Over inflate tires for increasing speed limit?

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Mattpopp

That is a big topic on the Heartland forums and it seems alot of people do it but not for the increased speed but to help the tires stand up to the weight of the trailers. Dont know if there is any fact to it but have read numerous people that do it.

I don't know about that. My "D" rated GY ST'S CP is 65 psi, that is what I run them at. The wheel weight it carries is at 1760 at 50 PSI running at 65 PSI it good for 2340 or something close, but I still can't over load to that weight. I have always been told to run it 65 CP what is marked on the sidewall, besides my rims are stamped inside 60 PSI. I don't drive over 65 anyway except to pass or something then back to 65 ASAP. It's been working for me, my old tires where rated "C" at 50 CP I had only 300lbs to play with, to close for me. The garbage Trail Express.

[Oaklevel]

& then everyone blames it on the tires blowing out & not the fact that they were traveling above the tires requirements of speed, weight , and pressures ............ It was't me...............It's someone elses fault......

[Happy Vibe]

One thing to remember is some states have maximum speeds when you are towing a trailer that may be below the posted speed.

[Black]

The tires are one thing...
My main concern is your ability to stop safely in an emergency...the trailer might be driving the truck if speed is to great !
As a former 18 wheeler driver...I know the forces at play, and that trailer will push the truck around !

[TURBS]

I'll just drive the speed limit, could care less if I'm keeping up with traffic.
Drove through Chicago twice in 2 years and i got passed like I was tied to a post the whole way through!
Looks like I made it.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by TURBS

I'll just drive the speed limit, could care less if I'm keeping up with traffic.
Drove through Chicago twice in 2 years and i got passed like I was tied to a post the whole way through!
Looks like I made it.

As bad as I hate to agree with Turbs, WHO cares about keeping up with 70-80mph traffic? Last time I noticed, they can either follow or pass me. I really don't care. Have driven thru Chicago, Houston, J'ville, FL, Atlanta, Dallas/FW, Memphis and a lot of big cities and haven't been rear ended yet.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

As bad as I hate to agree with Turbs, WHO cares about keeping up with 70-80mph traffic? Last time I noticed, they can either follow or pass me. I really don't care. Have driven thru Chicago, Houston, J'ville, FL, Atlanta, Dallas/FW, Memphis and a lot of big cities and haven't been rear ended yet.

That hurt didn't it...[emoji12]

TURBS

[youroo]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

As bad as I hate to agree with Turbs, WHO cares about keeping up with 70-80mph traffic? Last time I noticed, they can either follow or pass me. I really don't care. Have driven thru Chicago, Houston, J'ville, FL, Atlanta, Dallas/FW, Memphis and a lot of big cities and haven't been rear ended yet.

OC you just Did by Turbs! Youroo!!

[MagnoliaTom]

Again, I'm NOT trying to "keep up" with traffic going 80mph. Ah never mind. Thank you all for the sage advice


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[geotex1]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

As bad as I hate to agree with Turbs, WHO cares about keeping up with 70-80mph traffic? Last time I noticed, they can either follow or pass me. I really don't care. Have driven thru Chicago, Houston, J'ville, FL, Atlanta, Dallas/FW, Memphis and a lot of big cities and haven't been rear ended yet.

Having lived and worked in Houston for a period, Houston drivers have their own quirks but let's talk brass tacks here. It has nothing to do with what traffic is doing. Traffic and behaviors of drivers have common patterns - traffic engineers are actually taught this and have been since the days I was in school and had to have an introductory traffic engineering course. Human behaviors that drive traffic behaviors are an input to geometric design.

One of those common behaviors is the little guy does not like to be behind the big guy - meaning no matter what speed the bigger vehicle is going, someone driving a smaller vehicle they cannot see around doesn't want to be behind them. So, everyone of us driving a pickup annoyed by the driver with the Prius speeding past to only drop in front of us and decelerate - this is why. Next common behavior is pack mentality, where all lanes of traffic comes to fall into a uniform pace which is the basis of a "traffic wave" behavior on a highway (on frontage roads, it's traffic control devices that purposely generate the traffic wave pattern). With the pack mentality comes the alpha or leader mentality, which is the driver who goes to great lengths weaving in an out of traffic to get out ahead of the wave in lead of it.

So, you WANT to go faster towing. It is not a NEED to go faster, nor is it to "keep up with traffic" nor does it "promote safety." It is a mental game, and the mental game is getting more and more intense with the societal attitudes fostering impatience and intolerance.

Further, the maximum speed limit for towing a trailer in TX is 70mph in the day, 65 mph at night for passenger vehicles towing a trailer less than 26 feet. All other trailers is 60mph in the day, 55mph at night. I do not believe the latest speed limit changes have affected that.

What boggles my mind is the incredible resistance of the tire industry to put a reliable, competent ST design into production and onto the road... Moreover, having worked with a number of tire manufacturers the most common reason cited is cost. I'd pay good money for an ST tire that I could get a solid 5-7 year life or 50-70K miles out of - i.e., the design life for non-commercial vehicle - without fear of destructive blowout (been there, done that) and at least an L or M speed rating.

[schrederman]

I just drove back from Phoenix over 3 days. Would have been 2 days but I was held up in Van Horn for weather. I drove back at 70 mph and the tires never even felt warm to the touch... That being said the highest temp I saw on the truck's thermo between Van Horn and Weatherford was 37f and the lowest was 20f. When I left the Phoenix area, it was 85f, but it was mid 40s by the time I went into New Mexico. I checked at every rest stop and again the tires were fine. So... There's probably some lawyer cushion in the speed rating... That being said, I drove all the way out there at 65. I didn't save much time going 70, to be honest. I did see a touch better mileage at 65. So, from now on, for me... it's 65 unless passing.


I lived in the Houston Area just east of Magnolia for about 5 years... I feel your pain. Houston traffic stinks.


Some of these guys let their sarcasm get away from them... don't let it get you down. They are actually pretty experienced at all of this and give good advise... if your skin's thick enough to take it...

[northstar1960]

[QUOTE=MagnoliaTom;791650]I have search to no avail but I swear I read somewhere on here that if you increase the psi in the tires from 80 to 90 psi, you can in theory drive at speeds higher than 65 mph. Am I losing my mind, or what?


Seems you'd be better off getting E rated tires that go to 80 psi and are ten ply for your higher speed travel .I sure it won't be long before i upgrade to E rated and maybe one size larger in dia

[jz5w63]

Don't overinflate beyond tire max. cold pressure on the sidewall. Tire pressure will rise as highway driving heats the tire and tire is designed to accomodate that extra pressure from driving but if you inflate beyond the rating then you are really pushing them as they heat up. BTW recheck tires when travelling from northern states to Florida as psi rises about 3 psi for every +10deg. of ambient. We blew a tire at 65-70 mph in Florida 2 years ago and it did a lot of damage to the trailer. The tire looked like you took a Skill saw and cut it through. Tire pressures had been good but the tires were probably 5 or 6 years out but looked brand new - bad assumption, like they say, change them out after 4 years regardless of how they look!

[Kf4mnc]

The documents in this thread from the Tire manufactures clearly state if those brands can be over inflated to gain a higher speed rating. I trust what the manufactures say, regardless of the temperature, where you are traveling to/from, etc. Monitoring inflation is a requirement whether you are over inflating or not, and TPMS are not likely to predict a catastrophic blow out.

[MagnoliaTom]

Originally Posted by schrederman

I just drove back from Phoenix over 3 days. Would have been 2 days but I was held up in Van Horn for weather. I drove back at 70 mph and the tires never even felt warm to the touch... That being said the highest temp I saw on the truck's thermo between Van Horn and Weatherford was 37f and the lowest was 20f. When I left the Phoenix area, it was 85f, but it was mid 40s by the time I went into New Mexico. I checked at every rest stop and again the tires were fine. So... There's probably some lawyer cushion in the speed rating... That being said, I drove all the way out there at 65. I didn't save much time going 70, to be honest. I did see a touch better mileage at 65. So, from now on, for me... it's 65 unless passing.


I lived in the Houston Area just east of Magnolia for about 5 years... I feel your pain. Houston traffic stinks.


Some of these guys let their sarcasm get away from them... don't let it get you down. They are actually pretty experienced at all of this and give good advise... if your skin's thick enough to take it...

No worries. I got hazed more in college than this.


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[MagnoliaTom]

[QUOTE=northstar1960;792586]

Originally Posted by MagnoliaTom

I have search to no avail but I swear I read somewhere on here that if you increase the psi in the tires from 80 to 90 psi, you can in theory drive at speeds higher than 65 mph. Am I losing my mind, or what?


Seems you'd be better off getting E rated tires that go to 80 psi and are ten ply for your higher speed travel .I sure it won't be long before i upgrade to E rated and maybe one size larger in dia

Actually I do have E rated tires


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[MagnoliaTom]

Originally Posted by jz5w63

Don't overinflate beyond tire max. cold pressure on the sidewall. Tire pressure will rise as highway driving heats the tire and tire is designed to accomodate that extra pressure from driving but if you inflate beyond the rating then you are really pushing them as they heat up. BTW recheck tires when travelling from northern states to Florida as psi rises about 3 psi for every +10deg. of ambient. We blew a tire at 65-70 mph in Florida 2 years ago and it did a lot of damage to the trailer. The tire looked like you took a Skill saw and cut it through. Tire pressures had been good but the tires were probably 5 or 6 years out but looked brand new - bad assumption, like they say, change them out after 4 years regardless of how they look!

Why were you in such a rush going over 65? 😄


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[MagnoliaTom]

Originally Posted by Kf4mnc

The documents in this thread from the Tire manufactures clearly state if those brands can be over inflated to gain a higher speed rating. I trust what the manufactures say, regardless of the temperature, where you are traveling to/from, etc. Monitoring inflation is a requirement whether you are over inflating or not, and TPMS are not likely to predict a catastrophic blow out.

I agree


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[MillerTime]

Op...If it makes you feel any better, I've heard this too about raising the psi and I've done it too on my boat trailer and on my car hauler with no ill efects. Ive towed the boat the most (usually about 150 miles a week-may thru october) and most of the time im running about 70 mph and occasionally up to 75 on my D rated st tires.
We have a seasonal site so I've only moved my 5er about 300-400 miles in the past year and i just left the tire pressure alone at 80psi.

But im young and dumb

[MagnoliaTom]

Originally Posted by MillerTime

Op...If it makes you feel any better, I've heard this too about raising the psi and I've done it too on my boat trailer and on my car hauler with no ill efects. Ive towed the boat the most (usually about 150 miles a week-may thru october) and most of the time im running about 70 mph and occasionally up to 75 on my D rated st tires.
We have a seasonal site so I've only moved my 5er about 300-400 miles in the past year and i just left the tire pressure alone at 80psi.

But im young and dumb

I'm not so young anymore but still dumb! 😄


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