What should the tire pressure be on 2011 RAV4 Sport?

sofakng · Nov 28, 2011

Can anybody tell me what the tire pressure should be on my 2011 RAV4 Sport? I'm not sure the exact tires (or tire size) but they are the ones from the factory...

As a side note, my tire pressure warning light keeps coming on and off every few days. I THINK it's happening when it's extremely cold outside but I'm not sure.

The dealership told me they inspected and it looked fine but it sounded like they forgot and might have just been telling me that even though they didn't look at it so I'm not sure...

rav4two · Nov 28, 2011

The recommended tire pressures are always on a placard that's affixed usually to the driver's door jamb. I believe for all types of wheels, it is 32 PSI cold.

If you are getting a TPMS low pressure warning, make sure you also check the spare. Tire pressure decreases by about 1 PSI every 10-15 degrees F., so going from summer to winter, you can lose four to five PSI - enough to cause a low pressure warning if you're not adjusting your tire pressure at least monthly.

mikmabz · Nov 28, 2011

Recommended tire pressure is 32 Psi. You can find it on the driver's side door jamb and in the owner's manual. Check your spare tire pressure it is probably low.

Rav4two beat me by two seconds.

sofakng · Nov 28, 2011

Thanks!

I'll double-check the door jamb, but if it is 32 PSI cold, how do I know what tire pressure to fill them up when it's about 50 F outside? (does it matter if that car has been running for a few minutes?)

EDIT: Thanks for the spare tire suggestion. The dealer also mentioned that could be the problem so when I fill my tires I'll double-check that one as well.

RTexasF · Nov 28, 2011

You adjust the pressure to keep them @ 32 if it's 30º F or 100º F. It doesn't matter if the engine has been running, it does matter if the tires have been rolling as they build heat. Mine sit overnight before I check them. I keep my spare at 45psi to avoid the TPMS warning light from temperature fluctuations.

EDIT> Like Blogson I keep mine at 35 psi except the spare.

Blogson · Nov 28, 2011

I keep my road tires inflated to 35 psi. and the spare at 40 psi. May marginally help gas mileage as compared with 32 psi and helps a lot with the mountainous road curves we have. Also one service department says that if one inflates tires to 32 psi and the weather suddenly cools so that the pressure drops it could activate the tire pressure monitoring system, so they recommend 35 psi, but I don't know how valid that service department evaluation is.

Veliksam · Nov 28, 2011

32

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Deanjet · Nov 28, 2011

Blogson said:
...... Also one service department says that if one inflates tires to 32 psi and the weather suddenly cools so that the pressure drops it could activate the tire pressure monitoring system, so they recommend 35 psi, but I don't know how valid that service department evaluation is.

If it gets that cold where I live, I feel REALLY sorry for the rest of you

RayinAlaska · Nov 29, 2011

My wife's 2010 Rav 4: I keep the pressure on all the tires at 32 psi. To check the pressure when the tire is cold means that you should cheek it before you drive the car. When you drive your car, the tire pressure increases because of friction.

However, in cold weather the pressure in the tires usually drops (you can find the details at Tirerack). Anyway, the tires on my wife's Rav 4 have 32 psi in the warm garage, but even at -38 degrees outside, the tires hold enough pressure not to affect the tire sensors.

If you believe it's cold where you live, then check the tire pressure and set them to 32 psi on a cold day before you drive the car (don't forget the spare).

Thundra · Nov 29, 2011

I've also been keeping the tires at 35 psi cold all year round.

rav4two · Nov 30, 2011

If you drive aggressively, running a higher pressure in the front tire helps reduce understeer and keeps the outside shoulder of the front tires from being ground down as severely. The Rav has about a 60/40 F/R weight distribution but the same size tires all around, so it also makes sense to run the fronts a bit higher. I'm a fan of 37.5 front, 36.5 rear.

Cadman · Nov 30, 2011

i run 40 psi front and rear.

cadman

71GS455 · Dec 4, 2011

rav4two said:
The recommended tire pressures are always on a placard that's affixed usually to the driver's door jamb. I believe for all types of wheels, it is 32 PSI cold.

If you are getting a TPMS low pressure warning, make sure you also check the spare.

If he's got a 2011 Sport model, there shouldn't be a spare to check!? Shouldn't it have run-flats???

71GS455 · Dec 4, 2011

sofakng said:
As a side note, my tire pressure warning light keeps coming on and off every few days. I THINK it's happening when it's extremely cold outside but I'm not sure.

The dealership told me they inspected and it looked fine but it sounded like they forgot and might have just been telling me that even though they didn't look at it so I'm not sure...

In 2007, my wife bought a used 2006 Solara. We took it on a Christmas road trip from the Seattle area, through CA, NV, AZ, and into NM. One thing we noticed was that when the temperatures got pretty cold climbing the mountain passes, the warning light would go off (on?). The tires were fine on pressure - it seemed to be a symptom of temperature.

Carbon · Dec 4, 2011

71GS455 said:
One thing we noticed was that when the temperatures got pretty cold climbing the mountain passes, the warning light would go off (on?). The tires were fine on pressure - it seemed to be a symptom of temperature.

Check the pressure in the spare tire in the 2006 Solara.

rav4two · Dec 4, 2011

71GS455 said:
If he's got a 2011 Sport model, there shouldn't be a spare to check!? Shouldn't it have run-flats???

I think you have to have the sport model to get SAP, which gives you the runflats and deletes the spare. In our area, I believe practically all sport models come this way, but that's only because the local dealers seem to have conspired to order them this way.

71GS455 · Dec 6, 2011

rav4two said:
I think you have to have the sport model to get SAP, which gives you the runflats and deletes the spare. In our area, I believe practically all sport models come this way, but that's only because the local dealers seem to have conspired to order them this way.

Good point. He says his is a Sport model, but he doesn't mention a spare (unless I missed it in the thread), so I just assumed it was run-flat.

Davidhf · Aug 22, 2013

Over inflating is a great way to wear down the center of your tires!

ravenuer · Aug 22, 2013

Davidhf said:
Over inflating is a great way to wear down the center of your tires!

Absolutely correct, but the issue with that would be at what point would over-inflation occur? My opinion would be up to maybe 40lbs would be OK on a car that the manufacturer would recommend 32.

What should the tire pressure be on 2011 RAV4 Sport?

sofakng

rav4two

mikmabz

sofakng

RTexasF

Blogson

Veliksam

Deanjet

RayinAlaska

Thundra

rav4two

Cadman

71GS455

71GS455

Carbon

rav4two

71GS455

Davidhf

ravenuer

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