<span class="highlight">Tyre</span> <span class="highlight">pressures</span> front and rear.

Should have mentioned the unloaded recommendation is 25 front and 32 rear. When it's empty 32 in the rear is like a kangaroo on steroids. 25 all round seems about right.

Mines not a SR5. When I got it second hand the previous owner had fitted 205/70R15 on aftermarket rims and ran 40 all round. Also had you beaut aftermarket high performance shocks. (Read solid). Handling was terrible, ride was rough, wet weather lethal, tyres wearing badly in center of tread. Tried various pressure settings(28/28 recommended). No better. Threw away the shocks and went back to standard, got hold of a set of standard 16 inch wheels with 205/16rc LTs and ran the factory recommended pressures (25/34 empty). Now rides better, driveable in wet, stops fine. Much safer vehicle. And as I said before the 4psi rule pretty much agrees with the factory recommendations.

cheers

Lex

Lex

I have a Hilux 3L single cab. It still had the original factory fitted 205R16C 694s on it when I bought it. They were 8 ply 110 load rating. The handbook says they should have been 6 ply and lists the pressures as 25 front and 32 rear when empty. Fully loaded was still 25 front and up to 44 rear depending on the load.

It also lists a 205R16 Reinforced. It should be 25 both ends empty and 25 front when fully loaded and up to 34 rear.

A few weeks later I bought a second set. They were 205R16 LT Goodyears 112 load rating. The tyre service told me I should use 40 psi both ends! Assuming I should use the 205 reinforced pressures, I rang Goodyear to check. They said yes and never exceed them by more than 4 psi. While discussing the 4 psi rule, they told me all their testing had revealed there were too many variables involved for it to be reliable.

I have never had the car anywhere near fully loaded so I have used 25 front and vary the rear between 25 to 30 depending on load. That has been on both highway and off road. I drop both ends by 3 psi only on wet mountain tracks. Dry tracks are fine on highway pressures.

So far it has worked perfectly. The ride and handling is good, the wear is even and there has been no tyre damage. I have never even thought about the 4 psi rule since.

It looks like you are experiencing the same thing. In 45 years of driving, I have never owned a car that has not had stock size tyres. I have always used factory pressures with excellent results.

Brian