Tire Pressure

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I got tired of using the old type gague on my tires, I counted about 20 tires around the place that I check....so I got a digital gague and started checking....man o man, my old popsickle stick type gague was waaaaay off or my tires are fluxuating a lot (yes I measured them at cold temp). What actually concerned me was that I looked at the sidewall of my truck tires and they want 80 psi cold. YIKES!! The dealership checks them every time I take it in and they are all around 42. Should I be airing tem up to 80??? That truck will ride like a meatwagon I would imagine. I don't want any premature wear though.



TOXIC

 

[cq]

I have an Explorer with 17" tires and the cold pressure is 44 psi. Presently they are at 40 psi.

I am running a V8 with full towing package.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Hey Tox, If you check the door jam there will be a recomended GM tire pressure to give you that smooth ride but will probably cause the inside and outside edge to wear faster than the center. I would try 60-65 and see how you like it, but you realy should run 80 in them to get the best fuel milage and tire wear, you might be surprised at how much better it should handle with the tires full. Just my opinion.

BF

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Just seems like 80 psi is awful hard. :huh:



TOXIC

 

[Jim in VA]

Scott:



The sidewall pressure is the maximum cold pressure rating from the tire manufacturer - it does not take into consideration the type of vehicle the tires are mounted to. The vehicle manufacturer sets the optimal cold pressure rating for the tire on the vehicle. Check the owner's manual of the truck as GM would have taken into consideration the tire capabilities and the vehicle's design. Similar tires can be used on many different types of cars and trucks - go with the car/truck manufacturer's recommendations and you won't be sorry.



Jim

 

[Bob G.]

Toxic,



I have the same tires as you (load range E) and they are rated for 80psi. The door jamb sticker says 50psi for the fronts and 80psi for the rears. I have mine at 50psi all the way around. I would only put 80psi in the rears if I actually had 2 to 3 thousand pounds in the bed and/or was towing a big trailer with a lot of tongue weight.



Bob G.

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Granted that all tires have many applications and Toxic does not "need" max air pressure to run his set up. The tire was built to run at 80 psi, it will provide best mpg and lifespan at that pressure. How many tires did Firestone buy back because Ford recomended a lower tire pressure for ride quality? Try it at least, you have nothing to lose but a little bit of time. Just to be a pain in the *** If you want to get real an** check your tire temp before you check pressure. The side in the sun will always be higher.. My 6 ply Coopers say 55 lbs cold max and thats where I run them, other than a vibration at around 80 they are fine, it rides like a cupcake. But I was used to a lifted 77 F250.

BF

 

[Staci Matheis]

It is the air in the tire that carries the load.

The tire is simply a container for that air.



The "Maximum Inflation Pressure" on the sidewall is how much air the tire can hold.

The "Weight Capacity" is how much weight the maximum amount of air can carry.



That 80# inflation pressure in your tires will allow you to carry the vehicle plus it's maximum load capcity. (Plus a bit extra for "insurance".)



Years ago, tire companies used to publish inflation pressure tables. These would tell you how far to inflate your tires for whatever load you were carrying. I haven't seen any in some time; I guess the liability of having someone underinflate a tire and having an accident as a result just got to be too much.



Bruce has it right - check the label inside your door jam!



me!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

On radials you don't have to run max pressure unless your runnin' max load. And yes it'll ride like a logwagon if you do. I run about 80 to 90% of what's called for and no prblems with tire wear ever.

 

[Bill Gintzel]

I go with whatever the tire itself says because I want maximum tire life and best handling. I have Goodyear Wrangler RT/S on my Dakota (original equip) and run them at sidewall recomended tire pressure of 44K. They have 45,000 miles and are rotated and balanced every 10K. They are three years old and still have a lot of tread left. It appears that I will get about 55K or more out of these tires which is great for an original equipment tire.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

At least they put Goodyears on it....GM uses thosecheapass General's....they suck:angry:

 

[Humminbird Greg]

Toxic,



About that digital gauge you used

 

[Major Mark]

I know one of my local repair facility customers makes it a common practice for each of their techs to check their gauges weekly as a minimum. They have a air regulator set up in the shop running off the main compressor line. They calibrate the regulator to a certain pressure, then check their hand gauges against the regulator. Cheap insurance against possible liability claims for letting a vehicle go without proper air pressure.



Mark

 

[Dan J.]

Tox - I use the door jam recomended and increase inflation on heavier loads. (Same truck as you.) Like Bob G., keeping the truck @ 50psi all around and bumping up to 65-70psi when trailering heavy. (Eyeball the tread pattern/sidewall bulge against the pavement loaded and you'll see the difference.) Fully inflating without a load and you'll feel every pebble under your tread, let alone anything more substantial. (You might shake your fillings loose with 80psi all around light!! Bumpy to say the least! LOL!!) Good luck!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Now I'm really confused....So I went out and checked. I have Bridgestone LT 245/75 R 16 Load Range E, M&S.



They all read 80 psi cold....duh...



The door Jam reads 50 on the fronts and 80 in the rears. Why in the world would the dealer not do it that way? I suppose they would get a lot of complaints because of the ride.



TOXIC

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Lazyness, they don't look at the door they just pick a pressure and go, they are not there tires. I still think it's worth the time to pump em up and try it out for a day or two. You can always let the extra air back out?



BF

 

[chris hidalgo]

you guys should live in southeast texas 90 miles from toledo bend and sam rayburn where you will never have to worry about cold tire pressure

 

[Bruce Freeman]

Cold is a relative term. If air temp is 80 degrees then that is you cold tire temp. If it's colder the tire pressure will drop with the temp, if it's warmer the tire pressure will increase.

BF