So i went to check my tire pressure today and i was thinking...what pressure should i keep these tires (205/50 ZR 17) at? I know all dealers say 32 psi but i have heard that 34 is better for the tires' tread life. So now to my question...what does everyone keep their psi at???????? the more answers the better--thanx

 

o yeah by the way, the tires say a MAX of 44 psi

 

what does the manufacturer recommend ?

 

i have no idea, i looked on the website, tire rack and all it says is the max inflation rate too! (44psi). the tire itself says the same thing

 

Are they the stock tires, or did you get them aftermarket? If they are stock, you can find the correct PSI on the sticker on the driver's side door. But if they are aftermarket, I imagine that the recommended PSI won't be that different.

When I had my 3, I kept both the stock tires and my second set at 32 PSI.
Good luck!

 

I have some Kumho ECSTA 711. 225/45/17 and the max psi on there is 44. I keep my tires at 40 and i have a smooth ride.

 

40psi is way too high, have fun blowing a tire!... I do keep my BFGoodrich KDW-2 205/40/17's at 34psi

 

35 all around.

 

32psi

 

Well, I checked my tire pressure early in the morning (cold tires, 7:00 am) before I went to work and I have them all at 36 psi

 

At our shop we recommend 5-7 points from max. This will allow room for deflation and expansion of air under most driving conditions.

 

40 psi is extremely high...
The door jamb says 32 psi for the 3s.
Max tire pressure on the tire's sidewall has nothing to do with what your actual tire pressure should be. Your actual tire pressure depends on what car you're driving.

 

I rock 35psi all around, higher in the back when I auto-X.

 

Thought i'd clear this up... because the door jam says its 32 doesnt not mean thats what its supposed to be. That is the general pressure that you can keep the car at, its a GENERAL recommendation from the manf. Tire pressure will differ between driving conditions and temperature. Air pressure density will change with temperature. 32psi on a hot road driving for 20mins can inflate up to 36-38psi. On a cold day 32psi can go down 25psi and with drivng time can the tire can heat up and get 2+psi more. Tire pressure also changes driving characteristics, such as handling and wheel abrasion.

 

36-38 PSI and 25 PSI is still somewhat reasonable but should be adjusted.
You should adjust to the current weather. Your tires will not jump from 25 to 38 in a matter of a few days.
Keeping around 32 is safe because if you do go up 6-7 points, you won't exceed your max tire pressure.
1010tire.com recommends checking your tire pressure with a guage bi-weekly at the least. That seems a bit excessive to me but I'd check it every two weeks. I've seen other recommendations of monthly pressure checks.

Because the jamb says 32, that's actually what it IS supposed to be. Otherwise the manufacturer wouldn't put it there. They manufactured the car and researched it, they wouldn't just slap a number there because they felt like it. If you still have doubts about the optimal tire pressure, ask the tire shop or dealership where you purchased your tires.