If your tires are Chinese, I agree, run max pressure, watch them like a hawk, and go to church at least once a week.
If you only know your unloaded weight, run maximum.
If you have actually WEIGHED your FULLY LOADED trailer, then IMO ask the people who designed the tire. You can use the link above for example.
In over 180,000 towing miles the only tire issues I've had were a few repairable nail holes. I've NEVER run max pressure. I want the max traction I can get, and over inflated tires can decrease the tire to road contact patch a lot!
Your choice.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded) Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories. I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
btcruzer wrote: sidewall of tires give MAXIMUM tire pressure to use with MAXIMUM load but how does one decide what pressure to run with actual load? My case is a hauler with a dry weight of 5200#, minimal water, dry holding tanks, average food/supplies and no toys. Tires says 2540# at 65PSI. if the load per tire is 75% of max rated load per tire would you run 75% on max pressure?
I believe your are on track. The tire mfgs publish inflation tables and must have their own formula. I use this and almost always ends up a bit higher than the mfg tables. Since so many say to run at max psi all the time, I feel Im safe somewhere in between.
This formula will work with your tires too. Just change the max load ratings and max pressure and calculate.
* This post was
edited 11/01/09 05:25am by wittmeba *
To my loving wife, Carolyn:
"I dont love you because I need you. I need you because I love you".
Trailer tire need max sidewall pressure for several reasons. Goodyear tire web says it best;
Special Considerations
RV TRAILER TIRES
"Unless trying to resolve poor ride quality problems with an RV trailer, it is recommended that trailer tires be inflated to the pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire. Trailer tires experience significant lateral (side-to-side) loads due to vehicle sway from uneven roads or passing vehicles. Using the inflation pressure engraved on the sidewall will provide optimum load carrying capacity and minimize heat build-up."
Truck tire pressures vs trailer tire pressures are apples to oranges as they operate in a very different environment. Trucks tires are at the cornors vs trailer tires in the center of the trailer.
Runs max sidewall in your situation and your tires will run cooler/ etc/etc.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" Will Rogers
'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach Linex
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er with two slides 16" BFG Commercial LTs
Note reading the Goodyear website can be interesting; for example here they recommend strongly, to weigh your rig, along with instructions how to do so, and then tell you to use THEIR inflation tables, also given, to get the proper pressure. See Goodyear RV Tirecare.
"Knowing the load/weight of your RV is critical to understanding the proper tire inflation to carry those loads. In order to know the load, an RV owner must weigh their RV.
WEIGHING YOUR RV
Your RV must be weighed fully loaded
- Fully loaded includes, food, clothing, water, fuel, supplies and any towed vehicles
RV must be level on the scale
If possible, weigh by individual wheel positions.
If not, weigh by individual axle positions
A difference in weight from side to side may indicate that redistribution of the load is necessary
Inflation pressure should be adjusted to handle the maximum load"
etc etc.
So I agree, use Goodyears advice, weigh rig and use their tables.
code3run wrote: I heard to run rear tires at max and front tires little less than max??Anyone heard of this?
The OP is about trailer tire pressure but no I haven't heard of running different pressures in a multiaxle trailer tire.
The Goodyear tire web has tire pressure recommendations for RV's. RV's come in trailers and motor homes. Again, tires at the cornors vs tires in the middle.
If your RV is not a trailer then the Goodyear minimum pressure chart make a good starting place to find the best tire pressure for your RV. If your RV is a trailer they have seperate max pressure recommendations and give recommendations for doing so.
If your RV is a small trailer under 5k and have uprated the load range/size then you may get by with using less than max sidewall pressures.
* This post was
edited 11/04/09 01:07pm by JIMNLIN *
Chuck&Gail wrote: Note reading the Goodyear website can be interesting; for example here they recommend strongly, to weigh your rig, along with instructions how to do so, and then tell you to use THEIR inflation tables, also given, to get the proper pressure. See Goodyear RV Tirecare.
"Knowing the load/weight of your RV is critical to understanding the proper tire inflation to carry those loads. In order to know the load, an RV owner must weigh their RV.
Posting inflation tables and stating use max pressure is contradictory.
Therefore, I will state again, I am absolutely positively certain I am confused
I have never come across an ST trailer tire I would ever feel comfortable with- every single one of them is junk regardless of where they are mfg.
In every single case an ST tire should be run at max psi. Running at max psi keeps the tire cooler- heat kills a tire. The only reason to drop the pressure would be to try and get longer tread wear life. An ST tire will blow on you or crack due to ozone long before the tread wears out in 99.99999% of recreational user cases so you accomplish nothing.
In terms of getting more tire on the ground due to lower pressure think again. You get the same contact patch at max psi that you get at a lower psi unless you drop it so low the sidewall is in contact with the pavement. ST tires are not passenger/LT tires and behave very differently. ST tires reflect psi changes in the sidewall profile and much less in the contact patch area. The sidewall flex and resulting heat due low inflation is really much harder on the tire than any benefits you would get in an increased contact patch-
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