2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission tire pressures in larger tire

[DMcLeod]

It's about time to replace the 265-75-16's. Considering 285's; will I need to adjust pressures differently? I haul camper,tow light/medium trailers,etc. The dodge literature doesn't address 285's on my 01. Anybody have specs for this? Thx!

 

[EKlem]

You want to adjust the pressures so that you get even tire wear. Since a 285 is a wider tire, it will take less pressure to support the weight of the truck. I would think that dropping your old pressures by 5psi would be a good place to start.

 

[NoSeeUm]

I have Toyo 285's and currently running 45 psi front 25 psi rear when I am empty. I am still checking wear, I might have to drop the pressure more.



I run 65 psi / 80 psi when the camper is loaded.



Jim

 

[DMcLeod]

Thanks, folks. The michelins gave me 60k trouble free miles. The edges wore a tad more than the centers. I figured I'd need to drop pressure some for 285's, just wondering how much in general. I remember reading about chalking the tread and driving across a parking lot (flat surface) to see if more pressure is on edge vs center. I suppose one could also monitor wear with a depth gage like NSU referred to. Maybe there is no book answer (starting point) depends on speed, loads, roads, etc. Learning to adjust pressures comes with experience.

 

[benhall]

I run 55 psi in the front and 50 psi in the rear with my 285's. I'm wearing pretty even, with exception to the very outside edge of the tread blocks. I have 40k miles now and will be taking them off at 50k, give or take a few miles.

Ben

 

[NoSeeUm]

Thanks, folks. The michelins gave me 60k trouble free miles. The edges wore a tad more than the centers. I figured I'd need to drop pressure some for 285's, just wondering how much in general. I remember reading about chalking the tread and driving across a parking lot (flat surface) to see if more pressure is on edge vs center. I suppose one could also monitor wear with a depth gage like NSU referred to. Maybe there is no book answer (starting point) depends on speed, loads, roads, etc. Learning to adjust pressures comes with experience.

From what I understand, basically you want to set up tire pressure so that the contact patch is square. The patch should be as long as the tire is wide with the entire tire contacting the road from side to side with even pressure.



Yeah, I am learning a bit the hard way. I have some feathering started on the outside treads. I also have a bit more wear in the center. Another option is to by wider rims that fit the tires. I have not done allot of cost vs benefit information gathering on that as of yet.



Jim

 

[NoSeeUm]

I run 55 psi in the front and 50 psi in the rear with my 285's. I'm wearing pretty even, with exception to the very outside edge of the tread blocks. I have 40k miles now and will be taking them off at 50k, give or take a few miles.

Ben

Ben, what kind of tires do you have? What is their weight rating?



Jim

 

[95REDRAM]

I ran about what benhall does when I had 285's. Much less than that and I saw a big drop in fuel mileage.