yet another tire pressure question?

I've had 60 in the Touring tires since day 1 and it has over 30,000 on it now with even treadwear. I have ran at MUCH higher pressures on a 1500 mile trip a couple times also. I would recommend at least the sidewall max of 44psi. If you are uneasy about increasing the pressure, raise it only 2-4psi and drive it a week or so to see what it is like. Step in increments and it makes the transition easier.

 

I've had mine at 50psi for over a year now with no unusual wear patterns. I have a 2007 with 15" wheels and about 12K a year mileage.

 

I keep my tires at 55lbs, only wear pattern I have noticed is slightly more wear on the outside of the tire ( 1-2 mm) Contrary to normal wear patterns. Ride is hard, however when tire pressure is reduced to 35 lbs, ride is still hard. Great traction, good economy.

 

Our cars are very strange with tire wear. I ran 42/40 since new on my 07 and never had to rotate the tires until 11K miles as they looked the same front to back. Identical and perfect wear. I watched them closely checking for front end issues. After rotation they got loud in the winter so I backed them down to 38/38. Still getting 48mpg's and the ride is much nicer and there quiet again. Integritys suck.
But all this info about tire pressure is meaningless in the snow. Then you have to do what you have to do to be able to get out of the driveway.
And FAR exceeding tire wall pressure is scary for these junky tires and it makes the ride super harsh. You will beat the sh*t out of the suspension so all the money you save on better gas mileage (not much..I calculate $80 a year savings) you'll be spending on new struts and shocks down the road. Not to mention CV joints and ball joints. They all take a beating. Cause the stock suspension is not that tough to begin with. Look under there. Everything is tiny.Smallest lower control arm I've ever seen on a car.
But here's some brief & interesting reading:

Toyota Prius Tyre Pressure? - Yahoo! Answers