Tire Pressures, towing and everyday

[LesStallings]

Stock 3500 dually, stock wheels & tires, longbed, regular cab.



The door tag says 55# front and 65# rear and the E rated tires say not to exceed 80#. From the 5 star dealer it had 50# front and rear and seemed to ride better than I expected.



I'm off in a few weeks with the 15K triple axle gooseneck trailer empty and think that 55#/65# may be the way to go. Opinions???



Coming back I'll be loaded with around 10-12K total for the trailer (best guess). Should I go up in the truck tire pressure or stay with the door tag pressures?



All recommendations are VERY welcomed!

 

[pwerwagn]

Im not sure about duallys, but most single wheel trucks say to run 80psi in the rear. A dually might ride horrible at that psi, though. I run 65 psi in the rear of my single wheel when towing anywhere from 10K-16K lbs. seems to work fine.

 

[Berrigan]

I run my fronts at 80 always. Rear duals at 80 when pullin the fiver. When solo I lower the duals to about 65. My reasons are the fronts have a lota weight (Cummins motor) and have been wearing nice and even at that pressure. The rears are to stiff at 80 with no load. Also Im up one tire size from stock and the rears at 80 with no load wear in the center.



I have been told and beleive that when towing you should be at max pressure to stiffen up the tire and help it run cooler. my 2 cents. Bill

 

[Casey Balvert]

Use the Goodyear tire Load/Inflation guide to judge what your tires should be inflated to. Too soft and they will run hot, wear quickly and perhaps blow out. Too hard and you will have hard ride, excessive wear and the greater potential for damage due to road hazards. Each manufacturer has these tables but all are pretty well the same for the load and tire size for your particular truck.



Now I tow heavy and for my load (from the CAT scale) I run 65 all the way around on the truck which is a dually.



Casey

 

[Loren]

Les,



Tires are rated to carry their full load (rated load) only at the maximum pressure for that tire, in this case 80 psi. When you are running empty, you don't have the tires loaded to their capacity, so you can run a lower pressure and get a better ride. There are charts that will give you the allowable load for certain tires at various (lower) tire pressures, but when towing I want the best performance. That means maximum pressure.



Whenever I tow or really load my truck I pump my tires up to their maximum rated pressure. I will accept a rougher ride if necessary to ensure that I get the maximum margin of safety from my tires.



Loren

 

[SnoKing]

The air pressure in the door jam is for max load of the axle. Look in you owners papers and see if there is a tire inflation chart. 2001 chart says that rears of a dually can go as low as 40lbs empty. Also check your door again. My chart says 65 front and 50 rear for a loaded 3500 in 2001. Makes sense, four wheels out back to carry the load. SNOKING