Ok i just got some rims (17") and my tire setup are Nanking's 205/40/17. what would be an adecuate tire pressure?

 

I would say 32 psi...

 

Somewhere right around the pressure indicated on the tire pressure placard in the left door jamb (mine says 29 PSI)...perhaps a little more if the tire is a high pressure max tire (45-50 psi max). My 18's are 45 PSI max rating...32 feels good to me on them...and they seem to be wearing ok. Watch the wear. If they wear on the edges the pressure is low, the center the pressure is high. (keep in mind that playing Ronnie Road Racer all the time will wear your front tires on both edges kinda like low pressure will... increasing the pressure for this type of use will still help lessen this type wear as well)

 

Doesn't it give a range right on the tire?

 

No, the pressure shown on the tire is maximum safe inflation pressure for that tire as determined by the tire manufacturer (and required by the feds).

They have no idea what vehicle it will be on, nor that vehicle's weight, suspension design, or tire position.

Start from what the VEHICLE manufacturer recommends and work from there, but never exceeding the maximum pressure on the sidewall.



Tom

 

If you have the NS1 Nankangs I would keep the pressure above 32 all the time and check them weekly. I had the same tires and found out later that they were not weight rated for the xB. Plus they were some of the noisiest tires I ever owned. On the plus side they won't last much more than about 20K before they will need to be replaced. The next size you should shoot for would be either 205/45 or 215/40s in a better brand.