Tire Pressure?

[sidney dreyfus]

Should we be reducing our tire pressure on our camper and TV during the hot summer months?
If the recommended max cold tire pressure is 110 psi on the camper and 80 on the TV, should we reduce this to lets say 100 psi and 75 psi during July and August?

 

[branson4020]

Absolutely NOT.

 

[Gaffer]

Cold refers to the pressure in the tires before moving the vehicle the first time that day.

 

[Nabo]

NO, No and no - unless you want to have a blow-out pretty quickly.

 

[sidney dreyfus]

Does everyone keep their tires at the max psi when they first start out? That psi is going to go up quite a bit after traveling 6 - 8 hours at a stretch in the hot weather. Won't this high psi lead to a possible blowout? Why does leaving your tires 5 psi below the max psi increase the possibility of a blowout? We are not talking about reducing the campers psi by more than 5 psi. and the TV by more than 5 psi.

camper 110 down to 105
TV 80 down to 75

 

[branson4020]

High pressure does not lead to blowouts. Low pressure leads to excessive heat and sidewall flexing and blowouts. I have seen my truck tires start out at 80 psi and go up to over 110 after driving a few hours in hot weather. It's OK. That's what they are designed for.

 

[Recovered from 25-May-2010]

X2 --what Bob said. Don't under inflate your tires.

 

[caissiel]

The tires are not warming up by traveling longer, they are suppose to get hotter but traveling long period of time should be like the first 1/2 hour.
They get to a certain temperature and stay there. If there is additional heat it is caused by underinflation, alignment or brake and bearing drag.
Thats why we should always check the wheel temperature for abnormal heat builup.

 

[jnbhobe]

My trailer tires started out today at 108 lbs 20 miles down the road they were up to 127 lbs and 115*. Do yourself a big favor and run your tires at the max inflation.

 

[archbarb]

While talking about tire pressure, I've got a question that I'm not sure of the answer. For example on my truck I 'm running Michelin LT245/75R16 (10 Ply). On the tire it says 80psi, but on the door jam of my truck it says 55psi front/80psi rear. Being the tire states 80psi should I increase the front to 80psi?

 

[cookie]

I do not think you need to increase your front tire pressure. The door jamb sticker numbers are based on running with a maximum load. I run my rears at 80 when towing. If I have no plans to tow for a while and intend to use the truck, I reduce the rears to 55 psi. When loaded I run the rears at 80 and the front at 55. My axle weights unloaded are 4,250 lbs. in front and 3,000 lbs. in the rear. Hitched up weights are 4,300 lbs in front and 5,875 in the rear. So I only gain 50 lbs on the front axle. The inflation is based on weight on the tires.
Also keep your spare inflated to 80 psi. If you need it in the rear, it's all set.

Peace
Dave

 

[mesteve]

You only need to max out the fronts if you plan on maxing out the payload capacity of the tires on the fronts. The 55psi is set up to hold the expected daily useage of 'basically' the weight of the motor and front passengers.

 

[noobee]

On my Dodge dually the door tag says fronts @ 65. Rears at 65 loaded & 45 unloaded.

My tire dealer says NO... all at 65.

Any comments?

CS

 

[tmcran]

Well in fact you could --but it would be a rough ride. I usully keep my front at about 65 PSI when towing. I have a buddy that runs his at 70 PSI when towing. .

 

[sidney dreyfus]

Here's another question.
We have had Goodyear G 614 tires on our camper for the past 2 1/2 years. How do you know when your tires need replacing? Is it just a set time period before you replace them like changing your oil evey 5000 miles? Or the old Lincoln penny in the groove test? If i stick a penny into the grooves of the tire half the penny remains visible. What about the edge of the tires? They seem to be more worn than the surface or sidewalls. Is there a rule of thumb as to when to replace your tires?

 

[RollingHome]

Sidney, how's your tire pressure ? Usually if the center does not wear and the edges do, it's because of low pressure. Is your tire gauge accurate ? Use someone's elses tire gauge to verify your gauge is OK. The rule of thumb I use is, find a tire dealer you trust and follow their advice. Verify their advice with a second source. Actually, I use three trusted sources because I'm doubting THOMAS and that's just me, I'm anal. Tom

 

[TireHobby]

While talking about tire pressure, I've got a question that I'm not sure of the answer. For example on my truck I 'm running Michelin LT245/75R16 (10 Ply). On the tire it says 80psi, but on the door jam of my truck it says 55psi front/80psi rear. Being the tire states 80psi should I increase the front to 80psi?

Under normal circumstances - meaning you have the size tires on your truck that came on there - the pressures on your door placard should always take precedence over the maximum pressure depicted on the tire sidewall. The vehicle manufacturer sets those pressures for optimum load conditions. Of course there are other conditions to take into consideration. The most obvious is loads far above normal such as a high hitch/pin weight. Then it would be recommended to use the pressure to weight charts provided by the individual tire manufacturers.

The most important thing to remember when dealing with tire pressures is they are always set by the vehicle manufacturer via the placards provided on your car, truck, motor home or RV trailer.

TireHobby

 

[sidney dreyfus]

Sidney, how's your tire pressure ? Usually if the center does not wear and the edges do, it's because of low pressure. Is your tire gauge accurate ? Use someone's elses tire gauge to verify your gauge is OK. The rule of thumb I use is, find a tire dealer you trust and follow their advice. Verify their advice with a second source. Actually, I use three trusted sources because I'm doubting THOMAS and that's just me, I'm anal. Tom

Thanks Tom,

Makes sense. I have kept my tire pressure at the recommended 110 psi and we also use two gauges. I am also very skeptical.

 

[lwmcguir]

I do not think you need to increase your front tire pressure. The door jamb sticker numbers are based on running with a maximum load. I run my rears at 80 when towing. If I have no plans to tow for a while and intend to use the truck, I reduce the rears to 55 psi. When loaded I run the rears at 80 and the front at 55. My axle weights unloaded are 4,250 lbs. in front and 3,000 lbs. in the rear. Hitched up weights are 4,300 lbs in front and 5,875 in the rear. So I only gain 50 lbs on the front axle. The inflation is based on weight on the tires.
Also keep your spare inflated to 80 psi. If you need it in the rear, it's all set.

Peace
Dave

We follow the same guide lines as Dave. Watch the tire wear and adjust the inflation a bit if you need to on the front axle. The real key are the rears and making sure they are at max side wall pressure when loaded. Rotating the tires is important to avoid uneven wear on 10-14 ply tires.