[DrakeRuns]

Took delivery of my '17 and the tires were at 37 psi... max on the tire is listed at 44. Has anyone played with the psi to find the best balance of max range / ride quality?

 

[AtomicPowered]

I like 41. It adds a little crispness to the steering.

 

[rcuz]

I keep mine at 42.

 

[Steverino]

41 for my Gen 1.

 

[Coppersnowboarder]

I am relaxing into the thirties for my new set of snow tires to improve traction in the coming snowstorms.

 

[WallyVolt]

I believe GM's recommendation is 36 PSI, but I usually keep mine around 38 to 40.

 

[BAZINGA]

A bit more conservative with my settings but I firmly believe a good starting point is 2 PSI over recommended and inch up from their.

Right now based on my driving route, style and local road conditions 2 over is perfect for me.

 

[kentlucas]

The answer is: 42

 

[Shocker]

I have had mine at 33/34. They heat up to 35/36. Sounds like I need to add some air. Has anyone noticed actual range improvement?

 

[alfon]

I keep both our 2016 Volt,(Michelin Energy Saver AS) and 2010 Prius at max. sidewall pressure listed on the tires, which is 44 PSI. I am on my 3rd set of tires on our 2010 Prius, Michelin Energy Saver AS, 195x65x15. I got nearly 70,000 miles out of both sets and perfect even wear.

Our 2014 Prius which we traded for our 2016 Volt we kept 51 psi on those factory tires as 51 PSI is listed on the tire sidewall as max. sidewall pressure. Had over 40,000 miles when we traded it in and tires had even wear and could have easily gone another 20,000 miles or more.

You will also obtain maximum fuel economy as well. The only negative effect may be a somewhat harsher ride, though I have not noticed it.

 

[2VoltFamily]

Of course it matters what tire you have on the car. For Gen 2 it would be your Michelin recommendation. For Gen 1 it depends on if you have replaced the tires.

I have Michelin on my Gen 1 now and fill them to 42 PSI cold. They heat up to 44 when driving which is the max rating.

 

[Insight Refugee]

The answer is: 42

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

I actually do inflate to 42 psi.

 

[rmay635703]

I have had mine at 33/34. They heat up to 35/36. Sounds like I need to add some air. Has anyone noticed actual range improvement?

I don't know 50psi up front and 56psi in the rear

 

[AZ EV Driver]

Took delivery of my '17 and the tires were at 37 psi... max on the tire is listed at 44. Has anyone played with the psi to find the best balance of max range / ride quality?

I can tell you that the engineers at GM spend countless hours trying to find just the right balance of range / ride quality / wet & dry traction / load capacity / tread life. The final determination is shown on the tire placard on the driver side door pillar. I don't see a reason to doubt their efforts to find the best balance.

VIN # B0985

 

[2VoltFamily]

I can tell you that the engineers at GM spend countless hours trying to find just the right balance of range / ride quality / wet & dry traction / load capacity / tread life. The final determination is shown on the tire placard on the driver side door pillar. I don't see a reason to doubt their efforts to find the best balance.

VIN # B0985

It is only good for the tires that came with the car and if you replace with the exact same tire.

 

[Splitting Atoms]

I run 39 cold/41 hot in my Gen 2 and believe this to be a nice compromise for me. The car doesn't feel nervous or too harsh, but I have picked up a bit of a mileage gain.

 

[vawlk]

I try to keep mine between 43 and 45. I generally have short trips and the tired don't really heat up much.

However I will be driving from Chicago to Florida and back in December so I might back off the pressure will climb as I move further south.

 

[Loboc]

I can tell you that the engineers at GM spend countless hours trying to find just the right balance of range / ride quality / wet & dry traction / load capacity / tread life. The final determination is shown on the tire placard on the driver side door pillar. I don't see a reason to doubt their efforts to find the best balance.

VIN # B0985

I do this ^^. I run as close to the door jamb recommendation as possible. With the 20" low profile on ELR, they get pretty harsh above 38psi or so. Road noise increases as well.

 

[Barry]

I can tell you that the engineers at GM spend countless hours trying to find just the right balance of range / ride quality / wet & dry traction / load capacity / tread life. The final determination is shown on the tire placard on the driver side door pillar. I don't see a reason to doubt their efforts to find the best balance.

VIN # B0985

I used to think think that would be the case, but I have come to doubt it. For instance, a lot of Volt owners who ran the recommended pressure got uneven tire wear consistent with low pressure. It also does not explain why the recommendation changed from 36 to 38 for the 2012 model year despite no change in vehicle weight or tire size. In fact, I have had excessive shoulder tread wear on just about every car I have owned, despite keeping the tire pressure well maintained. Maybe the manufacturers are good at balancing those competing priorities, but their balance is different from one I would choose. In any case, I now consider the placard value to be an absolute minimum that you should never let the cold pressure fall below, and ideally it should be a good 10% above it. Even more for the Volt, based on my experience. I use 44 cold on my Gen 1.

 

[rmay635703]

Tire placards are set 100% for ride quality, manufacturer is not concerned with tire life.

If you ever doubt this think about the classic ford exploder 20psi tire blowouts.