Truck tire pressure

[JasG]

I run my tires about 10% less than the max listed on the sidewall (ex: 40 psi in my truck tires rated at 44 psi). I don't run the max because if you do then you could easily run well over the max with a change in air temp and/or tire temp from driving. For example, we took a vacation to Florida and drove there (1400 miles). I put the tires up to the max 42 psi figuring we would get better gas mileage. 300 miles later and about 25 degrees warmer, I check the tires at a gas station and they were all at 50 psi. One good pothole and one of those tires could easily blow out a sidewall.

I think the cold pressure takes this into account that the tires will warm up and I don't think 50 or even 60 PSI will cause a failure. Otherwise I would think they would recommend checking pressure "hot". The only time I know this comes into play was with heavy machinery going down the road. Earth moving pans use to be able to be driven down the road and sometime great distances from job to job. I know when my dad did this they would stop every now and then for this reason.

 

[Egon]

Moisture in the aircraft tires can turn into steam under certain conditions. The steam has considerable volume and the tires don't have PSV.

 

[ultrarunner]

Too bad you're not in California where it is the law that anytime a vehicle is in for service, tire inflation must be checked and adjusted if necessary and records kept for 3 years...

Tire Pressure Program

And here is the 5 page law... http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2009/tirepres09/tirefinalreg.pdf

 

[deerefan]

All my vehicles, the tire pressure stays between 32 and 38. 32-36 on my wife's Traverse gives it the best ride, 36-38 on my 97 F150 and 11 Z71 give them the best all around ride both towing and regular driving. I had them at 40, but the ride was a little too firm for my liking.

 

[timswi]

I use the manufactuers spec....That's what supposed to be utilized, if you have the recommended tire size, that's what's engineered into the vehicle..

That being said, I run the front's to spec, but run the rears a few punds less to prevent center of the tire wear due to high torque and low rear weight...When I hook the trailer up, I then go to spec. Never had a problem and I get great tire wear.

The sidewall max is only what the tire can take, not what supposed to be done..Besides running a 35lb spec'd tire at 50 lbs will only wear the centers out.

 

[TheTrailerGuy]

No, you're not trying to argue, much less debate. You're merely repeating what you've heard as if it were fact. Since you're TheTrailerGuy I'm assuming a lot of your experience pertains to trailers. All my life I've seen U-Haul rental trailers with big signs on the fenders like "Inflate tires to 60 psi" or something like that. That's if you're hauling the trailer empty or loaded to maximum. The reason is that U-Haul doesn't want to see a tire fail from underinflation. They don't really care if the trailer bounces and rattles when empty or if the tires wear out the centre of the tread from overinflation because they'll probably die of old age before that.

However, this thread is about truck tires. "Trucks" can be a variety of vehicles. If you drive one of those yuppie Porsche Cayenne SUVs, don't want to be inflating your tires to the maximum sidewall number because some redneck in a Ford pickup will be able to outdrive you as you go skittering off into the weeds on a twisty road. Generally, trucks used for personal transportation carrying just the driver should have their tires inflated to the door jamb pressures for best comfort and roadholding. 18-wheelers, however, would probably run the maximum sidewall pressure just to be safe. If they're never carrying a load, they should be in a different line of work.

Ok... i can admit it when i am in error... here is what car talk says about it. I think that i will leave it at that. Car Talk

 

[timswi]

Ok... i can admit it when i am in error... here is what car talk says about it. I think that i will leave it at that. Car Talk

All true....Anyone doing otherwise is playing with fire, or at least their checkbook.

 

[timswi]

One more thing...My wheels were delaminating, so they were replaced under warranty. The dealer put 35lbs on all 4, with a spec of 30, and by the time I noticed it the rear centers were starting to go (apx 1000 miles after the wheel change)..The tire sidewall says max=44lbs..I'd be replacing all four tires by now if I followed the max sidewall advice....I do have "Good For a Year" OEM's though.

 

[Mace Canute]

There's a couple of things in "Car Talk" that are out and out bogus...I wouldn't believe anything that author says. Example...

If tire pressure is too low, then too much of the tire's surface area touches the ground, which increases friction between the road and the tire. As a result, not only will your tires wear prematurely, but they also could overheat.

Under inflated tires overhead because of excessive sidewall flexing, not increased friction from a slightly larger footprint.

A lot of people check the pressure listed on the tires themselves, but that's actually the wrong place to look. The number on the tire is the maximum allowable air pressure not the recommended pressure for that tire when used on your vehicle.

The recommended tire pressure is almost always lower than the maximum tire pressure. Check your owner's manual to find out where to look on your vehicle to find the recommended measurement. This number usually is indicated either on the driver's door pillar, the glove compartment door or sometimes on the gas filler door.

That's the exact reason for all the tire failures years ago on the Ford SUVS. The Fords needed to have a softer ride because of their leaf spring suspension and the way they decided to do it was the cheapest...print a sticker with lower tire inflation pressures to give a softer ride. The same exact tires on other makes of vehicles but with higher pressures had no problems. It also doesn't take into account that the tire on the vehicle isn't necessarily the same spec tire as was installed at the factory, and even if it was, since the Ford SUVs had underinflated specs from the factory, would you blindly inflate your tires to the same pressure that caused all the problems in the first place?

Not that it's related to the tires, but the author makes reference to driving and drinking coffee. (Hint: If you notice that every tie you own has coffee on it, check your tire pressure. It may be too high.) He shouldn't have said anything about it period. It's really called driving without due care and attention and there are many people who have received tickets and been convicted for it. The author is guilty of giving incorrect information and giving information that could give people the idea that doing something is ok when it might get you a ticket.

If you want some information on tires and air pressure, have a read through this very comprehensive site and the links in it also. Tire Tech Information - Air Pressure - Correct, Underinflated and Overinflated

 

[Diamondpilot]

One more thing...My wheels were delaminating, so they were replaced under warranty. The dealer put 35lbs on all 4, with a spec of 30, and by the time I noticed it the rear centers were starting to go (apx 1000 miles after the wheel change)..The tire sidewall says max=44lbs..I'd be replacing all four tires by now if I followed the max sidewall advice....I do have "Good For a Year" OEM's though.

Is this on your new truck? What do you mean by delaminating? The tires or the wheels?

Chris