38 psi here...I guess we have the winner here

 

I am usually at 40 now but I used to run up to 44. I will admit that when I got new tires the tech set the pressure to 34 and I swear to God the car felt like a different car. The ride is harsh but you have to protect the wheels.

 

38psi is same for me over here in Australia,

33psi is just too low, you feel the bumps through the wheels, and worry if there going to buckle.

 

37.85 PSI in the front right

38.75 PSI in the front left to account for driver weight

36.899234 in the rear left, expect on sunny days when the tires get softer

seriously . . . I think you guys are over thinking this a little bit!

 

are you guys saying that more air = smoother ride + better rim protection??

 

the car weighs much more in the front thats why i use less in the rear anyhow i said 37-35, 38 will work too, not that im filling to max psi the tpms is working and my rims are bend free knock on wood

 

more psi is definitely recipe for harsher ride

rim protection, to certain extend, yup. but after certain point, to me, increasing psi won't help more and will start putting more stress on suspension

 

The higher tire pressure will do more to deteriorate the ride than the low profile tires. I had mine set to 33 by the tire tech once and the car felt so nice but you have to protect the wheels.I am lucky because the highways are impeccable where I live so the 40-42psi will not kill me usually.

 

i dont understand why higher pressure would protect the wheels?

 

put it in extreme, if you have 20psi, when you hit pot hole, it will compress the tire faster (easier), so it reaches your rim easier and potentially bending it. if you have a lot of pressure, the tire tends to not compress as easily so to protect the rim more.

but like i said, it's relative. it helps, but i won't say it's going to be night and day difference in terms of protection.

 

i see what you guys mean finally. more air to protect the rim cuz too little air and the pot hole would go right through the soft tire hit the rim directly. thats the first time ive hear that perspective. all the bent rims ive seen were from over inflated tires going over big pot holes.

 

funny you say that. a friend of mine with 2gs one time hit a pot hole, tire/wheel were actually ok, but he managed to bent something in the suspension and ended up having to replace something (forgot what arm). when asked he said he put 45psi in the tire. can't say if it's related, but thought it's funny when i read your post

 

+45 psi? that's a little on the high side isn't it?

 

that is pretty funny actually. i can see this happening though. if the pot hole was in such a shape that covered a lot of contact area on the tire to evenly distrubute the impact.

i think so

 

of course it's way high it's almost silly. that's why me myself, i tell people a bit higher psi can provide little more protection, but going too high and it might not be a good idea neither