I guess I didn't look closely enough at the original posters question, with my initial response, but I still stand by my claim. It seems he WAS inquiring what was the factory recomended pressure, per the door sticker. My response however, was based upon my preferences, and past experiences with tires in general...and also may not necessarily apply to many of todays super low profile tires.
In any case, I doubt any tire manufacturer would "recommend" inflating tires to the "max" psi which is on the sidewall for everyday driving. And car manufacturers generally have set unrealisticly low pressures for their own reasons, mainly to ensure a soft ride. After all, under nomal driving conditions and using average annual mileage allowances, even somewhat underinflated tires usually lasted through the old warranty periods of 24mo/24000mi or 36/36000. And I believe the warranty of the tires was separate from the vehicle anyway, so the car manufacturer didn't bear the cost of replacement if one was later requested. By that time, most people figured they just needed to get a new set anyway, with something better than the OEM tire....and seldom replaced them through the dealer that sold the car.
For as long as I can remember, 30-35 psi has been generally accepted as a good all around compromise for tire wear, vehicle handling, and fuel mileage considerations. I'd expect anyone running 24 psi, to have subpar steering response, poor mileage, and quicker than average tire wear. Inflation upwards of 35 would generally produce a harsh ride, and less than ideal tread contact with the road.
BTW, it's interesting to note, that the door sticker lists a higher inflation pressure requirement for the 2.8 models, which were also using a smaller tire.
I can't figure the logic here.
Also, keep in mind that these recommendations were from the early 70's, when radial tires were a fairly new and uncommon item on many cars. I remember, that many people were often concerned about the way radial tires always looked underinflated, compared to the old bias plys. I belive (in part) because of this, installers and tire service centers moved to make 30 psi a general standard of inflation, as the radials became more standard equiptment.
