What pressure should my tires REALLY be at?

[wpgman19]

I am a newbie pulling a Rockwood 8310SS, with a dry weight of 7200 LBS. The tires state a MAX PSI of 50. I was concerned about inflating to 50, especially when the TT is loaded, as the fear of a blowout at 100kph (60 mph) freaks me out. The tires do look a little low and the gauge indicates they are at 44-46 LBS each. Should I bring them to 50 before I hit the road? What is right?

Thanks

[fonzie]

top up to max PSI on tire, so 50 psi cold

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by fonzie

top up to max PSI on tire, so 50 psi cold

Agreed!
There is more than enough built in allowance for air expansion.

[wpgman19]

Thank you both!

[fonzie]

Originally Posted by wpgman19

Thank you both!

Also you should have info on driver side front trailer like this....

[B and B]

Hello, I used my stock tires for a year than upgraded to some Goodyear. There are many horror stories on here with blowouts etc. Just make sure you keep an eye on pressure and more so the loading. Tow level as to not put strain on the back axle towing high.

Hope to make it out west in a couple summers and enjoy your part of Canada.

[Evereddie]

What brand of tires do you have?

[tande]

This system is indispensable.....IMHO....

[usraptor]

Definitely inflate your rear tires on your tow vehicle to the Max pressure, cold, as indicated by the information on the side of the tire. This also pertains to your trailer tires, Max pressure, cold, regardless of how loaded it is. Especially if they are not load range "E". I would also bump the front tires of the tow vehicle up 10 Lbs over usual.

The primary reason for blowouts on tow vehicles and trailers is LOW pressure, not high pressure. When a tire is under-inflated their is more "rolling resistance" between the tire tread and pavement and this increases the tire temperature which then leads to tread separation or side wall failure and a blow out. So MAX pressure when towing.

Another thing, when you replace your tow vehicles and trailer tires, always buy "E" load tires. These are ten ply tires and will provide extra protection against blowouts and pots holes. I just returned from a 5K mile trip back and forth across the US. Have load range "E" tires on both my PU and 35 ft. 5th Wheel. Before we left I inflated the rear tires on the truck and all 4 tires on the trailer to 80lbs. We hit some of the worse roads I have ever encountered back East with huge pot holes, many of which could not be avoided. I was sure, on several occasions, that the truck or trailer tires where going to definitely blow as hard as we hit the pot holes. Never had one single tires issue during the entire trip. Load range "E" tires are definitely worth the additional safety and the little extra price for the piece of mind they provide.

[BBBlue]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Agreed!
There is more than enough built in allowance for air expansion.

I maintain 110psi in my Goodyear 614's, which is the maximum sidewall pressure cold. When traveling, my TPMS will show an increase up to at times 128 psi. How much over the maximum sidewall pressure cold before getting concerned?

[Ford Idaho]

That will depend on several factors, the tires age, altitude, the mileage, have you bumped a curb or hit a pot hole and stressed the tire.

[Flatlander49]

If the tire sidewalls say max 50 psi then I would inflate them to 50 psi. On the sidewall it will also tell you the load range and the max weight that the tires can carry and that maximum is based on the cold inflation pressure being at 50 psi. Under inflation can cause heat and in the simplest terms heat is bad. A tire failure can be very dangerous and can cause lots of collateral damage to your rig. Since you are also in Winnipeg you can send me a message if you wish and I'll get in touch and try to give you some more info. I learned a long time ago to NOT mess with tires.


Learn from the mistakes of others; you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.


Cheers &

[Christian_D]

I followed the steps in this article. Big help and great relief for me!!!!

How To Set the Tire Pressure in Your RV

[frozen]

Not sure I agree with all who recommend inflating to max. printed on the sidewall. Many tire manufacturers have inflation charts online. The load range E tires on my 9000 lb. trailer are good for up to 70 psi but the inflation chart recommends 55 with that load.

[TinkerToy]

wpgman
Great looking flag on your message, how do I load one on my messages
Thanks

[jeffrapp]

I have a Coachmen Prism. The tag on the door advises 61 PSI front and rear, including the rear duals.
When I original got it new from the dealer they were inflated close to 70 PSI. I figured they must know what they are doing (silly me).
What do you advise?

[wpgman19]

Originally Posted by TinkerToy

wpgman
Great looking flag on your message, how do I load one on my messages
Thanks

when you reply (or you can set up in your User CP Signature), click on the [More] tab in the smilies box and scroll down till you see the Maple Leaf!

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by Christian_D

I followed the steps in this article. Big help and great relief for me!!!!

How To Set the Tire Pressure in Your RV

The procedure for setting the recommended inflation pressures for motorized vehicles is not the same as the procedures for RV trailer axles.

Most RV trailers are equipped with Special Trailer (ST) tires. Their manufacturers support the use of maximum sidewall pressures. The RV trailer manufacturers seem to agree as that's also what they normally recommend.

Airdale

On edit: The tire industry term "recommended tire inflation pressure" means correct when set cold as described in tire inflation information.

[Tom48]

Try it if you like, but if my tires are a bit low, that one will run hotter than the others

[Malc]

Fonzie, I have a decal on the side of my Rockwood and it states that the tire pressure should be 50 psi but the tires are marked as 65 psi ???????