285exp

You're still going to be over-inflated; there's no way that they will increase 4-6 psi in just 8 miles of driving. You're not going to get significantly better mileage by running them that high, you're just going to make the ride rougher and potentially wear the tires out sooner. Drop them down to 33-34 hot, and you'll be about right.

Just remember that while your car is sitting there warming up, it is getting exactly 0 mpg, and the mixture is extra rich while the engine is cold, making it burn even more fuel. It will warm up much faster under load, so it's best to give it 20-30 seconds after starting to get the oil flowing, then start driving.

llcoolpass

last guy is wrong. the psi can increase that much. that's why its important the cold air reading should be done for the environment the car is driving in.

and asg14 is wrong [rare] -- the lexus es 300, among other cars made, specifies 26 PSI for all but towing, high speed and full-load driving. 32 PSI for other driving.
this is cold air reading.

people who say miles per tank are obvious idiots.

mpg readings can vary depending on weather, loads, short tripsvs long trips, speed and more.

be more worried if it has dropped from 20 to 11, and is 11 over and over again. That is a sign something is wrong. If you have been doing regular maintenance, you will have no problem diagnosing the problem.

285exp

The last guy is wrong; there is no way it is going to increase 4-6 lbs in the 8 miles you said you drove prior to checking, unless you're driving at high speed on a track.

He is correct on the other points. 26 psi is great for a soft ride, but you trade away handling response and some fuel economy. 30-32 is a good compromise.

llcoolpass

increase psi:

you increase the vehicle distance from the ground, increasing drag

you increase tire profile

improve maximum load handling of the tire before catastrophic failure

you decrease rolling resistance

you lose traction

you improve tire predictability, response may go up or down depending on the situation.

you reduce heat fatigue and other stresses in the tire

bottom line: for normal driving, the 26 PSI spec by Lexus, who engineered the whole thing and thought of many things when writing their owner's manual is the best balance.

97'ES

The manual does state 26 psi. You lose traction when overinflating due to a smaller contact patch that is true. I personally don't go 26 due to fast tire wear I've observed at that psi, cold weather( i believe you lose 1 psi for every ten degree drop in ambient air temp iirc) and I often carry a passenger or two. That and Lexus probably stipulated 26 just for ride quality, I'm not an engineer but if handling were their chief concern they wouldn't have had 65 series tires as oem equipment. Common sense applies as usual.

llcoolpass

handling is not the same as skidpad result

97'ES

I'm aware, more sidewall is never good for handling in general though you know what I meant. They roll over and play dead. skidpad results illustrate adhesion at the absolute limit, maximum amount of g forces and speed obtained around a skidpad.

Everyday emergency handling and routine handling are different scenarios. A car could pull .90 g on a skidpad and still have issues with roll, pitch, poor damping and generally poorly controlled body motions. Still be very uninspiring to drive hastily.

Granted their almost always is a correlation between a strong skidpad result and what is considered a good handling car so to speak. More grip is a good thing.

Most of us with all season tires and stock suspensions in these cars couldnt even hit .75 or .76 of a g. It doesn't much matter, even if we think we are driving hard most of us never reach 80% of it I'm sure. Although I get the impression you do, as do I occasionally lol.
Makes me want to drop it on low profile, lightweight 17's and wish it into being a 5 speed. it's ok though, in the warmer months when the need for speed strikes I get on two wheels at 40 psi.

285exp

I really hope you're not seriously saying that increasing the psi to 32 is going to increase the ride height significantly.

This is is same argument as above, again, insignificant at any reasonable pressure

No argument there.

If overinflated, but not a factor within the manufacturers recommended range.

Sorry, but you've got that backwards. Increasing the pressure within the recommended range will only increase the response by firming up the sidewall, not decrease it.

Again, no argument.

Bottom line, the 26 psi spec is because the ES is a luxury car, and that gives the cushiest ride. You will increase fuel economy and improve responsiveness, load capacity, and handling by inflating the tires to the upper range of recommended pressure, 30-32 psi, with the tradeoff of a bit firmer ride.

Just for giggles, I checked my tire pressure this morning before driving the 7.5 miles to work at speeds up to 50 mph and an average of 40. Cold, 32 psi. When I got to work, 34 psi.

adreano17

my conclusion....i will run about 34-36 due to mpg is more of a factor for me than ride comfort. i over inflated to 40 by using the heated psi estimate backward.

llcoolpass

the 26 psi spec is due to the tire design and size, not because they wanted it to have more cushioning. psi is related to the footprint the car makes on the ground. less psi = bigger footprint. it also means less profile which means the wheel is closer to the ground. it also means the sidewall flex region is different than when the tire is at 32 psi.

dont be foolish and over inflate your tire.

adreano17

yea no. saying i used the estimate backwards. i need to deflate a little bit to get in that range

03 ES

I keep my tires between 32-35psi on average...
the spec on my car states 32 psi (215/60R16 tires)

as a general rule at the dealership i work for we put 32 in the tires of most cars...alot of the newer toyota models will set off the TPMS light with less than 28psi in the tires.

in city driving i average about 22-24mpg....on the highway i average 26-29mpg, and i've seen as high as 32mpg.