i have a 1998 Maxima SE with the standard 16 inch aluminum wheels and standard tires. I noticed under the armrest the recommended tire pressure for the front tire is 32 psi and for the rears is 29 psi.

Is this true tire pressure?

Why is this? Is it because of the rear beam suspension.

 

I am not 100% on this but its probably because the weight on the rear is so much less than the front. Compare the size of the coil springs no comparison.

 

Lower pressure in the rear will reduce the grip of the rear tires relative to the front. This reduces understeer. This is good.

 

I'm in a really good mood right now...just drove my 5-speed down to my college and i had fun!

thanks for the info...learned something new...AGAIN

 

Actually what tire engineers strive for is maximum tire footprint at a given weight. In the case of most FWD vehicles they carry approx. 60% of the total vehicle weight on the front tires and 40% on the rear. Nissan is telling you that 32PSI will give maximum footprint on the (heavier) front with 29PSI giving the same footprint on the (lighter) rear. Of course if you change tire/wheel sizes, everything changes.

 

it's the other way around. going w/ a lower pressure gives u more grip...that's why u drop pressure at the track. in order to reduce understeer, u want to put more air in the rear to get less grip and thus, have more grip in front.

 

I'm confused now

doesn't a higher tire pressure increase handling characteristics and sidewall strength?

 

ok just want to know if the 32 psi front and 29 psi is the correct factory psi?

 

Yes if your sticker says 32/29 for 16" stock rims your fine. Maybe a few pounds more for spirited driving.

Now on with the discussion (P.S. Running my 16" at 55f/38r on weekends)

 

There is a difference between lateral grip and accelleration grip. You lower pressure at the track to get the sidewalls to deform more so the tire can grip for launch.

But, in normal driving, you want higher pressure. This will give you stiffer sidewalls. The higher pressure and stiffer sidewalls help the tire deform less under lateral loads...keeping more contact patch on the ground. This is why autocrossers go up into the 40psi range for racing.

 

i see ur point. it's true that for autox, u go higher, but that's to prevent rolling off the tire, not grip.

 

My 98' GXE has 15" aluminum wheels, and I run 44psi in the front and 35 in the rear.

The front tires look a little low, unless you run more pressure. The roads are also curvy around here, and it handles better like this.

One more thing, the more air the tire has, the easier it rolls... so gas mileage, as well as top speed increase with more air.

You ever try and peddle a bicycle with flat tires? Sucks.

Good Luck!

 

That's too much for the front. Your tires will wear very poorly. The center of the tread will wear out much faster than the edges if you run like that all the time.

 

I had always run 40psi in the front since the tires were new. They have worn fairly even... If anything, the curvy roads around here have caused the outside edge to wear, since I drive fast. We'll see how it does.

Good Luck!

 

I believe 29 is recommended all around for my GXE. Why the discrepancy from the SE? I mean the F/R weight ratio shouldn't be any different...

Could/Should I get better performance by using 32/29 instead? Any down side to this? (I assume the ride would get a tad harder.)

Btw, I'm riding on stock steelies, if that makes any difference.

 

That has been my experience as well. I run 35-36 in the front and 28-29 in the rears. That translates to a warm reading of 39-40 psi fronts and 32-33 rears.

For those of you running 40 psi or above, be carefull. 40 psi on a cold tire could balloon to 50 psi or greater on the same tire when it's hot. Especially on the front tires which do most of the work. Most tires have a highest recommended pressure of 44 psi. Some have 50.

DW

 

My maxima tires list a max inflation of 44psi.

Mini vans are the worst about needing more air in the tires. They often have fairly small tires, and support quite a bit of weight. Some of those tires practically flat without 40+ pounds of air.

Some manufacturers list artificially low tire pressures in the manual for federal roll-over testing. (it makes the tire roll over onto its sidewall and slide easier) The Ford Explorer lists a tire pressure of 26psi! This is totally ridiculus, and part of the reason they had so much trouble with tires. Tires lose air over time, and if they START at 26psi, and people don't check, they get DANGEROUSLY low, build heat and blow out. When my mom visits in her explorer, I check the air and pump them up to 40psi (front). The vehicle feels like an absolute PIG with 26psi. 40 is MUCH better!

Good Luck!