Forester Tire Pressures

[Ron Reeland]

Hi:
I am confused as to the proper cold tire pressure specs for my 2023 Forester. The label on the door pillar calls for 36 psi in front tires and 35 psi for the rear tires. See my photo of the label below. The actual tires on my Forester are Bridgestone 225/60R17, which agrees with the label.

And the owners manual (page 468) also instructs a person to use the PSI's shown on the label.

But the "Getting Started Guide" (page 60) for the "Forester Base" calls for 33 psi front and 32 psi rear. Thus the guide is 3 psi lower both front and rear compared to the label on the door pillar.

I have always assumed that the door pillar label was the proper authority for tire psi. Yet, the guide disagrees with the door pillar label. I am a little uneasy with the higher pressures on the door pillar sticker. My Forester is my first new car over the last 40 years, so I have never owned a used vehicle in 40 years that called for such high pressures. So maybe my uneasiness is not warranted.

The car has the tire pressure monitoring system and I can set the dash display to show the pressure in all four tires. The tire pressures increase by 4 psi in each tire up to 40 psi front and 39 psi rear after about 10 miles driving with a 50 degree outdoor temperature. The owners manual does point out that that 4 psi increase is normal.

I am just wondering what other Forester owners think about proper tire pressure.

Thanks,
Ron Reeland

 

[Leo122]

Go with the pillar label. Manufacturer may have changed tire specs after the manual was printed.

 

[galret]

Over the years, I've often found that owners manuals and the label on the door don't agree, this across several manufacturers. I also find that often the paper owners manual and the corresponding electronic version of the same manual from the manufacturer's website or their app are different. This is why I always just go by the label on the door.

Incidentally, we own a 22 Forester Premium and a 24 Forester Wilderness, both with 17" tires. Both call for 33 up front and 32 in the rear on the door label.