Looks like you might need a copy of the owners manual? If so, you can download them from here: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/show...light=download

Here is an excerpt detailing how to determine what pressures you should be using:

A Tire and Loading Information label is attached to the
vehicle’s center pillar (B-pillar), below the driver’s
door latch. This label shows your vehicle’s original
equipment tires and the correct inflation pressures for
your tires when they are cold.

Are you VERY sure your gauge is correct? I find it hard to believe the dealer would pump them up to nearly 50PSI. Guages can go bad, so I'd do a double check on that.

cheers

 

I had Just purchased this one Specifically for that reason. (I had used the coin-operated inflator at 3 different stations, Just to be sure, because the front would 'shimmy' while going down the road. They All Read the Same PSI.) I told the dealer to 'check & fill to proper pressure' when I had them check the tires. They inflated them All to the Same pressure so there would be no unbalance going down the road. I am taking it back to have them balance them again because there is still a 'shimmy' in the front which They think it is an unbalanced tire. I Will Make Sure to Tell them to Read the sticker to Make Sure they put in the Proper PSI. in, Not More, Not Less.

 

So glad you got them down to where they should be, 50 PSI is a recipe for a catastrophic failure. While they check the tires I would insist on being right there with the tech, they should also check for radial runout in the wheels because you might have a bent rim. Also have them check the tires for broken belts, running at such high inflation pressures and hitting a pothole can break the belts in the tire's carcass causing a shimmy.

 

Checking your tires when completely COLD makes a big difference too. As you can tell from the DIC, the PSI rises as they warm up. I overfill the tires a little at night, then bleed down to correct pressure in the early AM.

 

That Is Very Good Advice. Thank You Very Much. I Will Have them check that, & I will Just overfill a bit, Wednesday & Then bleed down before I move it Thursday.

 

I sometimes have to take a second look when summer wheels and tires are on they have that tendency to look low I too am a long time pickup driver.

 

i would like to say that door sticker means nothing , but i won't . i will say that the recomended pressure is stamped on the tire , by the manufacturer of the tire .all they make are tires and they should know what is best for their product . they are responsible for providing that correct information . my GM OEM Firestones handle and provide so very , very much better when i inflate them according to what is stamped on the side of them...they perform very , very poorly when i inflate them according to what is printed on the door sticker...i drive my HHR to make a living.160,000+ miles .....maybe others have different experience.

 

I've only ever seen the maximum PSI printed on the sidewall of any tire I've looked at..... That's not a recommended pressure for running the tire, it's a "do not exceed" warning.

 

What do you have your tire pressure at on your HHR? I did notice that at the 35psi., that I don't get Too much clunking noise, But the tires Do Seem low & being lower profile, I Don't want to bend the wheel hitting a pothole or something. But then again, I don't want to blow one out by too much pressure if I do hit one. Those door stickers have useful information, But are they just guesstimate guidelines or actual specifications? I Did notice also that with the lower tire pressure that the dip in the road makes the car 'sound' like it is scraping metal going over it, as if it 'bottoms-out'. It doesn't when they are more inflated, but they do make it sound & feel more rough over RR tracks, ect.

 

If it sounds likes its bottoming out, I'd have the shocks and struts checked out, running the tires at the proper pressure will not let the vehicle bottom out...has nothing to do with it at all. You're actually more likely to do damage when over inflated as the sidewalls have no give whatsoever on bumps and RR crossings. Always follow the proper inflation specs, they are anything but a guesstimate on GM's part, overinflated and underinflated tires are killers so why would they risk that?