I'm with you Ron, CR is a excellent independent testing facility. I like the excellent, very good, good, fair or poor indications for each of the tires features. If you don't have it yet you might look into adding their online Ratings. I find it's fast and up to date. Then no more digging for back issues to find what you want. It was their high rating the sold me on the primacy tires. I pay annually online 'only' by using a debit card.

I have seen some other tire ratings in the popular car magazines including LRR. It might have been in a issue of Car and Driver.

 

Yes, that is exactly what I do. It is fairly inexpensive and I no longer buy actual magazines.

 

It was Consumer Reports magazine back in '94 that put me onto buying my first trouble free Toyota Corolla that still ran and shifted well at 185K when I sold it. CR ratings helped me switch to a Kenmore top freezer refrigerator that was cheaper to operate and stayed consistently cold due to improved insulation. Other CR help was showing the fewest repaired TV list. That help me decide on a big screen neo-plasma panasonic TV and later the high rated michelin tires for my car.

 

I consider myself a fairly "senior" person and I call them "Michelin". Michigan is divided into the "hand" and the "UP", is a state in the USA and it snows a lot there in the winter (at least in the UP near Ste Sault Marie)

What they charged him for was a TPMS "rebuild" kit which is basically a valve core, retainer ring and new plastic cap. I understand that you work for Sam's Club but at least be honest about it and let him know that they replaced about $1 worth of valve cores. We have been over this in the past month with another member on this issue.

Why would you have him replace the TPMS sensors and get them registered to the car if they are not needed? That is a waste of cash to the tune of several hundred dollars for no gain. When a sensor goes out, yes replace it, but not before you need to. I do replace items before they go bad IF they can leave me stranded on the side of the road. A TMPS sensor is not one of those critical items.

If ANYONE on this board can tell the difference between an "H" and "V" rated tire by driving a Camry Hybrid at the speed the car is capable of and the cornering G's the suspension is tuned for, I will be GREATLY surprised. Most of us run 40 psi or so in our tires and that will stiffen the sidewalls of an "H" rated tire more than a "V" rated tire at the factory setting of 32 psi.

 

For the other information on this subject, check out the last page of this thread:

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...45/index3.html

 

so after installing the 4 tires shipped from TIRERACK. the INSTALLER GUYS gave me the car with TPMS light on, told me it would go off itself. Well, it didn't. checked my pressure and all 3 were 33 and one was 29. went back, the workers at the MIDAS were clueless on why the tpms light could have stayed on. asked me why how. they than showed me tire pressure set al all tires 33 correctly. but TMPS light was still on. I asked them if this could be turned off. The worker and the manager says most cars have that but yours don't I told them if this could be found in the drawyer. they found it but asked me how to make it turn off. told them let it blink for 3 times while pressing. after a while, the light went of and I left!

These people were total idiots. complained about this to tirerack and told me they would refund me the 46$ tire shipping cost

 

jimmy,

Glad things worked out a little better and the $46 should cover the TPMS "rebuild" kits they charged you for.

 

I don't know, 33 psi in new tires sounds awfully low. New tires tend to grip the road a lot especially at low tire pressures. I would at least up them to 36 or 38 psi when cold, best tested at night a few hours after they have cooled. I'm assuming they used air in your tires which is ok. Some places just won't go above the doors label on the tire pressure.

If you tires sidewalls shows a 51 max pressure you could try 40 psi cold and the car should still ride good.

 

And some places put a standard pressure like 32-33 in all tires regardless of vehicle and tire.

If you want the full load rating of the tire then you need to put the full pressure stated on the sidewall. Not often do you need that though. However if the original tire was say a 40 psi at max load, and you replace it with a tire rated at 51 psi, then technically you should be increasing the pressure. The process is complicated, but done right I believe is basically as follows:

1. Determine OEM tire rating and max pressure
2. Find recommended tire pressure on door frame
3. Calculate the load capacity of the OEM tire at that recommended operating pressure - from the load pressure tables that a tire dealer should have.
4. Find the rating of the new replacement tire.
5. Find out what pressure in the new tires is needed to give the same load rating as the OEM tire had. It may be a new pressure. If lower I would not go there. If higher then I would increase the pressure to that new one.

That said, you are probably just fine with 35-40 psi, if the tire is good for that.

 

Jimmy,

The tire pressures noted on the door jamb is a compromise between comfort and handling. Most of us on this forum prefer mpg and that goes hand in hand with handling on the road. Ask any road racer or autocross guy (was I supposed to mention that here....??) what he runs in his tires and you will find that they are more than likely running the maximum sidewall pressure.

Doing that makes the tire more predictable and responsive in the turns, consistent thru sweepers and keeps the maximum contact patch on the ground without tire lean becoming a factor in changing your camber and caster under max G cornering. Your tires will also run cooler due to less tire tread "wiggle" and generally speaking, they will last longer and give you a higher mpg than one inflated to a lower pressure.

The downside is that they will not ride as well due to them being stiffer. Not much of a downside is it?