when changing to different size wheel and tire combo do you go with the pressure it says on the tire or the pressure on the door jamb?
i know the pressure on the jamb is for the tire the car comes with, and thats a different pressure than whats on the tire. thats why im wondering.

 

You are correct, the tire pressure listed on the door placard is what the manufactuer has determined as ideal for that particular tire on their particular model vehicle during normal driving conditions. The 195/55R15's on the Fit are listed as 32 PSI Front and 32 PSI Rear I believe.

The psi on the tire's sidewall identifies the maximum pressure that specific tire is rated to hold, but the tire's maximum pressure is not necessarily the correct pressure for every vehicle that the tire can be used on.

I've played with the air pressure in the 205/40R17's for a month before I found something I was happy with. I am running 38 PSI Front and 36 PSI Rear.

 

try calling the manufacturer or a supplier of the specific tire you have. the maximum PSI written on the actual tire is not the PSI you want to be pumping your tires up to.

 

thanks, yeah i heard that if you go by what the max on the tire is you will be overinflating in most cases.

 

You would not want to run the Max pressure. Actually the PSI that is listed for the car is correct. You have to rememver it is air pressure not volume of air. The PSI is figured for the car not the tire. You can always go up a little for improved handling but I would not recommend more than a couple pounds more.

 

I run 36 front, 38 rear. It seems to strike a good balance between fuel economy, handling*, and comfort.

*I read in another thread that having more pressure in the rear could reduce understeer. So far so good!

 

I alter pressure when necessary. Smooth freeway, high pressure. Horrible freeway, lower pressure. Our back roads around here are horrible and as such need higher pressures just to protect the rims.