Tire Pressure On Kia Optima

The general recommended tire pressure for Kia Optima vehicles is 34 psi for both front and rear tires. However, the ideal pressure will depend on the year model of the Optima and various driving conditions such as terrain, tire size, tire load, and weather temperature.

 

The Kia Optima lineup ranges from 2005 to the 2020 year models, and the ideal temperature for individual models is between 30 and 35 psi.

With that in mind, I recommend you check your owner’s manual or the tire placard attached to the side of the driver’s door to check your tire inflation specification as instructed by the manufacturer. The ideal tire pressure will be listed in psi or kPa.

But if you’re using a set of tires that didn’t come standard with your Kia Optima, it would be best to follow the tires’ specific requirements for the correct tire pressure.

The passenger car is offered in 12 trims and equipped with ten original equipment tire size sets. In this article, you will learn about the various recommended tire pressures for Kia Optima based on model year and OEM tire size.

 

Tire Pressure Table For Kia Optima Year Models

Meanwhile, Kia halted the “optima” name in the 2021 model and renamed the lineup to “K5” in the U.S. For this reason, our recommended tire pressure coverage for the Optima series will begin from the latest year, model 2020, down to the first model type.

		Recommended Tire pressure
Kia Optima Year Model	Tire Size	Front tire	Rear tire
2020	205/65R16 95H	34 – 35 psi	34 – 35 psi
	215/55R17 94V
	235/45R18 94V	34 psi	34 psi
2019	205/65R16 95H	34 – 35 psi	34 – 35 psi
	215/55R17 94V
	235/45R18 94V	34 psi	34 psi
2018	205/65R16 95H	35 psi	35 psi
	215/55R17 94V
	235/45R18 94V	34 psi	34 psi
2017	205/65R16 95H	34 – 35 psi	34 – 35 psi
	215/55R17 94V	34 psi	34 psi
	235/45R18 94V
	P205/65R16 94H	35 psi	35 psi
	P215/55R17 93V	34 – 35 psi	34 – 35 psi
2016	205/65R16 95H	34 psi	34 psi
	215/55R17 94V
	235/45R18 94V
	P205/65R16 94H
	P215/55R17 93V
2015	205/65R16 95H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	215/55R17 94V	33 psi	33 psi
	225/45R18/XL 95V	35 psi	35 psi
	P205/65R16 94H	34 psi	34 psi
2014	205/65R16 95H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	225/45R18/XL 95V	35 psi	35 psi
	P205/65R16 94H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	P215/55R17 93V
2013	225/45R18/XL 95V	35 psi	35 psi
	P205/65R16 94H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	P215/55R17 93V
2012	225/45R18/XL 95V	33 – 35 psi	33 – 35 psi
	P205/65R16 94H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	P215/55R17 93V	33 – 35 psi	33 – 35 psi
2011	225/45R18/XL 95V	35 psi	35 psi
	P205/65R16 94H	33 – 34 psi	33 – 34 psi
	P215/55R17 93V
2010	P205/60R16 91H	32 psi	32 psi
	P215/50R17 90V
2009	P205/60R16 91H	32 psi	32 psi
	P215/50R17 90V
2008	P205/60R16 91H	30 psi	30 psi
	P215/50R17 90V	32 psi	32 psi
2007	P205/60R16 91H	30 psi	30 psi
	P215/50R17 90V	32 psi	32 psi
2006	P205/55R16 89V	30 psi	30 psi
	P205/60R15 90H
	P205/60R16 91H
	P215/50R17 90V	32 psi	32 psi
2005	P205/55R16 89V	30 psi	30 psi
	P205/60R15 90H

 

Does Kia Optima Come With TPMS?

The Kia Optima vehicle has a tire pressure monitoring system as an added safety feature when losing pressure in your tires.

The TPMS light illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when your tires are under-inflated (below the recommended psi value).

When this happens, you’d have to stop and check your tires using a reliable tire pressure gauge and then fill your tires to the recommended pressure as instructed on the sticker attached to the driver’s door frame.

If you attempt driving on low tire pressure, it can lead to overheating, resulting in tire failure, causing poor fuel economy, and reduced tread life.

The interesting part about the KIA optima TPMS sensor is that it is integrated with a malfunction indicator to tell you when the TPMS isn’t operating correctly.

This malfunction indicator is combined with the low tire pressure telltale such that when the system detects a malfunction. The telltale will flash for approximately one minute and then remain static.

With TPMS malfunctioning, you may be unable to read accurate values of your tires’ PSI or pressure range. Thus, it won’t be able to tell you when you have low tire pressure.

This happens after you replace your tires or wheels. So the malfunction indicator is there to help you.

 

Tire Maintenance Tips For Kia Optima Vehicle Lineups

One of the most important aspects of tire maintenance for most Kia Optima vehicles is knowing when to replace the tires. The longevity of the original tires depends on your driving frequency and the road conditions you drive on. But it is generally safe to replace your tires at least once every three years.

But you don’t have to wait till then, especially when you observe defects like low tire tread, uneven tire wear, slow braking and steering response, punctures, cracks, and bulges in tires.

To get the most out of your Kia Optima original tires, consider observing the following tips:

 

1. Habits like harsh braking, acceleration, and steering will impair your tire performance in the long run, so curtail those driving habits.
2. Ensure your tires are always on proper inflation levels, and a little high or low from the recommended psi value could make a lot of difference in your driving experience.
3. Practice tire rotations to clamp down on uneven wear.

 

Conclusion

The general KIA optima tire pressure is 34 psi. But you may find a different manufacturer recommendation when you double-check the placard attached to your vehicle’s driver’s door frame. Whatever value you see, there should be the one you work with.

Having a reliable tire pressure gauge is also handy because now that you know the correct tire pressure, you’d want to verify often that your tires are properly inflated.

So with a pressure gauge in your hand, you can take off the tire valve caps and use a tire pressure gauge to check tire inflation in every tire.

Lastly, it is best to check your tire pressure when you’ve not driven on them for at least 3 hours. At such a state, they are cold, and you’ll be the right tire pressure reading on your gauge.