Why do tire makers mould the max PSI in such small print on the sidewall?

[Airdale]

FMVSS requires minimum standards be met.

This is an excerpt from tire sidewall markings requirements.

Tires shall have permanently molded into or onto both sidewalls, in letters and numerals not less than 0.078 inches high, the tires maximum permissible inflation pressure and maximum tire load capacity for that inflation.

[aircommuter]

Did you read post #8?

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Did you read post #8?

Again, the regulating authority just insures a minimum standard is maintained.

Look how far this thread has gone on about something so insignificant as print size.

It's sort of like tire inflation pressures. "Should I adhere to the published and widely accepted safety regulations and tire industry standards of air down for a more comfortable ride," Or, I like this one, "my tire guy says".

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Did you read post #8?

You mean this one?

Originally Posted by aircommuter

I have said for years that the government would have accomplished more by making the requirement to have the max pressure and load rating a minimum size of 3/4”, than requiring a tire pressure monitoring system that has less features than the aftermarket units and is so costly to replace the batteries. But that’s what happens when the government and special interest money makers get involved. Tire makers have no trouble making the name big letters.

Funny thing...

I've had every single oil change on my truck done at the dealership I bought it from, except the last one, and that was because I was in town (Denver) on my way through for the last time on my way to Arizona.

I had to go to a Grease Monkey because the dealer couldn't get me in until the day after I was leaving town.

Anyway, I always had the dealership rotate my tires at every oil change, and one time before a 2000 mile road trip with the 5'ver they rotated the tires along with the oil change, but didn't reset the truck's TPMS sensors, so on the trip through the Utah mountains my monitors started going off because I had changed the pressures for towing, but the tires on the rear were actually reading as the front tires and vise versa.

I figured out what was going on and what tire was where and just lived with the alarm going off every time I started the truck for the rest of the trip.

When I got home I went back to the dealership and asked them to reset them, and they tried to charge me $20 per tire to reset the sensors!

I argued with them about it as for some reason, even though they did the tire rotate it wasn't marked on the receipt or in their computer that they had done it.

They finally did the reset for free.

[aircommuter]

The problem is as always the regulating authority doesn’t have have to look at the the print or other things in the field like the people do. The type size looks fine in black print on white paper held horizontally in a well lit office. Do they try to read it with no contrast upside down in various light conditions? Just a classic example of government not being connected to reality or being bought off by special interests for profit.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Airdale

Look how far this thread has gone on about something so insignificant as print size.

Why do you find it so "insignificant" that most tires have the max tire pressure stamped on the sidewall so small that a large majority of people can't read it unless they get down on their knees with a magnifying glass and then spend 10 minutes trying to find it in all the other garbage that is printed on the sidewall?

Edit:

The reason I started this topic thread was because I was helping a fellow RV'er in an RV park that was getting ready to roll out and I noticed one of his tires was really low.

I grabbed my air compressor to fill him up and it took us almost 10 minutes to find the max tire pressure on the sidewall.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

Why do you find it so "insignificant" that most tires have the max tire pressure stamped on the sidewall so small that a large majority of people can't read it unless they get down on their knees with a magnifying glass and then spend 10 minutes trying to find it in all the other garbage that is printed on the sidewall?

I’m going to suggest that the need for the owner to know that information is nearly moot. From an owner’s standpoint it’s not a useable number.

Edit:

The reason I started this topic thread was because I was helping a fellow RV'er in an RV park that was getting ready to roll out and I noticed one of his tires was really low.

I grabbed my air compressor to fill him up and it took us almost 10 minutes to find the max tire pressure on the sidewall.

You were looking in the wrong place. The correct cold inflation pressures are found on the certification label, tire placard and in the vehicle owner's manual.

There is a very simple explanation for the tire manufacturer to display an inflation pressure on the tire sidewall. By regulation the tire manufacturer MUST tell us the maximum load capacity of the tire. For the pneumatic tire to be able to achieve that maximum load capacity, it requires a volume of compressed air to support the load. The tire manufacturer determines just what inflation pressure that compressed gas needs to be set at and displays it on the sidewall. The correct description for that action is, the inflation pressure to provide the tire's maximum load capacity is XX PSI. With LT and ST tires, that in no means implies, that it is their maximum PSI capability. There is no reason to publish it. If you want to find out what it might be you can search the FMVSS starting a 571.109. It's there.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Airdale

You were looking in the wrong place. The correct cold inflation pressures are found on the certification label, tire placard and in the vehicle owner's manual.

It was a camper trailer (TT)...not a car or truck!

And the original size and load range tires may or may not be on the RV.

Going to the horse's mouth (ie.- the tire sidewall) is the best bet!

[aircommuter]

Even if it was a car or truck, the posted pressures are for best ride and will not give best mileage or handling. There are also road conditions you use the most where you live. Big rigs typically run their tires at 5 psi over max from the mostly unreadable sidewall. Example for me I live in the mountains with rough slurry coated roads, I use max pressure at all times along with frequent rotation to get the most tire life. We had to rotate fleet tires on the front more frequently if they did a lot of freeway use to get to deliveries through a city because most freeway on ramps and off ramps are right turns resulting in more wear on the left front tire.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

Even if it was a car or truck, the posted pressures are for best ride and will not give best mileage or handling. There are also road conditions you use the most where you live. Big rigs typically run their tires at 5 psi over max from the mostly unreadable sidewall. Example for me I live in the mountains with rough slurry coated roads, I use max pressure at all times along with frequent rotation to get the most tire life. We had to rotate fleet tires on the front more frequently if they did a lot of freeway use to get to deliveries through a city because most freeway on ramps and off ramps are right turns resulting in more wear on the left front tire.

I keep posting this and no one seems to pay much attention to it.

The rules for inflating commercial tires are not applicable with the rules for our automotive vehicles.

Commercial tire inflation does not follow the rules for recommended cold inflation pressures for FMVSS certified vehicles.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

It was a camper trailer (TT)...not a car or truck!

And the original size and load range tires may or may not be on the RV.

Going to the horse's mouth (ie.- the tire sidewall) is the best bet!

Even with plus sized replacement tires the information would be in the same places, IF the installer followed standard tire industry standards for installing replacement tires.

In accordance with tire industry standards, replacement tires MUST provide a load capacity equal to or greater than the OE tires provided. New recommended cold tire inflation pressures are set accordantly.

The blame rests with the new owner or past owner for not providing the upgraded information. It protects the field, so to speak.

I'm just posting on how it's supposed to be done. Most owners just don't make the vehicle owner's manual their friend. All safety information in those manuals are mandated to be there. Remember, in most instances they are minimum standards. Even torque values have +/-s. For tires those +/-s start at the recommended and end at the sidewall max.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Airdale

Even with plus sized replacement tires the information would be in the same places, IF the installer followed standard tire industry standards for installing replacement tires.

In accordance with tire industry standards, replacement tires MUST provide a load capacity equal to or greater than the OE tires provided. New recommended cold tire inflation pressures are set accordantly.

The blame rests with the new owner or past owner for not providing the upgraded information. It protects the field, so to speak.

So...

What you are telling me is that when I switched the factory supplied 'D' range tires with a max psi of 65 to 'E' range tires with a max pressure of 80 psi...

That I should still run those 'E' range tires at 65 psi, since that is the rating on the sticker stuck to the side of my 5'ver?

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

So...

What you are telling me is that when I switched the factory supplied 'D' range tires with a max psi of 65 to 'E' range tires with a max pressure of 80 psi...

That I should still run those 'E' range tires at 65 psi, since that is the rating on the sticker stuck to the side of my 5'ver?

A tire's official size is it's designated size. This is a designated size, ST225/75R15. The prefix is part of the designated size. The load range is not. Therefor, both load ranges provide the same load capacity at 65 PSI and use identical load inflation charts. To gain load capacity reserves you have the option to use any cold inflation pressure from 65 - 80 PSI. The limiting factor is the PSI rating for the wheel and valve stem. My recommendation would be to insure the PSI used will provide 10-15% in load capacity reserves above the trailer's certified GAWRs. Once satisfied with the PSI, make a notation in the vehicle owner's manual describing your recommended cold inflation pressures for the LRE tires.

[aircommuter]

So when new owner buys that trailer he is suppose to load the way he wants, drive it around testing pressures to see how it performs in his opinion and then write over what last person did. This continues for all future owners correct? All based on each owners satisfaction.
The post that contains both big rig and cars is just an example. No one said they are the same. Some things about the different vehicles can use the same function big or small. In some states 1/2 ton pickups are commercial.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

So when new owner buys that trailer he is suppose to load the way he wants, drive it around testing pressures to see how it performs in his opinion and then write over what last person did. This continues for all future owners correct? All based on each owners satisfaction.
The post that contains both big rig and cars is just an example. No one said they are the same. Some things about the different vehicles can use the same function big or small. In some states 1/2 ton pickups are commercial.

There are no "write overs" for original equipment tires, just over sized replacements. NHTSA authorizes auxiliary tire placards - which can be home maid - to place next to the original tire placard to show the size and recommended cold inflation pressures for the plus sized tires.

Are RV trailers certified as commercial vehicles? If or whenever that happens, it'll be a whole new ball game for tire servicing. Start reading-up on it in the FMCSA regulations. I'll bet CA will be first. They are always looking for revenue.

[aircommuter]

It still comes down to the same thing according to your government information recommended tire pressure is just an opinion from the person who writes it.
As for RV trailer being commercial or not they use the same tires, axles, and springs as some trailers that are commercially used.

[Teetime]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

I've often wondered why tires always have the tire pressure listed on the side of the tire in such small print that you need three pair of readers stacked and a microscope to see what it is.

Do they not want us to know that number...or what?

Why don't they put that number (max tire pressure) as large as the tire size is moulded on the sides of the tires?

JohnD10, I'm all in with you on this! I've posted and also Tweeted directly to the tire manufacturers that the BIGGEST BOLDEST print on a tire should be the air pressure recommendations

You shouldn't have to stand on your head and turn your bifocals upside down to read it.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by aircommuter

It still comes down to the same thing according to your government information recommended tire pressure is just an opinion from the person who writes it.
As for RV trailer being commercial or not they use the same tires, axles, and springs as some trailers that are commercially used.

The tires on your trailer were not randomly selected. They had to meet stringent safety regulation requirements. The following paragraph outlines the procedures the vehicle manufacturer must follow when setting your tire’s recommended cold inflation pressures.

FMVSS 571.120 paragraph S5.3.1 Tires. The size designation and the recommended cold inflation pressure for those tires such that the sum of the load ratings of the tires on each axle is appropriate for the GAWR.

[Airdale]

Originally Posted by Teetime

JohnD10, I'm all in with you on this! I've posted and also Tweeted directly to the tire manufacturers that the BIGGEST BOLDEST print on a tire should be the air pressure recommendations

You shouldn't have to stand on your head and turn your bifocals upside down to read it.

That inflation pressure you're referring to is not a recommendation. It's a fact, based on the information provided to the vehicle manufacturer from the tire manufacturer in the tire's load inflation chart/table.

[aircommuter]

I am talking about what you said in post 58 and before, you said in the owner decided to upgrade his tires that he can do the recommending of the pressure for that trailer. Now you are avoiding that question.