What tire pressure do you run?

[RobertN]

What tire pressure do you run in you pickup when running empty/unloaded?

My Ram2500 4x4 says 65psi/front, 80psi/rear for max load. But, the tire data booklet that comes with the manual, says when running empty, the tires can be deflated to like 45/frt, 40/rear.

I did this, and it rides much better. I did notice a hit in mileage though. My truck is stock, tires are stock size. The computer said I was getting 15.2mpg for about 4500 miles. Since lowering pressure, this has dropped('01 Ram 2500 CTD/auto 4x4).

I had tried this once before, when I used the truck for work; the day after I lowered the pressure I needed to haul material, but couldn't till I bumped the pressure back up /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

How do you set your PSI?

 

[HGM]

Robert,
If you dont tow allot, it may be benneficial to run the lower pressures.. Not only will it ride smoother, it can also help with tire wear.. You might also be able to adjust it a bit, if 45/40 hurts the fuel economy, maybe you can split the difference between loaded and unloaded.. Its, just something you'll have to play with... An old 4x4 trick for figuring out what pressure to run an oversized tire(mine run 22psi) is to find a good flat parking lot, draw a thick chalk line across the treads, then drive in a straight line for a few feet. After you drive(straight it important) look at the line and see if the chalk has worn evenly, if so, your tire pressures are good.. Worn in the middle, too much air/tires will wear this way too.. Worn on the outside edges, way too little air.. Just a thought, though you probably dont need that extreme since you are running the correct tires for the truck..

 

[hudr]

I generally keep mine close to max. Mainly for fuel mileage. Yes, my 10 ply tires tend to buck a bit but I don't have to hunt a compressor if I suddenly need to haul something. It also keeps the tires from wearing "weird".
Speaking of tire wear, best thing I ever did was get a set of these for my truck. Lots of folks say they don't work (mostly tire guys, hmmmm...) but I have no wheel weights on my truck and 0 vibration loaded or empty except what the trailer introduces.

 

[Bird]

In addition to what HGM said, you can wet down a place on smooth pavement, drive through the water onto a dry area and see if you're getting a full foot print. What is the maximum recommended pressure on the sidewall of the tires? Now I don't know what tires you have, and it's been nearly 15 years since I worked a bit in the tire business, but . . . at that time, BFGoodrich/Uniroyal said to never go below 80% of the maximum shown on the sidewall. So if you have tires rated for a maximum of 80 psi, I'd never go below 64 psi.

Now I'm no engineer; just telling you what we were told. The summer I worked in my brother's tire dealership in Anchorage, the only tires we saw with rubber/cord separation were on 3/4 ton GM pickups and suburbans running OEM Uniroyal tires. We did warranty them, but the factory rep said the only problem was the GM owners manuals recommending a lower pressure than the 80%, and it sounds as if your Dodge manual is doing the same thing.

 

[Phils]

I worked for quite a few years at a local Goodyear dealership. All the info given above is correct, right down to the chalk system on flat pavement to get the perfect pressure.

I run 45psi front, and 40 in the rear unless I'm towing or hauling and then I put the rears to 65. I have a 3/4T Chevy.

Many times I'm running empty with that 65 in the rear tho. If I suspect I'll need it in a few weeks, I leave it. With that in mind, I'd like to recommend something I found through my other favorite forum (www.rv.net):

Velvet-ride shackles. Look at them here: Shackles

WHAT A DIFFERENCE in the ride while empty, whether there's 40 or 65 psi in the rear tires! I don't remember where I bought them, I just did internet searches. I just noticed a Dodge forum here that discusses these shackes a little DodgeTalk

Phil

 

[Phils]

Bird,

I'm no engineer either, but I saw the Uniroyal problem you speak of. I don't believe it was due to tire pressure tho, as typically 2 or more of those tires were separated on those vehicles, and I've seen more than once where even the spare was separated even tho it had never been on the ground. Worst I saw was 4 out of the 5 separated, one being the spare. Not air pressure IMHO, just krappy tire construction.

Phil

 

[Bird]

Phil, you may be right. I only worked with my brothers that one summer and we had 3 or 4 of those tires that separated, but only one per vehicle. Actually my brother was a BFGoodrich dealer and Goodrich had a warehouse and factory rep there, but since there was no Uniroyal dealer in town, the Goodrich rep was also the only rep for Uniroyal and he sent any warranty problems with Uniroyal to us, and of course the warehouse stocked a few Uniroyal tires, as did my brother. I didn't see any other Uniroyal problems except those few, so I guess it could have been a bad batch around 1990-91.

 

[HGM]

hudr,
I've seen these in the past but never really knew of anyone that had them.. Worth $200?? I've got 37" Swampers on my F-150 and am nearing the "grown up" stage of being tired of the egg shaped tires... Either way, I'll still stay with tall tires, so if these things have been worth it for you, I may give them a try...

 

[jcmseven]

Robert,

I run the 10 ply Michelin tires on my Ford 250. I run 70 lbs. front and rear when towing my heaviest and run 55 pounds front and rear when empty. Most of my driving is in town and daily commuting, and I personally have found that is the minimal acceptable pressure on my truck I can do without substantially affecting mileage.

John M<

 

[hudr]

I put them on my P/U only after Dad put a set on his OTR truck. Cut his tire wear on the steering axle down to almost nothing. Those tires on the front of a semi have to be virgin tires. No retreads and they really shouldn't have been pulled off of anything else. They can top $300 apiece easy.
They seem to have also helped the ride a bit.
And no, I am not getting a kickback from Centramatic /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
On a tire that big, I would probably have the tires balanced to "get them close". The Centramatics are only good for a few ounces and may not be able to compensate for 37" tires by themselves. But then, they probably NEVER get a lug-full of mud, right? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif