Tire Pressures?

[zari]

I'm running my tires at 70PSI in the front, 70PSI on the inner rears, and 75PSI on the outer rears for towing. What do you use, pressure-wise?



I'm running the same between tows - should I go to 65PSI on all tires when not towing?



Alain.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Tires

I run 70 in the front and 65 in all the rear when towing. I think you will get some strange tire wear patterns with that staggered pressure in the rear, also might not be the best for the rear wheel bearings. I have gone down to 45 in the rear empty but the recommended pressure for the front with QC and Cummins is 70 I think. It will ride a little better with the lower pressures empty but a set of adjustable shocks will make it ride even better. bg

 

[zari]

Good points

A lot of folks have been telling me to run 5PSI difference between inner and outer dually tires when towing. Is that a myth then? This is my first DRW truck, so bear with me



Realized that the 'suggested' pressures on the door (65PSI) are at GVWR. So, I'm running too high when empty, that's for sure.



I did find the Good Year Load Inflation pamphlet on their Web site (http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/LoadInflationBook.pdf) and am going to try to figure out the correct pressures, given my loads (towing and 'empty').



Alain

 

[RustyJC]

I've been towing with duallies since 1996 and I've never run different pressures in the inner and outer rear tires. The door sticker on our truck says that 60 front/55 rear is good for our 10,500 GVWR and 21,500 GCWR, and since we're under our ratings when towing our 36' 5ver (10,380 GVW and 21,180 GCW), that's what I run.



Rusty

 

[MGordon]

I run 55 Front, 45 rear unloaded.



Loaded, 75 front and 65 rear.



Although sometime I just leave it at the loaded pressure because airing up every time I load the camper is a PITA.

 

[clem]

You did not say which tires you have "D"or "E,s"makes a diff. My RAM came with load range E tires, got 60 k out of the first set. The best way to run, is at the pressure on the sidewall, it is hard to over load tires that way. Besides who do you know who does not run over loaded? To much air won't make your tires run HOT. Now if you have deep pockets run your tires soft they ride nice and make a big BANG when they go. Got our first RV in Alaska in 65. Have towed a lot of miles and a lot of trailers over the years don't have all the answers,but the thing I do know is the right tires inflated to the sidewall pressure will take you whare you are going. Also over loaded tire go BANG!! Good Luck and Hope NOT to see you on the side of the road. Run mine at 80psi

 

[Fireman]

zari



Mfgs suggested tire pressures for '03 DRW



unloaded 55 front

45 rear



max gvw 65 all around



I used to run 70-80 rear on a SRW, but with DRW it isn't nessecary to run with pressures that high in the rear.



Fireman

 

[clem]

What you say is true,but what is unloaded? Can't remove tool boxs,hitchs,stuff. When towing a 5th wheel most of the load is on the rear tires. So why mess with tire pressure on the steering axle? We don't add more motor. Now that is my thoughts it works for me and I never forget to add or let out air. Clem

 

[Fireman]

Some weight is transfered to the front axle when towing, especally if your hitch is ahead of the rear axle.



It rides better unloaded with less pressure.



My answer merely reflects the tire mfgs "recomendations" for the 3500 DRW Rams. It shouldn't hurt to run higher pressures as long as you stay within the mfgs recomended Max. So there is no single correct answer, we must each decide what works best for our own applications.



The only other thing I would add is that I see no reason or advantage to stagger the pressures in the duals.



Fireman

 

[klenger]

I went to a well know and reputable tire store to have a slow leak fixed on my trurck. When I went to pic it up, they we just finishing up and I told the tech to put 70 lbs in the rear tire he had fixed. I told him I had already set the pressures in the others. He said the paperwork said to inflate all tires to 45 lbs. I talked to the manager and explained that they had a serious problem with their procedures and that I would be towing a 10,000 lb 5er in 100+ temps when I left. If I had not asked about the tire pressure, I could have been in deep doo-doo.



This is the 2nd time I had a problem with them. The 1st time was when I had the tires rotated and I told them 55 in front and 70 in the rears. I found out a month later that they got it all messed up and I was overinflated in one of the fronts and underinflated in one of the rears.



Morral of the story is to always check tire pressures yourself after someone messes with them.

 

[jerryrigg]

Actual tire pressure should be determined through a little trial and error as people run different tires, shocks, loads and trailers.



Tires list a Max PSI (COLD) for max gvw do not exceed this pressure but checking pressure is best done on a hot tire... I can already feel the heat coming down on this one... .



To determine the "BEST" pressure drive around and get the tires warmed up, find yourself a soft dirt road or throw down a layer of dirt/sand... slowly drive the front tires over and check the "track" the tire leaves... . if the track is even all the way across record the hot pressure and in the morning the cold pressure do the same for the rears... . if the track is deeper in the center let air out if it is deeper on the edges put air in..... take the time to do the same with your trailer at normal weight.....



This can be a little time consuming but you will determine the best pressure based on tire wear... . keep the rig aligned, balance and rotate accordingly and you will achieve max tire mileage. .