09Maxima_Sam

I have had my Maxima since May. Thought I would check the air today in the tires. The sticker on the car says to inflate to 33 COLD PSI. My tires were at 29 COLD PSI. I brought them up to 34 COLD PSI. I guess this lends creedance to the fact the dealers leave them low, so you get a better ride out of them, when test driving.

I also checked my spare it was at 35 PSI, sticker on the door says 60 PSI. I brought it up to 70 PSI, assuming that it will go down over time again. I wonder if they go down that much in a year. Since my car was built in July 2008. Lucky I did not have a blow-out or I would have two bad tires to deal with.

ratdoc

Funny thing is my dealer had mine at 40 psi each when I bought it. I was thinking maybe they expected it to sit on the lot longer than it did.

ratdoc

BTW - lightonthehill suggested 36 psi which has worked out great for us. This thing sticks tot the road like glue.

Hey Sam - all options possible? You've got the lighter, quieter single pane moonroof, beefed up sway bars and suspension and the 19 inch wheels? Cool!

lightonthehill

The dealer probably had your tires at 33 psi. Tires do tend to very slowly lose pressure over time. Also, a tire that reads 33 while sitting in an 85 degree garage on a midsummer morning could read maybe 29 when measured on a 50 degree fall morning, and maybe 26 if the weather drops below freezing. It has been sort of a common practice for at least sixty years (that I know of) for drivers to expect a noticable drop in psi when fall weather hits, and so stop by a nearby air hose and bring the psi back to the proper level.

As to the spare, what with all tires gradually losing pressure over time, and the fact many folks do not check their spare very often, I would bet probably 90% of the spare tires in '09 Maximas are inflated to less than 50 psi, and probably 50% are less than 40 psi. If I had to put the spare on, and found it was slightly underinflated, I would drive very slowly until I had a chance to bring the psi up. If, however, I found it was 30 psi or lower, I don't think I would even drive on it. 30 psi is too low a pressure in these narrow spares to support the weight of this '09 Maxima.

09Maxima_Sam

Good point about the temp. It was about 63 in my garage when I was checking the numbers. It was a cold rainy day, so I thought I would tinker around in the garage with the car.

As far as "All options possible", This is the first time I have owned the up-level version of any car. I am enjoying the fact, that I don't have to say to myself, "Oh darn, I wish my car had came with that."

ratdoc

Well, I was just pointing out the fact that there isn't a stock Maxima that comes with "all options possible" or that is "fully loaded". What you got is a Maxima with "All options I wanted".

gizzsdad

Actually, I've been told that many times the transport loaders deflate the tires somewhat when loading, then attach hold down chains, then reinflate tires to 40 PSI or above to tighten the chains and keep tires from flat-spotting. Don't know if completely true or not, but might explain why some people seem to pick up cars with over inflated tires if prep people aren't diligent.

pajaha1

I took delivery and the tires were almost 50. Good thing I checked..

2young2retire

Mine was 40 psi all the way around, including the spare. Deflated the tires to 33 psi and the ride really improved. Raised the spare to the pressure indicated on the sidewall which I think was 60 psi.

BMWHIGH1

Question So what is the purpose of the TPMS if the set PSI for the tire is not programmed in the system. i thought if you go over or above the set tire psi the light is suppose to come on.

ratdoc

No, it tells you if you're low, not if the PSI is high.

I wonder if the TPMS can be damaged by adding too much air...

09Maxima_Sam

The service manual states the TPMS activates when the system reaches 25PSI or below. The owners manual states to never use any tire liquid or aerosol tire sealent injected into the tires as this will screw up the sensors.

Has anyone had their tires rotated and/or their transmitters relearned at the same time?
How much did it cost?
As I am coming up on 5000 Miles before long, and would like to rotate mine.

ANNINO

iTrader: (1)

I could look in my archives, i just had the major 15k service, cost me 200 something bucks and included tire rotation.

2young2retire

I rotated mine in my garage at the same time I installed my splash guards or mud flaps or whatever you want to call them. I had no problem with the TPMS and no lights came on.

lightonthehill

Exactly. As long as the tires are not being taken off the rims, they can be moved anywhere on the car with absolutely no effect on the TPMS system.

lightonthehill

So the service manual says 25 psi? Somewhere (in the Owner's Manual?), I saw the number 28 psi. At any rate, my TPMS light came on when my tires dropped to 29 psi, which was the same psi at which another poster's TPMS light came on last spring.

I would think the Owner's Manual is exactly right when it warns about not using aerosols or sealents in tires equipped with a TPMS system.

Rotating the tires should not require TPMS transmitter relearning unless the tires are removed from the rims.

baker714

I just got my 2010 SV and it came with Goodyear Eagle RSA 18" tires.

The reviews on these tires were not good, especially in wet/ snow conditions.

Does anyone have any experience with these tires? It makes me afraid to want to take the new car out in the rain or snow.

The buyer has no say in the tires they get I assume.

PetitFrereMaxima

iTrader: (2)

Same tires that came on my brand new 08. They are not the best, but they hold up ok. I am in Houston and experience just rain. No snow. Dry traction is good. Wet traction is just ok. But at 35k so far on these tires, I am getting good life out of it. And I am sure to get 40k plus because I do my alignment and balance and rotate my tires every 10k.

If yours is like mine, the thread life is 260, hence do not be surprised when the tire loses its road full grip after 25k or 30k.

As you said, you do not have a choice as those tires came on the car. So, now, if you want to spend some extra bucks to buy a new better set of tires for $800 plus, be my guest. If not, stick with these and start saving for your next set.

nemesis04

They are fine in the rain and snow but overall the tires are not that great. I had them on my 07 Maxima and they: wear quickly, tend to get flat spots if they sit more than a day when it is cold out and give a lot of road feedback causing some vibration in the steering wheel. I was pissed to find out they made a return on the 09 Max. I have the 19" ones this time and going through the crap over again!

gpresar

Hmmm... 40 psi would not only affect the ride but the wear as well. 33 psi seems like a good balance between ride comfort and optimal mileage. My local Costco wouldn't inflate above 28 psi because that was the spec they had. This seems too low of a pressure. Oh well, looks like I have to add regular old air to the nitrogen.

PrntRhd

I believe there is variability with different tire pressure gauges.
I got myself a good digital gauge. I run 33 lbs in the tires and 60 in the spare.
I do know the TPS sensors alert for low pressure at <28.5 lbs per my digital gauge.

digitalbow

The individual who refills tires is probably NOT a tech, but rather a snot-nosed high school part-time porter, hence some of the over/underinflation.

gizzsdad

I checked my spare last night in my 6th gen, I'm sure it's the first time I've had it out of the car. 28 PSI!! Wow! I pumped it up to about 62, should last until I get my 7th gen, I hope.

lightonthehill

One thing I learned long ago (back in the days when ALL tires required inner tubes) is that psi is ALWAYS dropping, even though the tire has no puncture. Over a period of five or six months, my tires have always lost a few pounds. Of course a tad of that is because I regularly check the psi in each tire, and a miniscule amount of air escapes each time. But even if I never touched the tires, the psi still gradually drops. Always has. Don't ask me how the air gets out. All I know is that it does.

As for that spare reading 28? Sounds like the wash boy at your dealer did not know it was a 60 lb tire, and set it at 33, just like the other four tires. If it was 33 last spring, it would have dropped to 28 or 29 by this fall.

And we all need to remember that if a tire reads 33 in summertime, that same tire will read 28 or 29 after the weather gets cold. That will trigger the TPMS system.

gizzsdad

One thing I neglected to mention was that I have not checked it since picking it up new - in Oct. 2004.

dconn

I remember when checking tire pressure was a common practice. It seems to me that a large number of drivers simply neglect this anymore, especially those vehicles without TPMS.

lightonthehill

I agree. I actually carry little preprinted cards in my console on which I only have to check the box beside the low tire (choices are LF, RF, LR and RR), and check a second box beside the name of the problem (choices are TIRE IS BALD, SIDEWALL IS DAMAGED, TIRE IS LOW, TIRE IS VERY LOW and TIRE IS FLAT). Two quick checks, slip the card between the driver's door glass and rubber seal, and at least the driver knows he has a problem.

I usually notice the tires on cars I am walking by in parking lots. Sometimes, the tire is so flat I notice it while driving by. I almost always leave a card. Of course, if I am in a dangerous area, or it is pouring rain, etc, I stay inside my car and say a quick prayer for the driver of the car with the tire problem.

dconn

You do that as a service to cars you see during your daily activities? If so, that's incredibly noble.

lightonthehill

Noble? Not really. I was a very busy slave-laborer who responded to beepers 24/7 for more years than I can count. I never had time to even get five hours a sleep at night from the time I began college until I finally retired.

But once I retired, I became a nosy busybody who makes everyone's business my business. I go into one of our spare bedrooms several times a night, and stand in the dark, looking out the window for prowlers or perps. I respond to any home alarm that goes off near me. I call neighbors whenever I see one of their cows is loose. I head out to any accident I hear nearby (folks are always hitting deer in the middle of the night in front of our home). I'm sure most folks around me are convinced I do nothing but look out the window 24/7. Not that I would see much, because we are around 500 feet from the nearest neighbor.

There is such a thing as being noble, and then there are busybodies like me. Big difference.

dconn

haha, fair enough

DraKhen99

Yeah, I checked my tire pressures the other day - all 4 of them read 44PSI ... and I hadn't checked it since buying the car in March of this year.

So I lowered to 35 PSI, and it handles/drives/rides better and quieter.

I even wrote it up on my web site: http://www.road-reality.com/2010/09/...tire-pressure/