32 psi front 30 psi in the back. I live in México, does any Canadian can help here.

 

I do not have the car here at the moment to take a picture but our 2016 EX model Japanese built, with 185/55-16" tires, door sticker says 33 PSI front and 32 PSI rear. I forget what the spare tire PSI was.

 

My sticker says 33 front and 33 rear

60 psi for the compact spare

 

My car is garage kept, so I base my tire pressures on what the outside temp is gonna be ... I run 35 when outside temps will be around garage temp ....

 

on the GD, GE, GK.. I use...

snow tires 32-36
all seasons 34-38

 

I keep mine at the manufacturers recommendation.
It's my opinion that increased inflation can become both uncomfortable..harsher ride, and potentially dangerous.

However, I concede that people that perceive a huge advantage in running increased pressures will be hard to convince to stop.

 

I use 38 PSI instead of 33.

Better handling and MPG.

 

I think 33f 32R psi is the convenient based on economy and comfort. As I recall honda is guided by Cafe standards to reduce emissions. So increasing Psi to the best economy/confor are those numbers based that in other conties PSI are 32F30R. sounds just right, eh.

What do you think?

 

I run mine at about 37. I think it helps some with tire life but it's more to cover the temp swings in TN in the fall/winter. I can inflate them when it's say 60 out and if the temp drops to say 30 they would lose about 3psi. (tires usually lose about 1 psi per 10 degree temp drop) and that way I have a margin if i don't check them when the temp drops.

With the price of tires I figure every extra mile I get out of them is money in the bank.

 

honda is bound by cafe standards but for the most part, psi is usually set based on comfort. the car can definitely take 38psi cold and have no issues with its factory tires.

 

A quick question to all.
In my city in the morning and at night we can be around 30 Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) and in the afternoon we are around 60F (15 Celcius) In winter. And in summer we can be 70F(20 Celsius) to 100 F(37 Celsius) and I move in the morning and in the middle of the day.

so what tire pressure should I use in "cold" the minium or the max of the day. Does anyone here has the same weather?

 

My opinion is that you want to set the air pressure so the tires are never run low.

Running a little high will not hurt anything. So I would follow the rule of "set the tire pressure first thing in the morning before driving the car". Do not worry about temperature changes after that. It is normal for tires to increase pressure on their own as they warm up. Do not worry about that.

I check my tire pressures about one every month.

 

Before radial tires became common, manufacturers would recommend that tire pressure be increased 5 PSI before any extended trip. That was to reduce heat buildup, which could result in a blowout.

+++++++++++

The normal expectation for monitoring pressure is to check PSI only when the car has been idle for at least three hours. This gives a more repeatable reading.

 

I also check my tires once a month. One tire has consistently lost air the whole time I've owned the car; going from 35 to 29. Is that something the dealer can check, or should I go to a tire place?

 

I suggest removing the tire and spraying the rim and tire valve with soapy water. If you cannot find any bubbles, you may need to bring it to a tire store where they can submerge it in a water-filled tub.

They will probably chalk up and seepage to small cuts due to road debris.

I've had tires (and wheels) that have 'passed gas'. They constantly lost air (slowly). The car with the wheels, the rate of loss remained after the second set of tires was installed...

 

Thank you. Since it's done this since day one 2 years plus ago, I've been negligent in following it up. I'll need to get busy on it since my fear is it would transfer over to the next set of tires (in another 2 years or so).