I noticed that the back tire of my Scion xA looked really low. I went to fill it up but it was very confusing. The owner‘s manual said inflate to 29 PSI. The tire said maximum inflation 44 PSI. (Quite a difference.) So here are the questions: 1) Should I trust the tire (44PSI) over the manual (29 PSI) because maybe they equipped it with a different tire?2) When they say max (same on my bike tire) do you usually fill it close to the max or far below it?Thanks
An automatic needs the fluid level checked maybe every 3-5 tanks of gas and a fluid flush and change around the 100,000 mile mark. There is no other maintenance. It should last 175,000 to 225,000 miles with no serious issues unless you abuse it. As an engineer I consider manual transmissions to be obsolete. The car should do for itself anything that is possibly can.
First,I would go by the Owners manual. That is were Toyota has designed the suspension to ride the best. You could bring it up to the 44psi on the tire safely,although you will wear the center of the tread out on such a light weight car in a few 1000 miles, and every pebble you drive over will feel like a speed bump. The max psi rating is used for many different vehicles,it is the maximum pressure the tire is designed for to give the highest weight caring capacity.
There's a lot of misguided information concerning tire pressure. The auto and tire manufacturers work closely together to determine the recommended tire pressure for any given vehicle, taking many factors into consideration, with safety being #1. The 44 psi you mention is the maximum amount the tire mfr wants to see in the tire under any circumstance. The 29 psi is the amount the car mfr has determined is the best average for safety, fuel economy, tire life, handling, etc. with the vehicle FULLY loaded. Check them COLD at least once a month.
As usual there are a number of completely wrong answers and a few that are half right but none that quite get it. As the only person likely to answer your inquiry that actually WORKS IN THE TIRE INDUSTRY I think I can shed more light than heat on this issue. Fundamentally, a tire is a container for air. It is the air in the tire that supports the weight of the vehicle, not the tire itself. How much air is in the tire determines how much load that tire can carry. The information molded into the sidewall of the tire is simply the tires load (wieght) carrying capacity at its maximum inflation pressure. This is in no way an indication of what the tire should be inflated to on yours or any other vehicle. The tire manufacturer doesn't necessarily even know what kind of vehicle that tire will go on. Neon's and Ford Escorts also use the same size tire as your car for example but they have different inflation requirements. Toyota worked long and hard to come up with a tire pressure recommendation for your vehicle that provides adequate load carrying capacity along with good ride, handling, braking and wear characteristics. That would be the 29 psi figure found in your owners manual. Who knows more about your car than the people who engineered and built it? Go with your owners manual, always check the tire pressures when the tires are cold (have not been driven on) at least once a month (preferably once a week) and never lower the pressure in a hot tire.
I don't usually reference other answers, but chuckles and riyaz are not real drivers, and by this i mean people that enjoy the drive itself. I love cars, I drive them, I break them, I fix them, I modify them, and I get on here to answer people's questions about them. The answer you are looking for can only come from you. If you don't enjoy driving a manual, then get an auto. I can drive an auto, but I hate them, and the only auto I own is an ATV (however, I just bought a manual ATV so my wife can ride the auto one). But, neither of my vehicle's cruise control works either. I could fix them, if I wanted to, but I believe the driver should be in control of the car. But, to answer your maint referenced question; The auto will require frequent fluid checks, about once a month. Will require fluid and filter changes, reference your owner's manual. and If it breaks down, will cost 2 times as much to replace as a manual. minimum. A manual will require fluid checks as well, but are much further apart, maybe yearly, check owners manual. Will require clutch checks and clutch fluid checks as well, maybe once a year. At some point the clutch will wear out, and require replacement, this depends on how hard its been driven, think brake wear. it is kind of similar regarding the use of a friction material against metal. If the manual breaks, they are much cheaper to replace, and less likely to get a damaged one if going the salvage part route.
