NEWBIE Question: Re: Tire PSI vs Posted PSI

[BillbeeRx]

Hi All... New to the RV Trailer.
We purchased the Forest River Cherokee 304R rated for a max of 7800lbs.
The sticker states the PSI of the tires should be 80.
The constancy st225/75r15 LCD has a rating of 65 lbs PSI.

We live in florida - travel approx 600 miles per trip (Average weather:88 - 96)
Which rating do we inflate the tires to? (Currently I split the difference to 70 PSI)

ALSO: We noticed that the lifespan in the forums for RV Trailer tires range from 2000 - 10,000 miles. Any thoughts on these tires?

We are headed out for our 1st longest trip - Wednesday!

Thanks for your advice and input!!
Bill and LeeLee

[A32Deuce]

What is the max pressure on the tire side wall? That is the pressure I would use to start with.

[007matman]

Go with the tire rating. Anything over that and you run the risk of a blow out.

[TheWolfPaq82]

X2....if the side of tire states 65 max psi, I'd go with that...not 80 psi. My 304BS states 65 psi on the sticker on the TT and that is what the max pressure is on the Tire sidewall.

[mwdilday]

You should go with the PSI on the sticker, not the sidewall. They may be the same but if not go with the sticker PSI.

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by mwdilday

You should go with the PSI on the sticker, not the sidewall. They may be the same but if not go with the sticker PSI.

No way should you exceed max tire pressure on the tire sidewall! That is asking for trouble!

[JPin AZ]

I would say you have the wrong tires. Max for the tire is MAX for the tire. Pretty simple really.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by mwdilday

You should go with the PSI on the sticker, not the sidewall. They may be the same but if not go with the sticker PSI.

Sticker is 80psi and sidewall is 65 max psi. that would put tire 15psi over it's maximum.

Big...NO-NO !!!!

[BillbeeRx]

Thanks for the input...
What's the max lifespan of RV Tires? I'm reading 2k - 10k miles

[JPin AZ]

Mileage really is not the issue, they almost never wear out. Age is the key. I replace mine every four years.

[mwdilday]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

No way should you exceed max tire pressure on the tire sidewall! That is asking for trouble!

Oh you are correct. I didn't notice the OP said the sticker is 80 and the sidewall is 65. Must be the wrong rated tires on the RV. Using under rated tires is also asking for trouble. I doubt that the sticker is incorrect as it is regulated by NHTSA. I would double check the tires size and load rating are correct for the trailer.

[TheWolfPaq82]

I'm thinking it's the wrong Sticker. I own the Cherokee 304BS which has a gross of 11,060 lbs. My tires are "D" rated and a max psi of 65lbs. as stated on sticker and sidewall.

[wmtire]

To the OP. If the sticker says one thing and the tires do not adhere to that, then something is wrong.

It was a mistake at Forest River or possibly the dealer swapped out the tires. This happens too.

You need to follow up with Forest River. This is something that they may have to issue a recall for, as it is a safety issue and is against the NHTSA labeling requirements.

[DieselDevilDog]

Don't forget to check the date on the tire. It has 4 numbers after the DOT. Example 0515. this tire was made in the 5th week of 2015. Hope this helps.

[oldblueroadking]

Max tire side wall rating. If your tire says 65psi and you inflate it to 80psi the tire will fail catastrophically. If your rig is calling tor 80psi you need different tires. My rig has 235/80R16E 10 Ply, 3520 lbs. per tire @ 80 psi tire sidewall max pressure rating cold. Also depending on how much humidity is in the compressed air you fill your tires with the tire pressure will rise as the tires heat up but not to a point it will be a problem. That's the reason the tire pressure rating is for cold (not after running the tire a ways). You can use Nitrogen or dry air but I really don't think it is worth the cost. I run nitrogen in my motorcycle tires but not in my autos or trailers. Race cars run nitrogen to better control tire pressure as staggered tire pressures help with handling and teams want the staggered pressures to remain constant.

[Dirt Sifter]

X 2 what wolfpaq82 said!

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by wmtire

To the OP. If the sticker says one thing and the tires do not adhere to that, then something is wrong.

It was a mistake at Forest River or possibly the dealer swapped out the tires. This happens too.

You need to follow up with Forest River. This is something that they may have to issue a recall for, as it is a safety issue and is against the NHTSA labeling requirements.

More often than people realize. With some dealers it's "anything to make the sale" and if that means swapping wheels because customer likes the others better it happens. LAST thing the Dealer's people look at is tire load rating.

OP should definitely contact FR and let THEM say which is wrong, sticker or tires. This is a safety issue of the highest magnitude that should be corrected "yesterday".

[wmtire]

From the Cherokee website. I would recommend getting ahold of Sabrina or Mikala and let them know what is going on.


Cherokee Contact Information

Sales

Service
Sabrina Shannon
(260) 499-2100
SShannon@forestriverinc.com


Mikala Yoder
(260) 499-2100
myoder@forestriverinc.com









Company Address

Cherokee

404 Lehman Avenue
Topeka, IN 46571
Report Safety or other Vehicle Related Concerns

Administrator
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590

Or you may call the toll free Vehicle Safety
Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
Or visit www.safercar.gov

[Chuck_S]

Don't assume these are "wrong" tires. Wheel and tire upgrades are common. Several years ago it was common to upgrade from 13" to 14" wheels when tires wore out. The 14" tires had much more capacity. That hasn't changed.

Find out the tire's capacity -- in pounds.

Different size tires have different maximum capacities. x,xxx pounds may require 80psi on a smaller tire while a larger tire will support the same x,xxx pounds at 65 psi.

Tire sidewall lists the maximum cold sidewall pressure AND the pounds it supports at that pressure. The pounds are the critical number. Any pressure less than max supports less weight, will allow the sidewall to flex, consequently overheat, and blow out. Underinflated tires are the cause of (I'm guessing!) the majority of trailer blowouts not caused by road debris.

Regardless, my personal experience indicates ST tires should always be run as maximum cold tire pressure. They'll age out long before they wear out.

-- Chuck

[Lvn2tvl]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

No way should you exceed max tire pressure on the tire sidewall! That is asking for trouble!

X2 Never ever exceed max pressure stamped on the tire sidewall.