For the Base model Fit, the door says to inflate the tires to 32 psi. I have never done that…it just feels too low. I tend to inflate my tires to around 36 and I haven’t had any problems. What pressure do you keep your tires at?

 

I try to keep the tires on my '13 sport at the cold tire 32 psi factory recommendation that's posted on the driver's door opening. As long as you don't exceed the maximum cold tire pressure that's shown on the side of your tires, and it's at least the factory recommended tire pressure, I think you're good to go.

 

It's been my experience that if tires are overinflated by several pounds, tire wear will be uneven and tread in the center will wear at a higher rate than the outer tread. After experiencing this, I now do as @56chevydan with the factory recommendation of 32 on our '13 Sport.

 

It's personal preference, but under/over inflated tires will wear unevenly. Also, the factory recommended PSI is for OEM tire sizes, which most people have changed by now. On my '09 base I do F:38 R:35 Unless the weather is bad. 195/60/15 on a 7" wide wheel.

 

I have never felt that the factory tire pressure ratings were high enough

my experience is that if you run them at 32, you'll wear out the inside and outside shoulders (with proper rotation)
and the car will also handle like crap

I have been running mine about 36psi and no signs of center wear (I ran them at 40 for a bit in the summer, but I dont think the car is heavy enough for that)

my previous car (2010 toyota prius) was supposed to run 35F/33R, at that pressure, I had inside and outside shoulder wear in about 30K miles, I then ran them at 38psi winter and 40psi summer, replaced tires at about 55K miles with some shoulder wear showing
my next set of tires, I ran at 40psi summer and 38psi winter from new, I had 113K miles on that set when I traded the Prius in on the FIT, no signs of uneven wear, still had legal tread

supposedly, there are some charts from the tire manufacturer that will tell you what psi to run depending on what the axle scales at

 

If you over-inflate your tires by more than a couple of pounds you will reduce traction.

And despite what 56ChevyDan thinks, it is absolutely not a good idea to inflate your tires to near the maximum tire pressure listed on the tire if that's much more than what it says on the door sticker.

 

I'd like to clarify my earlier post on the subject here, and state I did not/ do not suggest anyone ever running the maximum inflation rate that is shown on the sidewall of passenger car tires. It is not safe to run that maximum pressure for any reason. In my earlier post I was responding to the OP here, who was stating that his preference to run a slightly higher pressure than was posted by Honda on his driver door opening. I responded that was probably ok to run the higher pressure he was already running- but I was not suggesting he run the max tire pressure for his tires!

Most passenger car tires are rated between 44-51 psi max cold pressure. The accepted safe max tire pressure is 75% of those max tire pressures., 75% of those max figures is 33-38 psi. Most passenger car tires have a factory recommended tire pressure of 32-35 psi.

Let's face it, checking tire pressures is actually not an exact science to start with. Most people use inexpensive tire pressure gauges that are not accurate. Add to that if they don't check their tires when they are cold, that adds to the inaccuracy problem. In the end, car handling and tire wear are going to help determine what tire pressures work for your car- and that pressure is probably going to be close to the car manufacturer's recommendation!.

If you stick to the manufacturer recommended tire pressure, use a good quality air gauge, rotate your tires about every 5,000 miles and check tire pressure every 4-6 weeks, your going to prolong your tire life substantially.

Here is an interesting web site about tire pressures: https://belleshell.com/professional-...-solution.html

 

Re that article- I think that engineers working for tire companies, and engineers working for car companies, probably know more about tires than a guy who runs an independent service station. You don't need expertise on a topic to put up a website.

 

It’s frustrating right now because I’m staying somewhere where the temperature goes from the 60’s to the 40’s and all over. It’s hard to get an accurate cold pressure. I also have to drive almost ten miles to a good air pump.

 

"It’s hard to get an accurate cold pressure. I also have to drive almost ten miles to a good air pump."

Do you have a tire pressure gauge? If so, then you check first thing in the morning, which is also likely to be your lowest ambient temperature of the day.
As for adding air to low tires, it's not difficult with an upright bicycle pump. I have a 25-gallon air compressor in my garage and still use the bicycle pump most of the time; the compressor is empty with the drain open when not in use, and it seems a waste to fill it to add a couple psi to car tires.
If you need to fill 10 miles from home, you can estimate and probably be close enough. Let's say you check at home and your tires are at 25 psi but you want 32 psi. So, you would add 7 psi on the spot. Instead, you drive 10 miles and they're now at (wild guess) 28 psi. If it were me, I would still add the 7 psi.
As to your original question, I keep my 2010 Fit Sport tires around 38 psi in the summer and around 34 in the winter when our potholed roads become 97% pothole. I did the same with the Toyota Yaris I drove previously. I have seen no uneven tire wear. I rotate annually when I change my oil, and with my slow accumulation of miles I replace my tires for age before they wear out.

 

👍🏽👍🏽
i do have a gauge. I’m pretty sure that regardless of each day being totally different and unpredictable, I’ll have enough pressure to safely travel from the coast to the mountains, where it’s consistently cold right now.

 

I have four gauges. A pencil gauge, a dial gauge, a digital gauge and the one built into my pump (which says on its face that it's not very accurate).
They don't agree with each other. The digital one was usually in the middle of the others so I've gone with that. But now the batteries have died. Stupid that it takes expensive hearing aid batteries instead of AAAs or AAs.

 

Gauge accuracy is indeed an issue. I'm sure there are expensive/certified gauges available, but probably not on my budget. I have a couple cheapies and have compared them against each other and with several gas station pumps and they're all within 1-2 psi which is close enough for me. As mentioned previously, I shoot for 34-38 psi depending on season, so even if I'm off by 2 psi either direction I'm okay.

Based on the number of vehicles I see on a daily basis driving around with tires well below 20 psi (I have a pretty good eye gauge from growing up on the farm), most folks would benefit from using any gauge, even an inaccurate one.

 

I have a similar position as many of you. I don't keep my tire pressure at 32 psi though. Over the years, I have settled at 36. I tried 44 psi as that is what the tires are rated for but I wore the tread down so fast that I lost money against my fuel savings. Having my PSI at 36 gives me great mileage with minimal excess tread ware. If I'm losing performance in acceleration, stopping and turning, I can't tell. 2010 base MT.

The other point I wish to make is that the rated PSI is 32. Not 32.0 or 32.00 or.... So for example, you need to drive 10 miles to air up your tires. Now, take a step in any direction you choose. How far away do you have to go now. Not 10 miles plus a step right? Significant digits. 32 psi is not dead on 32 psi. There is wiggle room. Maybe not the 4 psi that I use but it is 32 +/- x psi. I don't know what the engineers have in mind for a little slop but it's there.

 

Do your 15x7 tires rub at all? I’ve been thinking of putting a set on my Fit.

 

Always follow the recommended tire pressure on the tires itself. Not the factory door sticker. Different tire brands and models can easily run different air pressures than stock.

 

NO NO NO NO NO. This is 100% wrong. For proof- the door sticker won't match the tires that come with the car. The number on the tire is the maximum pressure the tire can possibly handle, NOT what's recommended for the car. If you inflate to the pressure on the tire you're likely to have a way overinflated tire and will reduce the contact patch (the portion of the tire that makes contact with the road), reducing traction and wearing out the tires faster.

 

I agree with @Brain Champagne . Do NOT follow what is on the tire. For example, my tires are rated for 44 lbs. I *could* run them at that pressure and I have in the past. It's too high. Tread ware was immense. Cost me a fortune to run at full pressure. The psi listed on the tires is what they will hold not what is best for your car.

 

It's really not that difficult. If you want a simple answer, the number on the sticker on your Fit is the tire pressure that Honda recommends for the car. Use that and be done, but remember that the Honda recommended pressure is for the tire size specified by Honda (e.g., 185/55R16 for my 2010 Fit Sport). Smaller diameter or narrower tires need more pressure to support the same load, as seen with your spare tire that is supposed to be inflated to around 60 psi. The max pressure number on your tire sidewall is exactly what it says it is - the max pressure the tire manufacturer says is safe for the tire.

Why would you choose to go above the Honda recommended pressure (e.g., 34-40 psi)? - to decrease rolling resistance (better fuel economy), to firm up the suspension, or for max load capacity (e.g., if you were always hauling four persons in the car).

Why would you choose to go below the Honda recommended pressure (e.g., 15-20 psi)? - to increase traction if you're stuck in snow or mud, after which you would reinflate to normal pressure.

To summarize, if you don't want to think about it just use the properly sized tires for your Fit and inflate them to the pressure recommended by Honda. If you have a reason to go above or below the Honda-specified pressure without endangering others go for it.

 

I bought new tires a year ago and had them mounted at Pep Boys. Driving home on the highway the handling felt terrible, almost like I was driving on ice. When I got home, after letting the tires cool down, I checked the pressure. It was over 40. I let air out and immediately called the shop to tell them someone needs to go back to tire school- what they did was dangerous.