Recommended tire pressure for Toyo 245/65-17?

[jgayman]

When I started my '11 SE to come home this evening I was getting a low tire pressure warning light on the dash.

I checked my tires, which are Toyo 245/65-17 and found the front drivers side to be 25 lbs and the other three to be 40 lbs. The door sticker says the recommended tire pressure is 30 lbs. The tire sidewall lists the maximum pressure as 44 lbs.

I must confess that I've never checked my tires since I bought the vehicle. I know, I know... I am normally very good about periodically checking the tires but I guess the tire pressure warning system made me lazy. It won't happen again.

But... what seems right for the pressure? Common sense tells me that 30 lbs is too low. I'm thinking 40 lbs is about right.

Anyway, I really don't know if the front tire has been low for a while or if I'm developing s slow leak. I put 40 lbs in it to match the rest and I will check it daily for the next few days to be sure.

[luck123]

Originally Posted by jgayman

When I started my '11 SE to come home this evening I was getting a low tire pressure warning light on the dash.

I checked my tires, which are Toyo 245/65-17 and found the front drivers side to be 25 lbs and the other three to be 40 lbs. The door sticker says the recommended tire pressure is 30 lbs. The tire sidewall lists the maximum pressure as 44 lbs.

I must confess that I've never checked my tires since I bought the vehicle. I know, I know... I am normally very good about periodically checking the tires but I guess the tire pressure warning system made me lazy. It won't happen again.

But... what seems right for the pressure? Common sense tells me that 30 lbs is too low. I'm thinking 40 lbs is about right.

Anyway, I really don't know if the front tire has been low for a while or if I'm developing s slow leak. I put 40 lbs in it to match the rest and I will check it daily for the next few days to be sure.

I generally keep mine at around 33 or 34 lbs all year round, for both my summer 19" and my winter 17". More than that, i find I feel every little pebble on the road. Less than that, I find the handling mushy. 40 lbs may be a bit excessive.

Whatever pressure you decide to go with, you may want to consider resetting your TPMS sensors so the warning light comes on when the pressure falls 5 or 6 lbs below your desired pressure. Otherwise, the sensors will continue to go off when they reach 25 lbs. The real concern is if you have AWD, it's not good to drive with such a large variation in pressure as it could damage your vehicle (if you drive for an extended period). In the 2009, there is a button at the bottom edge of the dash, between the steering column and center console, that you need to press in order to reset. You should check your manual to confirm the procedure for your 2011.

[reeferjunkie]

Make sure to measure your tire pressure when the tires are cold...

[TrailDust]

Keep mine at 35 PSI. My TPMS system warns me when the pressure drops to 28 PSI and below, based on years of observation when I air down my tires in the desert. BTW, if your tire dropped that low compared to the others I'd give it a good inspection with your Mark One eyeball and check for a nail. If you don't find any evidence of puncture then use a valve tightener and make sure it is tight and not leaking air.

[jgayman]

Common sense told me that tires don't just lose 10 lbs of air. So it came as no real surprise when I awoke this morning to find my rim touching the ground. I pulled the wheel, blew it back up and gave it a good once-over with the Mark I Eyeball and for the life of me I couldn't find anything wrong.

So I loaded it up and off to the tire shop I went. $20 later, the nail is gone (yes, nail - dead center in the tread) and the tire is returned to duty. Bummer.

I do not like plugged/repaired tires. I was planning to replace these Toyo's with a set of Michelins before winter anyway so maybe I'll just need to get them sooner.

[edge3333]

I've had my 6 cyl 2010 SE serviced twice by the dealer, and both times they filled the tires to 35 psi.

I just drove from Phoenix, AZ to Purgatory, Co, spent a week, and returned home. I drove mountain roads in plenty of rain and had zero problems with the Toyo tires.

I kept record of the gasoline used on the way back (470 miles) and compared them with the MFD. MFD 28.2 mpg, computed 27.5 mpg (Phoenix is about 7000 feet lower in elevation than Purgatory). I'm a conservative driver and do the speed limit plus 3 mph (compensating for the difference between the speedometer and my GPS). On the return trip the speed limit was about 70% at 65mph and 30% at 75 mph.

I'm happy with the Toyo tires (though I've yet to drive in snow) and delighted with the mpg of my Highlander that now has accumulated 12,000 miles.

[Zembonez]

35 PSI seems to be the sweet spot for tires in this size range. I pretty much run 35 in all of my vehicles.

[rclark430]

Most tires are footprint tested at the pressure listed on the sidewall. The footprint at that pressure should represent an even contact patch at the max load on the sidewall. You're probably not reaching the max load with your vehicle, so most people run lower pressures to compensate. I typically run the max pressure though just for lower rolling resistance and better fuel economy. However, I do have faster center wear. You just have to watch it and if you notice you're wearing down the center too fast, then lower the pressure.

Or, if you have a car lift, raise your car, put some ink on the tire and put a white piece of paper on the ground. Lower the car all the way, let the ink transfer to the paper, and then raise it back up. If you get a rounded off square or rectangle shape, you're good. If you get a butterfly or oval shape, you might want to increase or decrease pressure.

[Ralph6410]

That "foot print" is taken with zero speed. Does centrifugal force come into play much? I would suspect that.. if the tire was dead straight across the thread, at speeds it would bulge out, the amount would vary with the speed. Theoretically I suppose even the density of the air / nitrogen / water vapor would effect the profile of the tire at speed.