We are looking for an HCH primarily as a commuter car for my wife. We live in Florida and she frequently drives on wet roads. What are your experiences on the best tire/PSI combo for these conditions?

I have the stock, Bridgestone tires on my car, inflated to 44 psi. The frist time I drove in a rainstorm, I was suprised that the handling deteriorated as much as it did.

I have learned that when the rain comes in, I slow down ALOT! But I haven't found the need to change the pressure back to 34.

BTW, I account for the change in mpg from the high 40s to near 60 almost entirely on the pressure change.

-Charlie...

Ok, so I'm still playing with tire pressure numbers and again I'm all over the map. I had the tires at 51 psi for a day and did no better than when I had them at 34psi. I drove similar roads if not the exact roads. I'm going to see what happens over a week, so far the killer in mpg is mph on the highway. 70mph cuts in big time. So if I don't see a hugh difference I'll probably go back to 34psi just to handle slippery roads a little better.

I've been driving Florida roads in my HCH for 2 1/2 years now with the tires set at 50psi and no problems yet.... knock on wood. I've always had cars with stiff suspensions so the ride because of the extra air doesn't phase me (or my family).

'00 Insight "Wazabi" -75,000+ miles
'03 Toyota Matrix - 81,000+ miles
'03 HCH-CVT-OSBM-41,000+ miles (retired 04-10-06)
"I'm very secure with my little Insight, no Prius envy here."

I live up in Jax and drive on wet, slick roads all the time with stock tires set @ 49 PSI. I've never had a problem except when suddenly braking as in an emergency situation; the car reacted frighteningly slower than any other I've owned or driven, but again, I'm talking worst of all scenarios - wet roads, rain, highspeed, high # - and the 1 or 2 instances all this took place simultaneously, I was still nowhere near rear-ending someone or anything like that. You can take the tires to 50 with little cause for concern.

I hear you, but my wife is the primary driver so if she doesn't like it, I'll let her decide. I find the handling much better to be honest. I just worried about the wear pattern on the tires.

i drove my hch at 44 psi for a while (max sidewall pressure for the bridgestone tires on it) but dropped it back to 35 psi in favor of comfort. at that pressure, i found mpg boosted slightly but with very little change in ride dynamics, so i stayed there. handling was pretty much the same for me, as was braking distance.