17" Heritage Wheel PSI

[Stingme1975]

I thought it was a bit strange that my Beetle came from the dealership with 44psi all around when the door insert says 29psi is the recommended psi for my beetle. Now, the tire sidewall reads that it has a max psi of 51! Anyone with 17's running high psi. When checking out Hankooks website it says that my size optimo is not a low rolling resistance tire which I figured meant you could or should maintain a higher psi.

[Cadenza_7o]

The dealership always keep the PSI on high to prevent the tires from developing square spots (lopsided).

I usually set the front at a higher PSI than the rear. On my New Beetle and Mini, the front is set at 33-37 PSI depending on how the tire looks and drives. Just use your observation. If it doesn't look flat, drives comfortably and handles fine, then you're good. Usually higher pressure yields better gas mileage at the expense of ride comfort.

As for the rear, I set them low at about 26-28 PSI for comfort. Besides, there's much less weight resting over the rear wheels in a front-wheel drive car. The weight distribution of the Beetle is F/R 60/40.

[99_XC600]

The PSI is set to higher than spec level for transportation reasons. It's anticipated that there will some air loss from the day of MFG to the day when the dealer takes delivery.

Setting the PSI is actually part of the PDI checklist. Looks like the dealer missed it or just ignored it.