Tire PSI question

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

I keep my truck tires inflated to whatever the door sticker says.
My trailer to the max listed on the sidewall of the tire.

Peace
Dave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

The cold spec for our tires is 110#. That is also the pressure required to support the weight rating of the trailer for each wheel. Our actual measured weight on each wheel is lower than the spec, but the margin varies for each wheel. At 110# inflation our ODS rear tire has only a 300# load margin.

I keep them at 110# cold.
 

murry135

New York Chapter Leaders - retired
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

I tried different options and found keeping TV tires at pressure set on door sticker and the trailer at the cold PSI. All that being said I am towing with a Ford F350 Dually so I acn keep my TV tires at the sticker PSI.
 

SJH

Past Washington Chapter Leaders
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Max PSI on the trailer...door sticker on the truck.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Pretty much the same, keeping the trailer tires at 110 psi. I use the sticker pressure for the truck unless I'm towing. RVSEF recommended a little higher, particularly in the front to handle the load they measured.
 

Burtonair01

Member
I'm running bigger tires than stock on my tow vehicle so I'm not sure if what the sticker says would be the way to go. Should I go with max PSI(cold) on what the side of the tire wall says? I'm running Toyo Open Country M/T 18" 33 12.5s
 
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JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I'm running bigger tires than stock so I'm not sure what the sticker says would be the way to go. Should I go with max PSI(cold) on what the side of the tire wall says? I'm running Toyo Open Country M/T 18" 33 12.5s

You might want to find the load charts for your tires and use that to decide. Filling them too high for the load on them may result in a hard ride.
 

Burtonair01

Member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

So when I got home from work I looked at the side wall of my 5er tires and the max PSI cold is 80 PSI, do all of yours say 80PSI and you run 110PSI in them anyway or are your max cold PSI higher than what mine says? I'm running the stock tires that came on on my unit, Power King Towmax STR ST 235 80 R16. The side wall on my truck tires max cold PSI is 65 so I think I will go with that. Thanks for all of your input, I'm trying to be as safe and prepared as possible!!
 

Manzan

Well-known member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Burtonair, safest not to exceed what is on the tire. Which trailer do you have? Bigger trailers carry more weight therefore need stronger tires that hold higher pressure with rims to match. Do not put in more air than the tire calls for. When not towing, I do lower the pressure in my TV tires the bring it up again before heading out on a trip.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

So when I got home from work I looked at the side wall of my 5er tires and the max PSI cold is 80 PSI, do all of yours say 80PSI and you run 110PSI in them anyway or are your max cold PSI higher than what mine says? I'm running the stock tires that came on on my unit, Power King Towmax STR ST 235 80 R16. The side wall on my truck tires max cold PSI is 65 so I think I will go with that. Thanks for all of your input, I'm trying to be as safe and prepared as possible!!

Burton, the Load Range of the tire dictates the max PSI cold. Your trailer tires are probably Load Range E which call for 80 psi. Some of us are running Load range G tires which call for 110 psi cold. The trucks tires may be Load Range D calling for 65 psi cold. You are safe sticking with the max psi marked on the tires. "Cold" pretty much means that the rig hasn't been moved for several hours and the tires are at ambient temperature.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Guess it depends on the truck tires. Mine are E's, rated for 80 psi max., but the sticker says 66 front and 60 on the duallies. RVSEF recommended 70 on the fronts for the measured loads with the rig on. If I ran them all at 80 psi, I'd probably lose some fillings.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Here is the reason for the difference. The vehicle manufacturers put the recommended pressure on the label based on the best ride and average load. The tire manufacturers put the maximum cold pressure the tire can safely be inflated to with the maximum load. Most of the tire experts I have talked to recommend you inflate the tire to the maximum cold inflation which is on the tire sidewall. The reason for this is most people do not have a exact weight their vehicle is and the tire is carrying so the safest thing is to go with the maximum. Exceeding the maximum i.e. inflating to 110 psi on an 80 psi tire is not safe and will probably cause a premature failure of the tire. When people on this forum are talking about inflating to 110 psi they are talking about a G rated tire as an E rated tire maximum inflation is 80 psi. Additionally the wheel (rim) is rated for a maximum inflation too. Putting a G rated tire on an E rated rim can and inflating to 110 psi is not safe either and can cause a catastrophic tire failure. BTW many car dealers will under-inflate their vehicle tires to give the vehicle a softer ride to encourage sales. When I bought my truck it had 20 psi in all of the tires and it rode great. But the inflation should have been 80 psi which gives a much rougher ride. You should always be vigilant in monitoring your tire pressures for best wear, safest ride, and maximum performance. Hope this info clears up some misconceptions.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
At last year's national rally, the tire expert said that a tire that is 20% low, although it looks fine, is effectively flat and will be permanently damaged as you go down the road. If I remember correctly, the low pressure allows the weight of the trailer to flex the tire too much resulting in excessive heat and damage to the steel.

If you need 110# inflation for the load you're carrying, 20% low would be 88#.
 

Burtonair01

Member
Re: Dumg tire PSI question

Yes I'm pretty clear now, I will definately go with what the tire says on the side wall, for my trailer and my tow vehicle. I own the Heartland Cyclone 3814 Full Throttle toyhauler so it is a heavy trailer, gross is 18000#. The trailer tires are "E" rated as are my TV tires.
Thanks for all the replies, I can finally rest now, I've had a lot of questions and it has been great getting them all answered and real fast at that. Headed out camping this weekend for the first time in our new trailer so we are excited.
 
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