My current tires are 195/70/14, I will be getting 205/55/16. My current tire PSI is 32. What will my new tire pressure be?
According to the tire companies and their lawyers, 32. Also the car companies and their lawyers, 32 Otherwise, the higher you go the better gas mileage and handling. Many people say this increases road noise, and rougher riding, but I can't tell. Also it is not recommended to go above the sidewall PSI rating. Also reduce air if it handles squirrelly. Also In snow or ice reduce tire pressure.
Go by what the tire manufacturer says on the tire, NOT the stupid sticker on the car door jamb, the car manufacturer didnt make the tire so they know nothing about the tires pressure. If the tire says 55 psi fill to within 5 pounds of the max, so 50psi and you will get the best performance and fuel economy out of them, that is an example the tire might be 32, 4450 psi or anything else.
There should be a sticker from the car manufacturer. It will be on the drivers side door jamb or in the glove box. It lists the recommended tire pressure for that particular car. This pressure will give you the best performance and handling on your particular car. The rear tire pressure is normally 2-3 PSI lower than the front tires. It will also give you different PSI ratings for if you have anyone in the back seat or stuff in the trunk. (This would require a slightly higher PSI in the rear to make up for the added weight.) The PSI number on the sidewall of any tire is a MAXIMUM PSI that should be put into that tire. Since you are going from a 14 inch tire to a 16 inch tire, it might throw off the car manufacturers number. You are going from a 70 series to a 55 series also though. This should almost even out the difference in 14-16. The main factor is probably the 195 to the 205. As long as you don't get any rubbing when turning the wheel all the way left or right, the tires should be fine on your car. You could always ask the dealer which pressure. I wouldn't go by what the guys at the tire store say though. Every time I have ever bought tires, they put all of them at 32-34 PSI. (Some tire shops have different ideas of what the ideal tire PSI is.)
