Tire Pressure

Tire pressure is simple right? You just pump in the recommended pressure.
Well, I had a friend that pumped their tires to the maximum PSI listed on the tire (44 PSI). I will keep this person's identity will remain nameless as to not embarrass them. But then I thought this person couldn't be the only person to think in that fashion. So I am writing this to inform my readers that it is dangerous to pump tires to the maximum PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire. DON'T DO IT! It's not safe.

What you should do is find the recommended PSI for the front and rare tires listed on your manual or commonly on a label when you open the driver-side door. But if you're lazy, you could just Google your make and model of your car and "recommended PSI" to find that information. The benefits of a proper tire pressure include gas efficiency, longer lasting tires (equal thread wear), and, most importantly, safety.
Interestingly, I found an air pump at a local gas station that allowed the user to put your desired PSI and it would make a loud beep once the desired PSI was reached. In my senior year design project at UConn, I created something very similar but it allowed the user to input the make and model and the pump would know what the recommended PSI were. I have to admit, I think my algorithm for pumping/releasing air to the desired PSI seemed to work much better (especially in reducing pressure) than the one at the gas station.