Just got new Prius yesterday!

Congratulations! Now you are stuck with an indestructible car for 10 years mininum

 

congrats and welcome!

all the best

 

good choice.

 

Except for severely over inflating your tires needlessly you're off to a great start.

( Now ducking under the bar, to avoid the glasses being thrown by the "Over Inflate" crowd.

 

What is the sidewall pressure rating? That sound like it is over the safety specification.

 

Congratulation

 

Newbies must include pictures! You have to show your car off!

 

And minimum traction with a small center strip if the tire wearing out first. Like I said, dangerous.

 

It's such a polarizing opinion and approach that I have reached a point where I tire-(pun intended) of debating it.
But to me,- just inflate your tires to the AUTO manufacturers recommendation.
Why some rank and file owners think they know some secret that automakers and designers have missed, and IMO dangerously over inflate their tires, I don't get.
Any minimal and I mean minimal MPG and low rolling resistance advantage one might imagine they are enjoying, doesn't make up for changing the suspension and road contact SAFETY characteristics between the automobile and the road.

 

This reminds me of some other spirited debates of similar nature, notably those in the highly opinionated audiophile community, e.g. about the tracking weight of the needle, and the only acceptable shape and material of the tonearm, and direct- vs belt drive, and whether the record player should be run with the dust cover up or down ... those are fun to watch - 100% pure, science-free emotion.

 

Hitting bumps and potholes would be terrifying with such high pressures. The chance of a blowout is too great a risk for such little reward.

 

Jeeeesus...

Yeah, I'm chiming in with this sentiment, several others have responded similarly.

My hunch: the tires at Toyota's spec'd tire pressures (or slightly higher, at most) give much more, over minor bumps and dips. And this will translate to longer life for the wheel bearings, suspension, and anything that feels those shocks, which is pretty much every part of the car.

 

Have any of you high PSI'ers ever experienced premature bearing wear? there is a theory out there that high pressure increases wear on the bearings, etc... However it has never been proven ( as far as I know ).

 

Yeah completely unscientific. But I just figure if you brutally bash at something (the side effect of high tire psi) it's got to be detrimental.

 

Like I said, I really don't like debating it, because it's one of those gulfs that never will be crossed.
I'm never going to convince you it's a bad idea. But IMO, it's a BAD idea.
Sidewall max or more is IMO a horrible dangerous standard.

I don't think the designers and builders of the automobile are ONLY considering "cushy" test rides as the standard bearer for choosing the recommended PSI. They are considering the total picture, which is the sweet spot, for ride comfort, MPG, but most importantly braking and handling and the suspension-SAFETY.
Hate to tell ya, but your new Prius wasn't designed to run on tires pumped up to 48 PSI. IMO...you endanger yourself and others around you.