I just mounted Avon Tech M500 tires, 225/50-16 and 245/45-16 on OEM 16" wheels. Should I run the factory suggested 32 psi or is there a different pressure for the wider tires?

Looking for longevity, not necessarily best performance.

 

The pressure would stay the same. It is based on the weight of the car and that did not change.

 

I run 34psi front, 32.5psi rear cold. I haven't bothered to measure hot temps yet since my daily commute (mostly highway) doesn't heat them up that much. I like the way this feels compared to a few previous pressure setups I tried. But mine are Yoko ES100s, which often like a bit higher pressures (as they do on my gf's car).

 

When I had the OEM rims/tires, I found that daily driving would tend to wear out the outer edges on the rears. I bumped the pressures up to about 35 psi all around and this seemed to even out the wear in the center. Due to the camber of our cars, the insides of the rears won't even get the same workout on daily driving. That's where "flipping" will come in handy if this is a concern for you.

You are putting a 225 tire on a rim that used to take a 205 and a 245 tire on a rim that used to take a 225. This will "squeeze" the bead closer to the centerline of the tire which will tend to cause the tread centers to bulge outward. This, combined with the info in my first paragraph, I would suggest you also go with the OEM 32 psi.

I've basically told you the same thing that Jim just did, but my rationale is from a different perspective. After a couple thousand miles of running, see if a wear pattern is developing and you can decide then if an air pressure adjustment is warranted.

 

Thanks for the replies!