Tires: tire pressure, passenger car tire, max pressure

Question
I recently purchased new tires, on the tire it indicates the max pressure at 51 psi. Is this what I should maintain the tire pressure at? The normal ~32psi seems to be low considering this max pressure rating?

Answer
Remember that what is written on the sidewall is the maximum.  So what the vehicle manufacturer specifies has been carefully considered factoring in the vehicle's speed potential, the load on the tires, the cornering capability.

Frankly, 32 psi sounds like a very reasonable value for a passenger car tire, assuming the tire is the same size as the original and the vehicle manufacturer specifies 32 psi on the placard.