[sgoldwa]

Does anyone with Michelin Hydroedges on a 2004/2005 Prius have any recommendations on the optimal front/rear tire pressures to maximize efficiency without creating a hazard? The tires have a max pressure of 44 psi. Would it be safe to run them at that?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Steve

P.S. My Hydroedges are the same size as the stock tires.

 

[hyperion]

I would guess that the placard on your door would give you the safest pressures for milage, ride and traction as long as tires are the same size in cars design. Change anything from designed specs and you open up another can of worms. (35 frt, 33 rear)

 

[DuncanNixon2004]

tire pressure

It's kind of curious that people recommend higher tire pressures for front and rear to achieve some result, such as better gas mileage, and then say that the Toyota recommended pressure is 35 front and 33 rear.

Either American cars are different than Canadian cars or American highways are different than Canadian highways or my car is tagged differently but the door plaque in my Canadian package 'A' says that tire pressure is 35 front and 35 rear.

Maybe I need new glasses or a few remedial reading lessons, but I have looked at it numerous times when checking the tire pressures since I'm getting to that age were the written word is a more reliable indicator of facts than the "remembered" written word and it keeps saying the same thing, 35 front, 35 rear.

 

[BIF]

Mine says 35 front, 33 rear.

I do need glasses, and so I put them on. It still says 35 front and 33 rear.

 

[john1701a]

The info on the door is only relevent to the factory tires. If you change tire type or size, you must follow the tire manufacturer recommendations instead. In most cases, they are the same anyway. But then again, they are only for the standard configuration... which is usually the best all-around balance.

If you couldn't care less about a soft ride or road noise, and you prefer maximum grip & efficiency performance, pump the tires up to the maximum.

I have somewhere around 30,000 miles experience with 3 different types of tires at 44/42... the most important of which were the 8,500 most recent with my HydroEdge tires on my 2004. They work fantastic at that PSI. I recommend it to anyone that desires maximum performance.

 

[Silverback]

John,
How do you find the noise level with the HE tires on the 2004 Prius? Some reviewers on Tirerack complained that they were noisy. Seems to me to be a car specific thing. I know that when we roadtested a 2004 with the OEM tires, I was impressed with the quietness.

Bill

 

[john1701a]

Sorry, I have no idea how to quantify sound. The tires certainly aren't going to win a "best of" for quietness, since their primary purpose is traction. And all tires are naturally noiser at 44 PSI anyway.

Also... I almost always have the sound system on, either enjoying the 20GB hard-drive or educating myself via NPR. So I guess all I can really say is they don't interfere with my listening pleasure.

 

[SnoQ]

How much air should I put in my tires?

Taken from GoodyearTires.com

How much air should I put in my tires?

Proper inflation is the single most important part of tire care. The inflation pressure on the side of the tire is the MAXIMUM operating pressure. It is not necessarily the right inflation for your vehicle. Always use the inflation recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. You can find it in your owner's manual, posted on the edge of the driver's door, on a door post or on the inside of the glovebox door. Always check inflation when tires are COLD: when the vehicle has been driven less than a mile or one hour or more after driving. Use a good quality tire gauge. Note: It's natural for radial tires to have a slight bulge in the sidewall at their proper inflation pressure. Check or adjust inflation every few weeks, before any long trip or if traveling with a heavy load. And don't forget to check the spare. Your Goodyear retailer can answer any questions you may have about tire inflation.

Hope this helps.

SnoQ

 

[SnoQ]

Learn the right way to check air pressure at MICHELIN

Also, check out Learn the right way to check air pressure at MICHELIN http://tires.michelin-us.com/mastapp/servlet/Controller/site.care.MainPage! (Flash Player Required)

SnoQ