# Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right??



## led (Apr 26, 2002)

The Toyo 185/55/R15 tires I put on my Jetta GLI stock BBS rims are rated at 44psi. Should I be running them at this pressure?? The tire dealer inflated them to 32 psi just like a normal tire. What is right??


















[Modified by led, 2:14 AM 6-13-2002]


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## davejafo (Apr 11, 2002)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (led)*

My Toyos are 50 psi max, I ajusted up to make the differnce between the door plate pressure and the stock Continental max psi the same amount on the Toyos. Should help keep the sidwalls stiffer to help protect my 17s.


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## vwgtirob (Aug 16, 2001)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (led)*

Leave them at about 32. The only thing you're probably doing by increasing the pressure is causing the center of the tread to wear faster and making the car more squirrely.
A couple PSI in either direction isn't a big deal.


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## davejafo (Apr 11, 2002)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (vwgtirob)*

What I'm saying is if you had say 36psi max tires stock and your door plate says 32psi that's about 1/9th off max pressure. Take 1/9th pressure off of your 44psi max Toyos is about 5 to 6 pounds off max pressure, say 38 to 39 psi. That would be the top end for psi and 32psi would be at the bottom end. If you want performance go to the high end, if you want a better (softer) ride go to the low end of the range. Do not fill to Max psi(44) that will cause unever wear but 6 to 7 pounds over the door plate psi won't hurt. Also adjust your pressure differntly front and back within that 32psi to 39psi to adjust your cars handling.


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## vwgtirob (Aug 16, 2001)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (davejafo)*

quote:[HR][/HR]My Toyos are 50 psi max, I ajusted up to make the differnce between the door plate pressure and the stock Continental max psi the same amount on the Toyos. Should help keep the sidwalls stiffer to help protect my 17s.[HR][/HR]​It doesn't really matter; pressure is pressure regardless of the tire or its max rating.


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## blown_sixdub (Dec 18, 2001)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (led)*

Run the tires at VW specs. The pressure listed on the tire is the max cold inflation pressure required to support the max load the tires are rated at. You will notice the rated load is much greater than the actual load on the tire----less load requires less pressure. 32 psi is a safe bet.


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## davejafo (Apr 11, 2002)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (blown_sixdub)*

I stand by my posts, check here http://www.startribune.com/stories/435/908952.html
BTW there is no way I will run 29psi like the VW fuel door on my car recommends, period! If we don't agree we don't agree.


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## jettafahrer (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (led)*

Boy, this is another subject that has been " beaten to death ".
Tire inflation recommendations in your owners manual should be followed.
It does'nt matter what make of tire you are running, the weight of the vehicle does not change, and the manual allows for varying loads/speeds.
The max. pressure shown on the tire,is primarily for the installer of the tire, ( this pressure is often used to seat the tire bead on the wheel ).
You can do whatever you want, but if you are running overinflated tires, I would suggest that you keep an eye on premature centre tread wear , aside from putting up with a crappy ride.
Maybe you should check with the real experts at: http://www.tirerack.com, regardless of what the " experts " ( including me ) around here are suggesting.


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## drader (Apr 3, 2000)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (jettafahrer)*

VW says I should be happy with their crappy suspension, and slippy stock tires, too. Tire pressure is the cheapest, easiest way to alter your handling. My front tires at 36psi handle infinitely better than at 34psi, and with correct width to the rim inner/outer wear is not an issue.


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## jettafahrer (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: Toyo tires say 44psi! Is that right?? (drader)*

His original question was, should he be running 44 psi. I would think not. But then again, I am not a tire expert.


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## bugged (Mar 20, 2002)

*Technical discussion of tire pressure.*

I am only going to post this once.
The air pressure should be within a few PSI of the VW values found in the FM and the gas cover. As many others have stated, this is based on load/weight.
The number on the tire is the MAX pressure that the tire can take safely (compensated for operating temperature).
The right air pressure for ANY tire/rim is easily discovered by setting the air pressure at the factory spec for your load and cornering hard in both directions. You can do this in a couple of minutes or over several days. 
The tire will have a darker black line where the wear is obvious on the tread/sidewall adj. to tread. This black line tells you how much air to add or remove. You want that line just at the very edge of the actual tread. The tread is the part that hits the road, not the silly ornamental things on the sidewalls. 
If the car is really bouncy, or if the centers of the tread start to wear faster, then drop the pressure a few pounds.
The reason that overfilling the tire feels good is because the air pressure acts as a stiffer air spring, increasing relative spring rate. (The tire pressure rate actually is higher than the coil spring rate.) This gives the "feel" of a better handling suspension. It is far less effective than actually having the right spring and shock setup.


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## jettafahrer (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (bugged)*

" bugged "
Thanks dude. You gotta love it, when somebody knows their poop !!!!!!!


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## panic (Jan 4, 2001)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (jettafahrer)*

aight, well i have those toyos on the same wheels on my 91 gli, 195.50.15 and the sidewall says 44psi. about every 6-8 weeks i check and adjust to have them sit at about 42 psi.
it should b stated, and stated quite clearly that the tire pressure that vw recomends is for oe (original equipment) tires only. that is to say that 195.50.15's are NOT the factory size on my 91 gli, its actually 185.55.15's. 
maybe non of you ignorant (ignorant means not knowing for those that dont know) people havnt heard anything about the firestone/ford problem less then a year ago with under-inflated tires?? thats not to say over inflated tires are any safer, there just as bad, but running them at 32ps like vwgtirob said is just ludicris


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## jettafahrer (Mar 30, 2001)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (panic)*

quote:[HR][/HR]aight, well i have those toyos on the same wheels on my 91 gli, 195.50.15 and the sidewall says 44psi. about every 6-8 weeks i check and adjust to have them sit at about 42 psi.
it should b stated, and stated quite clearly that the tire pressure that vw recomends is for oe (original equipment) tires only. that is to say that 195.50.15's are NOT the factory size on my 91 gli, its actually 185.55.15's. 
maybe non of you ignorant (ignorant means not knowing for those that dont know) people havnt heard anything about the firestone/ford problem less then a year ago with under-inflated tires?? thats not to say over inflated tires are any safer, there just as bad, but running them at 32ps like vwgtirob said is just ludicris[HR][/HR]​No offense, but you don't have a clue what you're talking about. For instance, the Firestone fiasco was partly caused by idiots, running 10 - 15 psi underinflated tires ( which causes extreme heat buil-up, and of course unsafe handling ).
Maybe we should let a real expert ( like Eric from TTR ) decide what, and who is right here.


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## a2lowvw (Dec 17, 2000)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (jettafahrer)*

if i could release all the articles we got on the ford/firestone problem i can say it was a problem that occured by both parties. 1 firestone for passing on bad tires through quality control, and 2. ford for recommending 26 lbs in a tire so they could get by and not redesign the suspension so the exploders would ride better. the main problem was lack of idiot people checking their air pressure. i check mine monthly. do you? but if a car/truck is so unstable that it will roll over if a tire blows out? that is the scary part. blowouts happen all the time but to rollovers because of them?
btw i run 35 psi front and rear on my mk4, 225-40-18 toyo fz4
on my mk2 i run 34frt and 32 rear 195-50-15 toyo t1-s
on my mk1 rocco i run 30 front and rear 195-60-14 yoko a032r


[Modified by a2lowvw, 5:45 PM 6-29-2002]


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## panic (Jan 4, 2001)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (jettafahrer)*

quote:[HR][/HR]the Firestone fiasco was partly caused by idiots, running 10 - 15 psi underinflated tires ( which causes extreme heat buil-up, and of course unsafe handling ).[HR][/HR]​ok, well perhaps you should re-read this thread. the original question was if the poster should run his tires at the 32psi that the dealer set his tires to. now, last time i did my math, 44psi (toyo's recomondation) minus 32psi (what the dealer filled them to) equals 12psi differance, witch would fall into your 10-15psi margin that you just said causes extreme heat build up and unsafe handling.


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## M this 1! (May 17, 2000)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (panic)*

a few of you need to understand, Toyo is not 'recommending' 44psi. this is the max psi this tire can safely handle, that's why it's called max. they wouldn't nor couldn't 'recommend' a pressure. the first person to slide off the road could easily point blame on their recommendation. more importantly, they wouldn't, 'cause they have no idea what the hell car you drive. is it going on your '69 Camaro that has most of a scirrocos total weight in it's engine compartment, or is it going on the front of a Lotus Elise that has very little front weight. the point is, your manufacturer knows what weight distribution your car has and what wheels are driving your car, etc. they're giving you a recommendation to give proper wear and proper performance for the average driver. you take that recommendation and vary from it slightly to get your personal ideal setting. that doesn't mean you take the 32 they recommend and turn it to 44. never in a million years will you drive a Golf or any VW that needs 44 for agressive cornering. these and most cars we're talking about do not possess the weight to flatten out a normal sized tire, onto it's contact patch, when it's at 44lbs. all you're doing is created a really stiff ride that corners like crap. any of you running 40ish lbs, try setting the fronts to 36 and keep the rears to 32. do this when the car has not been driven that day and with a proper gauge you can really trust. then give it a couple days of varied driving and i bet you'll see some nicer results than you now think.


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## panic (Jan 4, 2001)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (M this 1!)*

w/out starting a major flamewar here... id like to add a few more of my cents. i have let my tires go as low as 34psi, and ive noticed a drop in the gas mileage, by as much as 2mpg in some cases. on a recent trip to dc and back i averaged 31.2mpg in my 2L 16v w/ a 2y tranny, witch is better then the window sticker on the car said originally 11 years ago. this is less then 2 weeks AFTER adjusting my tires to 42psi


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## craigt-from-atl (Mar 10, 2002)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (panic)*

Ok, I think I'm learning a good bit here, but no one has really mentioned wheel protection. If I'm running a 205/40/17, I want to make every attempt to keep my wheels straight. Would running them at the recommended pressure still keep them safe? Or I suppose the question is: would they be any *more* safe with a higher pressure?
Thanks,


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## lml999 (Jul 3, 2002)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (craigt-from-atl)*

Depends what you hit. With low tire pressures, it's more likely that a pothole will get to your rim and eat a chunk. At very high pressures (40+), you're not likely to break a rim, but you will transmit a lot of energy into the suspension.
With regard to tire pressures, btw. I'm running T1-S in a 245/45 16 size on my S6 wagon, with 36 pounds of pressure in each tire. I started out at 34, and picked it up to 36. For autocrossing, I'll run 42 front, 40 rear and see how much rollover I get. Last year I ran Kumhos and they liked higher pressures (44/40).
Lee
'95.5 Audi S6 avant


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## M this 1! (May 17, 2000)

*Re: Technical discussion of tire pressure. (lml999)*

panic, your mpg will be affected with more pressure. the reason is because not all of your tire is on the ground. if you don't care as much for handling, this will be o.k., but the main point is you tire is not making full contact. less contact = less friction, hense better mpg. but we all know less friction = less traction. you put 4 space saver spares @ 60psi you'll get even better mpg, but handle like crap. a very exaggerated example, but you see what i'm getting at. a 205 40 17 will gain enough added protection from 36lbs to make you happy. going from 32 to 36 and you'll feel a stiffness change. that's the exact size and psi i run and i do real well with potholes and such. the guy with the S6 is also showing why it is not for most of our cars to run 44. he's in a heavier car and pushing really hard on an autocross corse that it'll roll his tire over. most of us are driving a daily driver that weights alot less than his car and your rip thru the canyons will rarely generate as much cornering force as an autocross.


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