[rkammer]

I've run 35psi cold in every vehicle I've owned. 35 psi gives you the best overall ride, handling and response. Over inflate and drive fast, you may wind up in the ditch.

Agree with you on going too fast but, over-inflation is really dependent upon what one considers over-inflation. Inflating a tire up to its rated pressure, while making the ride harsher, will actually improve performance, mileage and cornering. It also improves a tire's load carrying ability. So, when the manufacturer rates a tire for a maximum of 50 PSI, it is safe to run the tires up to that pressure. Just wanted to clear the air on that subject.

 

[rkammer]

Tire pressure

My 2014 Titanium has the original Conti 235/45 x 19s on it and has just turned 53,000 on those original tires. By the time the inspection bumps call for new tires, I'll probably have about 57 - 58,000 on them. I attribute the long tire life to always putting 40 PSI in them when they are cold. Since these tires are rated for max of 50 PSI, I feel very safe with 40 and I feel it allows my Escape to handle just a bit better in the turns and keeps the edges from wearing prematurely.

 

[rkammer]

No auto manufacturer is going to tell you to run this pressure. That's why they go through the trouble of testing the optimum pressure for the vehicle weight and placing a sticker for you to reference.

While it's true that tires should not be run at the max pressure on the sidewall, the OEMs recommendations are meant to try to cover a broad range of driving conditions for "the masses". It is a generally accepted practice that for aggressive driving or, for carrying heavy loads, tires can be run at higher than factory sticker levels.

Although I'm a new FE owner, my previous car (a Mercury Marauder) would wear out the edges of the front tires in about 25,000 miles if I ran the recommended 32 psi the factory recommends. I ran them at 40 psi in front and 36 psi in the back and they would get 40,000+ miles to a set.

Also a comment on heat vs tire pressure. If you run nitrogen instead of air you will find that the change in pressure from cold to hot, will only change 1 or 2 lbs. I've checked this many times in our hot Central Florida climate.