Air Pressures while towing

[DavidC]

I would be interested with what tire pressures everyone use while towing. Personally good or bad I use 80lbs in the rear. While towing or not I use 65lbs in the front and not towing 50lbs in the rear. The air bags run from 45-50 towing and 10 solo.

Dave

 

[mpaulson]

Empty (dually) I run 75-80 in front and 45 in rears. Loaded (usually at 9700-10,200# on rear and 5600# on front) I run 80 fronts and 70-75 in rears. Air bags unloaded 5-8 psi, loaded 20-50psi depending on which load configuration I'm hauling ie: jet boat on top, or quads on deck etc. I also use home made overload leaf spring spacers that make it so that I don't have to use as much air in the bags and gives me more top heavy stability along with the 1 3/8" dia. Helwig Bigwig sway bar.

 

[petersonj]

I would be interested with what tire pressures everyone use while towing. Personally good or bad I use 80lbs in the rear. While towing or not I use 65lbs in the front and not towing 50lbs in the rear. The air bags run from 45-50 towing and 10 solo.

Dave

I base my tire inflation pressure on a couple of factors - the maximum weight allowed at the maximum psi of the tire and the ACTUAL weight on each axle of the truck. I use a scale to initially get axle weights. Using rounded numbers, I use the following formula as a guide:

Each of my tires can carry 3,042 lbs @ 80 psi (6,084 lbs per axle @ 80 psi).

6,084 lbs / 80 psi = 76 lbs of weight per 1 psi of air pressure. This number "76" is a constant for my application.

When my truck is empty the front axle weight is 4,400 lbs, the rear axle weight is 3,100 lbs.

Front axle - 4,400 / 76 = 58 psi. I actually inflate to 65 psi to adjust for weight transfer when braking.
Rear axle - 3,100 / 76 = 41 psi. I actually inflate to 50 psi to adjust for minor varying loads

When I pull my travel trailer using a weight distribution hitch, not much changes.

Front axle - 4,400 / 76 = 58 psi - still inflate to 65 psi, no adjustment necessary
Rear axle - 3,900 / 76 = 52 psi - adjust to 55 psi
Trailer axles- 4,000

I use the same rules for trailer tire inflation - max weight (lbs) / max inflation (psi) = lbs per psi

After doing tire inflation research, I have come up with this as my personal method of determining tire inflation pressure. This method allows the tire to maintain the same footprint regardless of the load. I use this method as a guide and make my final decision about inflation pressure after considering all of the variables

- John

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Depends on tires and how they are wearing when empty.

Stock Firecrap tires, 60 in front, 51 in rear - empty. (that includes the cap, tools, etc in the boxes).

Towing - depends again on weight on truck - camper loaded (6500lb) with a bunch of stuff in the truck - 70. Flat bed with around 10k weight, closer to 80 to help with sidewall flex.

 

[PBJ2500CTD]

I have had good luck with 65 to 68 in the front and 80 in the rear when I tow. I check the temperature at every rest stop while towing and keep track of tread wear. Our trips are often times between 3,000 and 5,000 miles and through mountain cold and desert scorch. I will adjust a few pounds if the tread is wearing unevenly. The pressures I use have given me balanced wear and longevity.

 

[Hoefler]

80 in the front all the time
80 in rear when loaded to go for the 16,000 pound 5ver
45 in the rear for loaded 6,500 pound enclosed trailer, towed daily for work.
Rotate every 7,500 mile, tread wear across 6 tires is with in 1/32" of each other

 

[Cummins12V98]

80 in the front all the time
80 in rear when loaded to go for the 16,000 pound 5ver
45 in the rear for loaded 6,500 pound enclosed trailer, towed daily for work.
Rotate every 7,500 mile, tread wear across 6 tires is with in 1/32" of each other

WHY 80 in the rear??? 65psi for example will more than cover full RAWR, I am that and run 65psi rears. Your 16k RV will have a MUCH lower RAW than my 23K 5er does. Personally I would use the weight/inflation chart and add 5psi. I'm betting 55-60 would be plenty and give much better ride and more even tread wear.

YES 80 front ALL the time.

I only rotate the fronts side to side with keeping the rotation the same. that requires breaking the tires from the wheels. I never rotate the rears. I run them at 35 unloaded and have plenty of capacity to haul a good load at that.

 

[Road Dog]

My '02 came with a data sheet just for the tires. I'm sure most tire vendors have a similar load vs pressure chart.
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[slowmover]

Scaled weights at all four corners PLUS per axle.

Staying WITHIN the vehicle manufacturer range of specified tire pressure from a standard Load & Pressure Table is the thing.

Too many (dumb) RVers try to use tire pressure to “tune” steering & handling. It’s the dead wrong approach.

The inflation test is to run 1.5-2.0 hours steady-state highway. Cruise control. Glide off into a parking area or rest stop and use brakes dead minimum.

Against the overnight COLD temps you recorded before sun-up, correct tire pressure will not see more than a 7% pressure rise.

8-10% means it needs more air.

Too much pressure and you’ve degraded both braking & steering performance. Done nothing to help wear. Etc.

Better shocks are a start (BILSTEIN 4600 really aren’t good enough).

Upsizing the Front & Rear anti-roll bars the minimum diameter AND poly bushings is good.

A SUPER STEER Panhard Rod (Rear Track Bar) will keep the body & suspension in correct alignment.

Pickups are lousy RV tow vehicles. Quite a few bandaids are NECESSARY to make them competent. (It ain’t the weight, it’s the crosswinds).

Best quality tires are cheap: Michelin LTX series.

 

[TFucili]

I run 65 front, and the rear I adjust for load. With my toyhauler 80. With my flatbed and light load usually @60.

 

[KATOOM]

SRW truck with 285 75 16's.
Around 65-70 psi in front all the time.
Around 50-60 psi in the rear.
Depending on what I'm towing, I will either leave the rear pressure alone or increase to 80 psi. Example, Toy Hauler = 80 psi.

All my trailer tires are always at maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall.

 

[AH64ID]

I run 60-65 front empty and 70-765 front loaded.

Rears it just depends on the load. 45 empty

Trailer depends on load, if known, otherwise at or near max. I hate maxing trailer tires that don't need it because the wear and brake like crap with too much air, which is also true with truck tires.

I use this chart quite often, and hit the scales as much as possible.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdf

 

[KATOOM]

I hate maxing trailer tires that don't need it because the wear and brake like crap with too much air

I've run max air pressure in ST tires for as long as I can remember simply because ST tires are designed differently than passenger tires. ST tires have sidewalls built to support maximum rated weight without lateral load and will generate excessive heat if they're run anything less than max rated psi. Heat is the destroyer of tires...
Passenger tires can run various pressures depending on load, within reason. There was a long winded debate about this some years ago and there are also tire manufactures who will even state this disclaimer about trailer tires. Dont ask me to find it either since that was too long ago...

 

[AH64ID]

I've run max air pressure in ST tires for as long as I can remember simply because ST tires are designed differently than passenger tires. ST tires have sidewalls built to support maximum rated weight without lateral load and will generate excessive heat if they're run anything less than max rated psi. Heat is the destroyer of tires...

I haven't experienced them running hotter, or too hot, with less than max pressure as long as its adequate pressure for the load.

Goodyear even publishes a Load/Inflation table for ST tires.

https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/tire-care-guide.pdf

 

[KATOOM]

Its just the way I do it because I tend to be more on the precautionary side with trailer tires. I not only have them balanced when mounted but I also run a tire pressure monitoring system. Its crazy to watch how hot they can get and how the pressure changes depending on the weight and ambient temperature...

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Why wouldn't you balance them?!?

 

[KATOOM]

Why wouldn't you balance them?!?

Good question... But for whatever reason most tire places will not balance them unless you insist on it. Their reaction is always "its a trailer tire so who cares".

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Good question... But for whatever reason most tire places will not balance them unless you insist on it. Their reaction is always "its a trailer tire so who cares".

Hmm I do all my own tires, so didn't realize that. That is why some places get a bad reputation! What knuckleheads!

 

[DavidC]

The good news is that we are all pretty much doing the same with pressures etc. That has to mean we are all doing it right

 

[AH64ID]

I use centramatics on my TT, it made a huge difference in things staying put inside the camper.