MAX LOAD and MAX PRESS
MAX PRESS is the maximum cold pressure the tyre may be inflated to; MAX LOAD is the most it may carry, reached at that maximum pressure.
What to do with it
Do not inflate to MAX PRESS as a routine. Use the vehicle maker’s recommended cold pressure: in the US it is on the placard on the driver’s door pillar (B-pillar), elsewhere usually on the door frame, fuel flap or in the handbook. Measure with the tyres cold.
- What it looks like
- Small text near the rim, mainly on tyres sold in North America: MAX LOAD 615 kg (1356 lbs) MAX PRESS 350 kPa (51 psi).
- Set by
- 49 CFR 571.139, S3 (definitions), S5.5(c)–(d), S5.5.4, S5.5.5; 49 CFR 571.110, S4.3(c) Placard
In detail
- The US rule defines “Maximum permissible inflation pressure” as “the maximum cold inflation pressure to which a tire may be inflated” and “Maximum load rating” as the load at that pressure.
- For passenger tyres whose maximum is 240, 280, 300, 340 or 350 kPa, the kPa value is followed by psi in brackets (rounded up), and the kg load by pounds (FMVSS 139 S5.5.4).
- A tyre with a 420 kPa (60 psi) maximum must say “Inflate to 60 psi” on both sidewalls in letters at least half an inch high — that is the T-type temporary spare.
- The vehicle placard is a separate regulation (FMVSS 110 S4.3): it gives the vehicle maker’s recommended cold pressure for front, rear and spare tyres.
What it does not mean
MAX PRESS is not the pressure to run at, and MAX LOAD is not what the tyre carries at a lower pressure.
Markings that go with it
Sources
Each document was fetched and read on the date shown; the clause is the one that sets this marking.
- US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on eCFR: 49 CFR 571.139 — Standard No. 139, New pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles — S3 (definitions), S5.5(c)–(d), S5.5.4, S5.5.5: Each tyre is marked with “The maximum permissible inflation pressure” and “The maximum load rating”; “Maximum load rating means the load rating for a tire at the maximum permissible inflation pressure for that tire.” Checked 2026-09-28.
- US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on eCFR: 49 CFR 571.110 — Standard No. 110, Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information — S4.3(c) Placard: The placard, “permanently affixed to the driver’s side B-pillar”, shows the “Vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold tire inflation pressure for front, rear and spare tires”. Checked 2026-09-28.
- Michelin (UK): Tyre markings explained: How to read a tyre? — “How to read tyre pressure?”: “There are markings on the sidewall of the tyre (MAXLOAD and MAX PRESS) that indicate the maximum load and the maximum pressure of the tyre.” Checked 2026-09-28.