I missed what was going on in this thread and just read through it quickly. My take on what has been said recently...
Under inflation is bad. Everyone agrees with that, correct? It increases sidewall flex and increases tire temperature. It is a leading cause of tire failure.
The primary question appears to be what is the correct inflation pressure for our highway driving: Is it based on the weight the tire is supporting or the maximum shown on the side of the tire?
If we have a high degree of confidence we know the weight the tire is supporting, we can find and use the manufacturer's inflation recommendation for that load. Not being under inflated, that would be safe and should give us even tread wear and maximum tread life.
If we increase the inflation to the maximum on the sidewall, that would be safe. If the tire is supporting light loads, the higher pressure may cause the center of the tire to wear faster so that would have to be watched. On the other hand, higher pressure would reduce sidewall flex, lowering tire temperature, and helping to reduce sway.
IMO, a further complication is a vehicle manufacturer's desire for a softer ride. Higher tire pressures usually create a harsher ride. My experience is that vehicle tire inflation stickers have pressures on the low side. It may be safe for the weight the tires carry, but they sacrifice handling for a softer ride.
I do watch my tread wear carefully, but I've always had my tires inflated higher than the vehicle manufacture's sticker for better mpg and handling. For towing, tires on my TV are at 80psi rear, 70psi front, and trailer at the max on the tire (Sorry, TT isn't here and I don't have the psi committed to memory yet... but I don't have to. It has the pressure right on the side of the tire).
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