sealocean@hotmail.com

I have 215/45/17 tires for the summer on my 2003 4 door civic
what should my tire pressure be for front and back??

thanks

Polkaroo Killa

For that size tire I think the max. pressure is 50psi.

Anyways, it's written on the tire, go take a look.

k_r_a_c_k_e_r

iTrader: (3)

ditto.

sealocean@hotmail.com

the max saids 40, so are you telling me to fill it to the max as noted on the tire??

dirtywat

No, pump up the tire pressures to the factory recommended level. It should be stated on your driver's door jam and if you can't find it there, check your owner's manual. If you still can't find any sort of number go with 32 psi. The number found on the side of the tire is the MAXIMUM recommended pressure to pump that tire up to and it is not necessarily the recommended tire pressure for the car you are driving in.

kingjames1983

^ what the hell? Tires are different.
He obviously doesnt have the original tires so why would he following the original spec?
So basically what your saying is that a 40 series tire should have teh same PSI as a 65 series tire? its a totally different tire... from treadwear, to speed rating so it has a different max for a reason.... that is why you dont follow the factory spec if they are not factory spec tires.

Go with the 40 max and pay attention because it will change with temps.

sealocean@hotmail.com

but isnt the factory recommended level for stock tires? stock is 185/65/15

what about my summer set which is 215/45/17

dirtywat

I would still stick to the factory recommended tire pressures.
You can pump up the tire pressures closer to the maximum if you always drive on the highway, because you will get better gas mileage that way. But as far as driving on normal road conditions (city and highway), going by the factory recommended tire pressure isn't going to make or break your tires or car. It's just a compromise between comfort, mileage and performance.

kingjames1983

^ its not a compromise.... your going to get crap gas mileage if you stick to factory and you might have an abnormal wear pattern. You dont under inflate your tires unless its for abnormal use.

dirtywat

32 psi is 32 psi no matter what tire you put it in.
It's a measure of pressure per square inch not of volume.
Just because the tire is a 45 series profile rather than a 65 doesn't mean it must be inflated that much higher. It depends more on what application you are using your tire for. That's why I said if you do all highway driving then pump up the tires more to get better gas mileage. When they build a lower profile tire such as a 45 series they take into consideration the thinner sidewall and build in reinforcement. You're not changing the weight of the car drastically or changing the suspension geometry drasticaly so sticking to the factory specifications isn't ridiculous.

If you want to pump it up to 40 psi, go ahead. It can go up to 40 psi but your tire will be hard as a rock, have less flex in the sidewall and your ride comfort will go down. It is always a compromise.

If you are concerned about tire wear, then make sure tire pressures are always correct and make sure your alignment is correct.

phuviano

I agree with you dirtywat.

The stated max pressure on a tire is only a safety precaution so you don't exceed it. You should go by the manufacturers (Honda) stated tire pressure. For a 7thgen civic, its 30 psi all around. Different cars will have different tire pressures due to the weight of the vehicle itself.

Also, if you fill a tire to its max pressure while the tire is cold. The pressure will increase after a few mins of driving. That's not good for the tire. Tires can exceed the maximum pressure stated on the sidewall, but you shouldn't exceed what is stated there.

I would go within the 2 psi of what the manufacturer specs say. So since its 30 psi for factory tires, I'd go 28 - 32 psi. Don't put 50 psi on a 7thgen civic. I wouldn't even put it to 35 psi, which is pretty much the standard tire pressure that people in.

btw, for those who think the pressure should be increased over stock. Please google what "load index" on a tire means. Once you understand what the load index is, you may re-consider. There's a reason why manufacturers state the load index on tires.

sol_searchin

i put in 35psi and im happy

RedNeckRiceBurner

i worked at goodyear tire run 32-35psi id run 35psi

xray

Listen to this guy..he nailed it.

tazz

Ok too help clear this up.... Stock tire size is stock pressure.. Now if you put different tire size on then you need different pressure. tires with more volume need less pressure, less volume need more pressure! Main purpose for air pressure is too keep the tires cool not too support the weight of the car. Now stock pressure is 32 front and back then with 215/40/17 tires like I have on my rims should be 37-38 psi in them (long as the tires are able too take that pressure that is). I did work for a while for a tire company and just called my old boss there and asked him and he said 5-6 psi. more than factory pressure as long as the tires can take it.
Hope that helps?

kingjames1983

about time I get more support on this.. I was sick of arguing by myself

Nova_Dust

I would take the max. psi reading on the side wall, and pump to 90% for racing, and about 75% or a little over for street driving.

For all season tires, I run about 30/30 psi. If you are this concerned about pressure (which we should all be more or less), then you should periodically exam your tread pattern for any abnormal wears.