Tires: proper tire inflation, proper tire inflation, tire placard

Question
I just bought a 2007 honda civic, the NEW tires on the car are P225/50R 16 (92H). The tire spec in the door list a P205/55R 16 (89H). What is the proper inflation for these tires? Thank you for your help

Answer
Mark,

As you know, on every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size.  The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.

BTW, it doesn't matter who makes the tire or what pressure is listed on the tire's sidewall, if the tire size is the same as the placard, then the pressure listed on placard is also appropriate.

But also on the tire placard is the proper pressure for that size - and that becomes the starting point of any calculation for a different tire size.

Tire Guides, a book that summarizes placard information says that a 2007 Honda Civic originally came with quite a few different tire sizes - depending on the model - and one of them is 205/55R16 89H inflated to 32 psi front and rear.  You should check the tire placard on your vehicle to be sure this is correct, because what I am about to type depends on this information being correct.

So if it is correct, you could use 3 psi less, but why not take advantage of the larger load capacity and use 32 psi, and gain steering crispness, fuel economy, and hydroplaning resistance.