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Will 50 psi tire cause any problems with my car?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by rlecastro7, Jul 7, 2018.

  1. rlecastro7

    rlecastro7 Junior Member

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    Hi there, I just bought a prius 2018 from the dealer and have driven it for 7000 kms. I just noticed today that my tires pressure is at 50psi. I have the bridgestone ecopia tires which has a 44psi max rating. I lowered the psi to 41 already.
    Should I be worried? Do you think it has done any damage to the car or tires? Should I complain yo yhe dealer about it?

    Thanks for any suggestions.
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You should be ok (although the tire pressure monitoring system should've kicked in. When my smart fortwo had one tire at 50 psi and the other 3 at factory setting, the tire pressure monitoring system light came on).

    There might be a slight additional wear on the centre of the tyre tread from overinflation but otherwise, it should be fine.

    I would let the dealer know, regardless, because it should've been part of their PDI and they clearly overlooked it and forgot to set the pressures from the shipping pressure to factory setting.
     
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  3. rlecastro7

    rlecastro7 Junior Member

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    Thank you.
     
  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Were the tires HOT or cold when you measured 50 ?

    As you indicated, that is 6 PSI too high......if cold. If HOT it might be OK.

    But there is no good reason to run even 44 cold.

    Very likely no harm done. Your gauge might be off a bit too.
    You did the right thing. Now don't worry.
     
  5. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Just make sure you have a good dentist, for when your teeth start rattling. :LOL:

    Yesterday it was 113 degrees here. I immediately noticed how "hard" my tires felt after driving for about 30 minutes. Cold PSI is set at 42/41. I wonder how much more they expanded from the heat??? I didn't check. Too darn hot to get out of the car!
     
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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I think this is the reason. I've been told that the cars have the tires pumped up extra hard for shipping and part of the couple hundred dollars (or whatever it is) you pay for "dealer prep" is for letting some of that air out. I wonder what else on the dealer prep list got skipped.
     
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  7. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Its fine. The pressure at which tires burst is much higher. We usually run higher tire pressures for better fuel economy. After a bit more testing at 44/42 psi, I'm gonna bump mine to 46/44.

    If you go too high and hit a pothole, you run the risk of blowing a tire though. So don't go too high.
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I always adjust mine to 38/36 when I check, and last weekend when I rotated them, I had to let out a good 10 psi to get them back down there.

    Either I have gremlins adding air to my tires, or Boyle's law is really a thing and it matters that last weekend was 40 or 50 Fahrenheit degrees hotter than the last time I set the pressure.

    Then two days later the temps abruptly dropped to low 70s and the tpms light came on and I added some air. :)

    -Chap
     
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  9. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    It all comes down to a person's comfort level. And what kind of tires they have. Some guys go up to 50 or 60 psi, and they are fine with the bone-jarring ride. :LOL: But my Michelin tires feel like they get really hard, and ride rough at any level over 42. And the gas mileage never did improve at higher pressures.

    But when I started hearing the suspension make unusual noises, and the hatchback started squeaking and groaning when I hit even a small hole or bump... I knew it was time to back off those PSI. I'm good with just getting 57 mpg. The heck with all those high-pressure experiments.

    Yep, I read several tire pressure articles, and they said it's very important to check the psi during hot summer months, and let out air, if necessary. I've never done that, but it might be wise. I have never seen that TPM indicator on the dashboard. How low do the tires have to get before it alerts you? And why doesn't it alert when the tires are over-inflated?
     
    #9 Starship16, Jul 7, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 8, 2018
  10. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    This reminds me I need to check my tire pressure.
     
  11. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Does the TPM have a special valve stem? Mine look normal. And why aren't those 60 PSI dudes getting an alert every day?

    The dealer mistakenly set my tires at 33 psi. They always do it wrong. I never got an alert. How low does the pressure have to go before a light comes on... ?
     
  12. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It doesn't because it isn't built to. It is only a low pressure warning. And the warning threshold is normally way lower than the normal pressure. The only way to set it is to adjust the tire pressure where you want it, then press the dash button, and it picks an alarm threshold somewhere well below the pressure you've got.

    I set mine by inflating all the tires to max sidewall, then pressing the button, then letting the tires back down to the pressures my teeth can stand. That gives me earlier low pressure warnings.

    -Chap
     
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  13. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    What dash button??? Where is it? On my car it's probably hidden in all those settings.
    (Prius rookie :ROFLMAO:)
     
  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    In the owner's manual! (Well, not the button itself ... you know what I mean.)

    -Chap
     
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  15. Starship16

    Starship16 Senior Member

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    Darn. More reading. :LOL: But I found it. It's in the vehicle settings on the little screen, up by the speedometer. Thanks.
     
    #15 Starship16, Jul 7, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2018
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  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I wonder if the TPMS threshold was set at the factory with the tires at the spec. pressure, and then the tires are aired up to max sidewall, just for shipping. That would make a lot of sense.
     
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  17. ykbj

    ykbj Junior Member

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    50 psi? WTH? Isn't the recommended psi supposed to be 36 front 35 rear?
     
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  18. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    One other thing - tyre pressure gauges are notoriously unreliable - old ones get gummed up and read low. The ones in workshops often get abused and end up inaccurate. And don't forget operator error. I always check mine after they've cooled down after a service.
     
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  19. Merkey

    Merkey Active Member

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    I rented a 2018 Prime Advanced with 700 miles on it from my Toyota dealer for a few days. It was a very noisy and harsh ride. I checked the tire pressure and all four were at 50 psi. TPMS never came on.
     
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  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    If that's the case, the tire pressure monitoring system should come on, like it did on my smart. If makes more sense if it was inflated to 50 PSI then set. That way, when the dealer adjusts it, the light will come on and they'll remember to reset the light.


    Odd. It did on my smart, which is how I found out one of the tires was left at 50 PSI. Man, these dealers are slipping lol. Don't they go through a checklist?

    That being said, mine forgot the cargo net (standard in Canada).