Use the pressure specified for your vehicle, tyre fitment and load in the vehicle's label or handbook. There is no single correct pressure for every car, and the maximum figure moulded into a tyre's sidewall is not the normal setting to copy.
The useful question is not just “what pressure?” It is “which entry applies to these tyres, on this axle, carrying this load, measured under the stated conditions?” Answering that prevents several common mistakes at the air pump.
Find the vehicle's pressure information
Michelin's inflation guide identifies the driver's door pillar, inside the fuel flap and the vehicle handbook as common places to find recommended settings. Locations vary. If the label is missing or unreadable, obtain the information for the exact vehicle from its manufacturer or an authorised service source.
Take a clear photograph of the complete label. Include its headings and symbols rather than cropping down to one number. A row without the tyre size, axle heading or loading symbol can be misread later.
An online registration lookup can be a helpful starting point, but resolve any disagreement with the actual vehicle specification. The car may have optional wheels, a different approved tyre size or modifications that a general database has not captured.
Read across the correct row
Pressure labels can contain several alternatives. Work through them in order:
| Label detail | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Tyre size | The listed size matches the tyres fitted to the relevant axle |
| Front and rear | Each number is assigned to the correct axle |
| Passenger or luggage symbols | The loading condition matches the planned journey |
| Units | The gauge uses the same unit as the value selected |
| Special instructions | Any spare-wheel or other separate setting is understood |
Do not assume the front and rear values must match. Equally, a label with several rows does not mean that the highest figure is automatically the safest choice. Select the applicable instruction rather than improvising a pressure for comfort or appearance.
Before a holiday journey, review the loaded setting before the passengers and luggage arrive. Keep a note to review the normal-use setting again afterwards, following the handbook. That is easier than discovering at the roadside that the label uses a symbol you have never decoded.
Check cold tyres with a suitable gauge
Michelin's pressure-checking guidance favours checking cold tyres and warns against releasing air from a warm tyre merely to match a cold-pressure figure. Driving warms the tyre and changes the reading. Follow the vehicle and tyre guidance if an adjustment is needed during a journey, then recheck under the prescribed cold conditions.
Choose a convenient routine, such as checking before the first drive of the day. Record the readings before adjusting them. That small extra step helps distinguish an occasional top-up from one wheel repeatedly losing pressure.
If the gauge will not seal cleanly at the valve, do not accept a series of unstable readings as a reliable measurement. Reposition it carefully, check the equipment instructions or have a tyre professional measure the pressure with suitable equipment. Refit the valve cap after completing the check.
Keep bar, kPa and psi separate
One bar equals 100 kilopascals and approximately 14.5 psi. Those are unit conversions, not recommended tyre settings. Copy the vehicle value into the matching unit on the inflator, or convert it carefully if the equipment cannot display that unit.
For example, a note that says only “set to 2.4” is incomplete. Adding “bar” removes an ambiguity. The same applies when sending information to a family member who will use a different gauge.
Do not round a conversion so broadly that it becomes a different setting. A pump that offers the required unit directly is often simpler than switching between a phone calculator, a handwritten note and the pump display.
What if the car has different wheels or tyres?
A change in wheel diameter, tyre construction or approved fitment can make an old assumption unreliable. Ask the vehicle or tyre manufacturer, or a suitably qualified tyre specialist, to establish the pressure for a non-standard combination. Wheel diameter alone is insufficient to calculate it.
The XL marking does not mean “inflate to the maximum”, and a tyre's load index does not supply a complete pressure recommendation. These specifications need to be considered together with the vehicle's requirements.
When asking Wheel City about a wheel change, provide the exact model, year, current front and rear tyre sizes and any relevant modifications. Keep the pressure question in the fitting handover so that it is resolved before the car returns to use.
Make the readings useful
Michelin recommends checking monthly and before long journeys. A short record should show the date, whether the tyres were cold, the chosen front and rear targets and the measured readings. Include a spare where fitted, using its own instructions rather than copying a road-wheel setting.
If one tyre repeatedly needs air, arrange an inspection instead of treating it as a normal part of the routine. A tyre-pressure monitoring display is useful, but it does not remove the need for manual checks or explain every cause of pressure loss.
Frequently asked questions
Is 32 psi correct for my car?
It may be correct for some applications, but it cannot be recommended without the vehicle information. Read the applicable label or handbook entry.
Can I use the number on the tyre sidewall?
Do not use a sidewall maximum as your routine target. The vehicle's recommendation is the starting point for its approved fitment and load.
Should I lower pressure to soften the ride?
Do not run below the specified setting to change the ride. If comfort is a concern, discuss suitable tyre and wheel options while maintaining the correct operating pressure.