So I decided to throw my rims back on (if anyone saw my old post)

The tires are 205/40/17 rated at 84H. I have a 97 accord so I'm going a little over the weight rating since stock my car should have 88. Doing a bit of math I would have to pile up my car with a lot of crap to exceed the rating of 84 tires right?

The car with its stock 195/60/15 says that it should be a max of 32psi.

The tires I have on now say a max of either 44 psi. Since my car is a bit heavier but there is less rubber between the road and the rims, what psi should I have to tires at to keep it performing well but maintaining a safe air pressure as to not risk a blowout?

 

I'd go a few psi higher than 32, but not as high as 44. Couple ways to look at it...

Draw a line across the sidewall & up onto the tread, with a piece of chalk. Drive around. If the chalk is rubbed off of the sidewall, your pressure is too low.

If you have a temperature gun, use that instead after driving around. The tread should be hotter than the sidewall. If the higher temperature extends down the sidewall, your pressure is too low.

In the end for normal driving (not racing) you probably care more about wearing out the tires. Get a tread-depth guage. Measure the tread depth across the tread when they're new (probably pretty uniform, but if you measure you'll know for certain). After a couple thousand miles, measure the tread again. If there's more wear in the center, the pressure is too high. More wear at the shoulders, pressure too low.

 

So how does 40 psi sound? My MPGs have been weird lately and I think its partially due to tire pressure.

Is max tire psi in consideration of the car size or as long as the tires weight capacity is above the cars weight it is fine to go a bit higher than stock?

 

Seems like an OK place to start, but my GUESS is that'll be too high especially for the rear tires. Better to wait & see & measure tread - instead of taking my word for it.

Max pressure printed on the side of the tire DOES NOT take into consideration how heavy the car is. That's pretty much a pressure limit for the strength of the tire structure.

 

Actually, the correct and only correct way of inflating a tire is by the manufactures specs either on the drivers side door or the manual. The PSI on the sidewall of a tire throws way to many people off. That rating is only for the tire itself. That doesnt take into consideration how heavy your car is. There is a reason they put those PSI ratings on your car. Weight distribution to tire wear by certain PSI has been tested for alot of hours by engineers and you should take advantage of that information to get the most life out of your tires.

Ignore the sidewall.

 

Tire-pressure placard in the car's door jamb is for the stock-size tires. Ricer is changing to a different size, so it can be different. It's not unusual for wider, low-profile tires to need a bit higher pressure.

But it won't be as high as 44psi.