[wagonman76]

What I have noticed, regardless of if the tires are snows or not, is the quality of the tire usually dictates the max psi.

The cheap tires are usually labeled at 35 PSI. This is the case of my cheap Trivent (touring) tires and the Pacemark Snowtrekker tires (from Walmart) on the van, as well as the Dayton all seasons I used to have. One of the Snowtrekkers blew a sidewall out with less than 10k on them. I replaced them with some more expensive tires I bought used from my friend, they are rated at 44 psi. I could have sworn the Blizzaks on my old 6k wagon were 44 PSI too.

The better tires seem to be rated at 44 PSI. This is the case for the Viva Touring tires (rebranded Goodyear Regatta) tires on my Celebrity, the Goodyears on my friend's Bonneville, and quite a few others. Also the Winterforce snows on my 89 6k wagon are 44 PSI.

I can usually tell just by looking at them. The 44 PSI tires seem to have a heavier sidewall and they just LOOK like a better tire. The 35 PSI tires have a sidewall that seems pretty wimpy but probably gives a softer ride.