GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I got my oil changed maybe two weeks ago and noticed the steering wheel turns more easily and the ride was a bit stiffer. Actually it was very stiff and bumpy lol So today I stopped by the gas station to check the tire pressure with one of their things and noticed all of them were at over 50psi! I guess they added some air for me at the oil change place but is it safe to have such high tire pressure?Anyways I let some air out till it got to about 35'ish psi and now the ride feels much more smoother lol

same thing happened to my wife years ago from a local tire and lube shop... I went back to the shop and ripped the manager a new one... That was the cold PSI... just think how high that PSI got when the tire was hot.

I wouldn't run 50 psi. I normally keep my tires at 36 psi hot. Theoretically you could get better gas mileage, but I don't think it is worth the risk. During the middle of the summer when it is really hot, the 50 psi is likely to run well above 60 when driving the car.

My tires say between 32 and 50 psi on the side. Pontiac says 35 psi for the tires. I run 40 psi, I don't know why I chose that pressure. The Vibe does not weigh that much, so it doesn't need high pressure in the tires to support it.

I run mine at 40psi.

i run mine at 40 as well

36 winter40 currently on summer tires

I did notice my gas mileage was better tho lol maybe by 1 or 2 mpg but I'd rather not risk blowing out my tires or whatevers =/ I do like how the steering wheel turns and accelerating too. Both seems so effortlessly lol

never tried. Mine are rated at 50psi so I run 45 to protect my rims from potholes round here

I run 38 & never had any problems.

Tire sidewalls are full of information. One of the things you can find on there, is the Max Cold Pressure recommendation by the tire manufacturer. If your tire indicates a max cold pressure of 44 psi, that's the limit when the tire has been sitting long enought to reach what ever the ambient air temperature is. The tire naturally heats up at speed, so the manufacturer figures that into the limits. My summer tires are rated for a max pressure of 51 psi, and I run them 42 front and 39 rear. Well within the "limit". Don't set pressures when your tire is hot. Let the wheel and tire cool off... best overnight... to ambient and then measure and set. You should readjust pressures as seasonal temperatures move up and down. 10 degrees of temperature change = about 1 psi of tire pressure change. Ambient air temperature up... pressure in tire goes up. Temp down... tire pressure goes down. Trip from Maine to Florida this Winter... started out with 38 psi front and 36 rear. Temperature when we left was 15 degrees. Temperature 36 hours later was 68 degrees. Tires were then measured the next day, after our arrival, in morning temps of 60 degrees and showed 41 front and 40 rear. Not enough for me to take pressure down. If temps had reached the 80s I would definitely lower pressures a bit. The max temp we saw while there was 72 degrees. Tire failure can be caused by tire over inflation, and equally with under inflation. Never go below car manufacturer inflation sticker info and never go above tire manufacturer max pressure recommendation.

Quote, originally posted by lowincash ».. to check the tire pressure with one of their things ...NEVER trust those things unless you are filling up an inner tube for the lake.

Quote, originally posted by Water boy »NEVER trust those things unless you are filling up an inner tube for the lake.Excellent point Water boy! Get your own pressure gauge to keep in your Vibe. It's an essential tool. They aren't expensive and the digital models are pretty accurate. Just don't go too cheap.

Well said!I check my tire pressure first thing in the morning before I even start the car (once a week on either sat or sun ). I also check all the fluids this way. If im low I will top it off with a old fasioned bicycle pump. 4 pumps = 1 psi LOL.

Check every week?WOWAbout the only thing I do every week is sleep and drink beer.I only use a guage to check tire PSI at oil change time. Otherwise I just ramdonly glance at the tires as I get in/out of the vehicle.

Quote, originally posted by Water boy »Check every week?WOWAbout the only thing I do every week is sleep and drink beer.I only use a guage to check tire PSI at oil change time. Otherwise I just ramdonly glance at the tires as I get in/out of the vehicle.That's not often enough for me. I do stick my pressure gauge on each tire about once every couple of weeks... my habit is first of the month and then mid month. Our temperatures can vary quite a bit up here week to week... so if you don't watch it, you'll end up wearing the tires a little quicker than you should. Not to mention possible decreases in fuel mileage. Glancing at the tires every time you get in the car is a good habit to have, but how long do you go between oil changes?

Yeah, its a bit wacky LOL. Its really just being proactive. I found a power steering hose with a small leak before it turned into anything. Anything can happen in 7 days if you think about it. My father was very (removed) with car maintenance so, adopted some of his traits lol.

The pressure on the side wall is for the load rating. You can note that they are stated together. I have always understood it to mean that you can carry xx pounds if you have xx psi. That does not mean that the tire will self destruct at higher pressure.The best pressure is the one recommended for the stock tire by the car manufacturer. The engineers have calculated and the test track has proven the optimal pressure. If you have changed tires from stock often times the tire manufacturer has recommendations on their website.Running increased pressure can cause the tires to wear in the center and can result in reduced traction. This is because when the tire has excessive psi it will have a more rounded shape and will have less surface in contact with the ground. That is what caused your steering to feel different.Believe it or not your tires are also part of your vehicles suspension. The increased pressure caused the stiff, harsh ride like you experienced.If running tires that are not stock the best way to calculate the correct pressure is trial and error. This is done by measuring the increase in pressure as the tire warms. If the pressure is too low the tire will run hotter and the psi will increase more. If the pressure is too high the tire will fail to warm fully and the psi will increase less. I don't remember the formula for the correct increase in pressure. I seem to remember it is somewhere around 3 - 5 psi. An internet search should help you to determine the correct increase.If you really want to go crazy, you can also purchase an infrared thermometer and monitor your tire temperatures. I always check my tire temperatures at every stop when I am towing. I got my thermometer at Harbor Freight for around $30.

Quote, originally posted by vibolista »Glancing at the tires every time you get in the car is a good habit to have, but how long do you go between oil changes? About 5000 miles.

Both numbers on tires are Max recommendation numbers, Pressure and Load Rating. The car manufacturer sets a recommended tire pressure for each individual vehicle, based on vehicle weight, suspension/handling and expected tire wear. The RS-A sidewalls have a Max Pressure of 44 psi and Load Rating of 1279 lbs. The Vibe door jam sticker recommends 32 psi for each tire under normal load conditions. Vehicle manufacturer pressure recommendations are usually biased toward a "soft" ride. The more load you put in your car, the higher the tire pressure should be set... but never above the recommended Max pressure when the tire is at ambient temperature. With any tire/car combination, it's always important to find that tire pressure sweet spot that maximizes car handling, ride, tire wear and safety. Under normal circumstances, you can destroy a tire if you run it above the max pressure number found on the tire. Underinflation can also lead to tire failure usually caused by tire overheating. For safety, you should always stay somewhere between the vehicle manufacturer recommended pressure and the tire's Max Pressure number. During the Explorer/Firestone episode it was found that Ford was recommending a pressure of only 26 psi for the 15 inch Firestones. This allowed a soft ride, but tires were running hot and some of the tires eventually delaminated and blew out. A combination of poor driving skills, vehicle dynamics and speed did the rest. I can imagine drivers that didn't check tire pressure often enough would be running those Firestones at even lower pressures than 26 psi... since tires never gain pressure by them selves... but always slowly lose pressure over time. So, keep all your tires properly inflated. It's an important safety thing.

205/55 16 RS-A's are 51psi max (had to run outside and check for myself)I like the firmer ride and better handling (IMO) that the higher pressure gives. As for wear... they're RS-A's....

Quote, originally posted by star_deceiver »205/55 16 RS-A's are 51psi max (had to run outside and check for myself)I like the firmer ride and better handling (IMO) that the higher pressure gives. As for wear... they're RS-A's.... I did the same thing... star... went out to the garage to check and guess what they had on them? 44 psi max. That's only a little weird, right?

That is weird... perhaps goodyear made some changes to the RS-A's for the 09-10 models or maybe just the Canadian models????

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I think it changed with the 2009-10 models. I have a 2007 vibe that has max 44 psi and a 2010 vibe with max of 51 psi

glad I found this old thread.My tire dummy light came on so I checked all tires & they were at 30. So I checked the tire & it said dont go above 51. So they have 40 in them now. 09 awd

Quote, originally posted by Airmack »glad I found this old thread.My tire dummy light came on so I checked all tires & they were at 30. So I checked the tire & it said dont go above 51. So they have 40 in them now. 09 awd2009/2010 AWD Models are suppose to have 35 psi front tires and 32 psi rear tires. Check the sticker on the inner pillar/door jam of the driver's door to verify information.

I also run 40 as well. Just keep in mind the higher the tire pressure the less tread or contact patch that's actually on the road. Personally I drive very conservatively whenever it rains.The higher the pressure the higher the risks of hydroplaning on standing water.