Da Hapa

I checked my tire pressure after having the LX serviced at the dealership and noticed that all four tires were at roughly 32 psi (ice cold tires, LX sat idle for two days after picking it up at the dealership). The sticker in the door jam states that cold tire pressure should be 29 psi front and 32 psi rear, so I let out 3 psi from the front tires.

My ride quality is now worse. It's almost boomy. I'm not sure how to describe it other than it almost feels the way the LX feels when you lower one window at highway speed and get that boomy feel from the good seals on the windows.

My tire pressure gauge is supposedly very good (high end unit bought recently from Griots garage) and it's been very accurate compared to my older tire guage used on my other two cars so I don't think that's it.

I would have expected the ride quality to deteriorate if there was too much air in the tires but not the other way.

Any thoughts/ideas?

V8_Fan

I'm currently running about 32-33 psi cold in all fours. IMHO, 29/32 (the spec for my tires, too), is kind of low. In my honda prelude SH, I run 37-41 psi despite the recommended 32 psi. Part of the reason for the low recommended pressure is to give a more cushy ride.

Da Hapa

Hi Jim and thanks for the feedback.

I also assumed that having a lower pressure would equate to a "cushy" ride but it seems to me (or at least my butt) that the ride is actually worse now that I've bled 3 psi from the front tires.

I posted the same query on IH8mud.com.

V8_Fan

What tires are you running? I have the Bridgestone HT's. I never run my tires at the manufacturer's spec...they seem way too low. The real way to tell is to look at your tire wear pattern. If it's overinflated, the center will wear first, if under, the sides will wear first. Keep in mind that these tires are P-rated (passenger), so they don't have the stiff sidewalls like on LT tires and will look more "flabby" at the bottom where the contact the ground. I think with the LT's (light truck), one has to run a lot more pressure than in comparable P-tires. If you ever replace w/ LT's, keep this in mind, as you might be running closer to 40psi (harsher ride, too). I've taken the LX w/ HT's offroad up to Schoffield Pass in Crested Butte w/o issues. Like I said, I run mine at 32-33psi. Since you have less weight on your vehicle, this is probably like 31-32psi for you.

_JP_

thanks for the info jim. just got the 07 LX delivered yesterday and was really surprised by the sag i saw in the tires. checked pressure and they were within specs. i'm used to the heavy load rated tires i run on my E250 work van. i think i run 65PSI in those and they're rated for heavy loads. seemed to me that a P rated tire wouldn't be OEM equipment on a 5500# vehicle. ride is fine, and i guess the folks at lex/toyo have done their homework and would put the proper tires on.

really glad this topic came up as it was the EXACT info i came here for. thanks for the info guys. jim_chow's advise to read manuals has made a difference on at least one person. i have been churning through the manuals for the last 24 hours.

thanks guys.

jp