Tire Pressure Question

[jonesj2]

OK, I know proper inflation is the life of a tire be it on a truck, camper or whatever. Last weekend I have had 3 friends experience blowouts on their campers. All but one was running Carlisle tires. Our conversation went from tire seperation to proper inflation.

The question is, if the Max Pressure on the sidewall says 65 pounds cold do you all start with that pressure or maybe 10 to 15 pounds lower because the pressure will build up and exceed the Max Pressure hot.

I know the weight of the camper and the extras that we have inside make a difference on weights but this is just a general question about Max Pressures and where you all start out at.

 

[JohnDar]

Absolutely not!! Inflate the tire to the maximum cold temperature pressure, when the tire is actually cold. If you start out 10 - 15 psi under it, you can almost guarantee yourself major problems.

 

[hoefler]

Most tire failures are a direct cause of under inflation. Inflate to max air pressure cold, then check them again the next day if you had to add much air the day before. You might be suprised they are a little low. When you inflate them, the air from your compressor is warm, when it cools, it contract and the tire will be low.

Absolutely not!! Inflate the tire to the maximum cold temperature pressure, when the tire is actually cold. If you start out 10 - 15 psi under it, you can almost guarantee yourself major problems.

 

[redrunner]

I used to think the same. If you follow the manufactures recommended air pressure, check tires wheels hubs at breaks you should be ok. If you check your tires hot the increase is very minimal. I have had tires separate tread and still have 80psi. That is not a air pressure problem, its quality of the tires. Invest in a IR thermometer, check tires at breaks, its work the $60 investment. And weigh your rig, just pull up on scale at and CAT scale at a truck stop, it’s worth the $8.00 most people do not, you will learn a lot about loading on tow vehicle and actual axle weights. Its great place to start and know exactly your rig weight.
Finally, upgrade or get away from Chinese tires.

 

[jmgratz]

Tires are designed for the increase in pressure that occurs as tires heat up. They should be inflated to the max COLD pressure printed on the side wall. Incidently, I have a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) and have seen my G rated tires go from a cold pressure of 110 psi to 125 psi hot as we travel. Also it is amazing how the sun will increase a tire pressure as it warms.

 

[jayc]

And the tires on the sunny side of the trailer will get hotter than the other side that is on the shady side. I check my tires at every stop and can feel the difference.

 

[jmgratz]

One other thing I forgot to mention regarding tire safety. An infra-red thermometer is handy. You can point it at the tires and instantly get a reading on how hot the tires are. You can get a feel for what is 'normal' and if you see a tire out of the normal range you know you probably have a problem. You can also use the thermometer to take a reading on the wheel bearings to see if one of them is overheating also. Takes just a minute at your rest stops as you do a walkaround to check on things. I got my thermometer at Radio Shack.