Most cars have tire pressure specifications between 30 and 35 psi. Maintaining the correct pressure is necessary for long tire life and good performance. Usually when cars come into the shop their tires are a little low or a little high, rarely more than 40 psi. Sometimes they’re a lot higher than they’re supposed to be.

The front tires on this car were 50 and 60 psi. That is way more than what they are supposed to have in them. I can remember one time I had a car in the shop with a tire at 100 psi. At the very least, running your tires extra high like this will cause the center of the tread to wear faster than the outsides, and will give you a harsher ride because the tire can’t compress as much over bumps. In the worst case, if part of the tire is weak, hitting a bad pothole with all that extra air in the tire could cause a blowout, which could cause you to crash. Make sure you check your tire pressures regularly and keep them at the manufacturer’s specification. My suspicion with overly inflated tires like this is that the owners just keep filling them until they “look” inflated, which is often more than they need. Use a tire pressure gauge.

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-Dan