Tire pressure - Blizzak LM-22's vs. ContiTouringContacts

[Terry Kennedy]

I purchased a set of Blizzak LM-22's (in the 205/50/17 size) from Tire Rack for winter use on my 2003 325xiT Wagon, replacing my OEM ContiTouringContacts of the same size. I have been running the Contis at 37F / 42R, which is a tad stiffer than the door sill plate "normal load" rating of 35F / 41R. However, 42 seems a tad close to the LM-22's maximum pressure of 44. I expect to be doing a lot of sustained high-speed driving (cross-country, 500 miles or so at a shot, on interstates) and I'm worried about getting close to the max rating (which I assume is measured while cold). Gary (or anyone else), do you have any suggestions for both a) a good starting point and b) reasonable maximums for these tires on my car?

[Gary@Tirerack]

BMW recommends using the cold tire pressures listed on the tire placard/owners manual, but yours are close enough that I would not worry about it. The maximum psi on the sidewall is a cold psi, so no worries about it being too much after heat buildup of highway driving.