Tire Temperatures, what's too hot?

[dnitzel]

What is considered too hot of a temperature for trailer tires? I check my pressure prior to each trip (and check lug nut torque). I will give the tire sidewalls and tread a "feel" and figure that if I can't touch either for more than 2 to 5 seconds, then it's too hot. I figure that's about 150 - 160 degrees F. Sometimes I can smell them slightly, but it's not a burning rubber smell, just a distinct rubber smell like a new tire. Any suggestions?

 

[KOdegaard]

I do like you if I can lay my hand on them thet are ok if not I would be very

concerned.

 

[BGlidewell]

Temperature grades represent a tire's resistance to heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled laboratory test conditions. The grades from highest to lowest are "A","B" and "C". The grade "C" corresponds to the minimum performance required by federal safety standard. Thus the "A" tire is the coolest running, and even though the "C" tire runs hotter it does not mean it is unsafe. The temperature grade is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded.

Temperature grades



Tire Ratings - Temperature

 

[Mundgyver]

Just out of curosity, what kind of tire pressure are you running in them Low pressure means lots of side wall flex which will generate lots of heat. I would be checking you tire pressure for poper air and check the manufacture spec's. Anything out of alignment causing scuffing and drag.



Food for thought

 

[dnitzel]

I checked the tires and there is no temperture rating in them. They are load range D. I run them at the pressure as stated on the tire at 65 psi cold.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

Dan, I see by your signature that you are pulling a 32’ Colorado, just out of curiosity have you weighed your fifth wheel to see how much weight is on the tires? The reason I ask is Load range “D” seems like a light tire for a 32 footer even aired to the max of 65 psi. Being a Colorado I would venture to guess it has Carlisle Tires on it? ALFA used Carlisle tires for a few years and they were junk. Lots of people on our Alfa users site had blowouts with the Carlisle’s….

A very good friend of mine also has a fifth wheel toy hauler with Carlisle tires, 3 blowouts within 200 miles and $$$5000 damage to his 5er and he no longer runs the Carlisle tires.

Now in all fairness to Carlisle they did reimburse him for the damage…but not the frustration :{ something to think about.



Bill

 

[azpete]

Was thinking about this same thing last summer. I bought an infrared temp gun to check bearings and tires but have no idea of what the average or max temp should be.



Besides Carlisle's, what is another good brand. Need to replace the boat trailer tires this year?

 

[LesStallings]

I use a Radio Shack IR thermometer to check tread temperatures at each fuel stop. It will allow me to see if one tire is running hotter that the others or if the trailer is overloaded or if the trailer is not running level (leading tires hotter or colder than trailing tires).



Even towing across I-40 in the summer, I never saw my trailer tires over 105°F. I always checked the temperatures immediately after stopping for fuel, usually waiting for a pump to open up at the truck stop.



I also would check the center hub temperatures in case I had a wheel bearing running hot.

 

[Mundgyver]

I have installed a Smart Tire System. It will give me real time pressure and temp of each tire while I am driving and will give me an alarm warning should a particular tire go out of the parameters I have set.

 

[Matt400]

This was an interesting post and got me to do some searching. I found one site that mentioned 30 degrees above ambient as a safe/max temperature.



Probably makes good sense because a tire running 120 degrees in the winter might mean something is wrong.

 

[BGlidewell]

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/michelinrvtires/other/RvVideos.jsp

 

[BGlidewell]

Three readings are taken on each tire: inner tread, center tread and outer tread. Inner and outer readings are taken one inch from the tread shoulder. Write down the readings for evaluation. Check with your tire manufacturer to find the recommended operating temperature for your tires. A typical operating range for a DOT-R tire is 180°F to 200°F with a hot pressure of 37 to 43 psi. You want to see no more than 20 degrees difference in temperatures across the tread, with the inside being slightly hotter than the outside

tire temperature

Informative table of symtoms...

 

[wbrown02]

Tire temp is related to the outside air temp... . I check mine every stop with infra red meter... ... I have noticed the tires on the sunny side of the vehicle seem to run a little hotter also... . What I look for is a big difference in temps between all tires on the rig.

 

[Matt400]

A typical operating range for a DOT-R tire is 180°F to 200°F with a hot pressure of 37 to 43 psi

Is the DOT-R mean "Race" since this is info on racing tires?

 

[BGlidewell]

I imagine so. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find the ranges for A,B and C traction/temperature anywhere I know I've seen it before though

My goodyear tires on the trailer were running ~120F in 95+F ambient. I was looking for deltas more than anything else. The hottest tire was the low pressure tire.



From a smart tire brochure:

and high air temperature alert (default is 176° F





...

 

[dnitzel]

Dan, I see by your signature that you are pulling a 32’ Colorado, just out of curiosity have you weighed your fifth wheel to see how much weight is on the tires? The reason I ask is Load range “D” seems like a light tire for a 32 footer even aired to the max of 65 psi. Being a Colorado I would venture to guess it has Carlisle Tires on it? ALFA used Carlisle tires for a few years and they were junk. Lots of people on our Alfa users site had blowouts with the Carlisle’s….

A very good friend of mine also has a fifth wheel toy hauler with Carlisle tires, 3 blowouts within 200 miles and $$$5000 damage to his 5er and he no longer runs the Carlisle tires.

Now in all fairness to Carlisle they did reimburse him for the damage…but not the frustration :{ something to think about.



Bill

Yep, I have Carlisle tires, load range D. I've weighed the trailer loaded, but it was with the truck so I don't have a good idea of axle weight. I did have problems with two of the tires, and the they were replaced by the dealer no charge. I've had to deal with MANY trailer tires a lot before, and I've found that it's always best to get the highest rated weight/ply tire you can get. I run 12 ply's on they ATV/snowmoile single axle trailer that I pull behind the camper. For the camper, looks like Carlsile makes an E rated tire in the 15". It would be 300# more a tire. No, 16" tires will not fit. My last scale ticket was 8760 pounds with the camper fully loaded. According to my calculations, I had 1400# total left before the tires were over their limit (10160-8760=1400). Here's everything put together - truck weighed in at 10980#, camper at 8760# and the rear trailer at 1600#, total 21,340# at 63 feet end to end. Everything all fueled up with water and dogs.



OK, now for the most controversial question. Whom makes a GREAT trailer tire in the 225/75R15 size?? The Carlisle's are Chinese made.

 

[alexanderJ]

For those using the IR thermometers, what temps do you usually see on the hubs? I would like to be able to use this method to check for potential bearing problems but I have the small plastic hubcaps over the lug nuts. Would a bad bearing radiate enough heat to be measured on the wheel, say about 5 inches from the center, not needing to remove the plastic covers?

 

[TRCM]

Sometimes I can smell them slightly, but it's not a burning rubber smell, just a distinct rubber smell like a new tire. Any suggestions?

if you can smell them, they are too hot. I have yet to feel any heat in my tires, and I check them each stop.

 

[AMink]

Good thread. I've been curious too about hot rims and tires. Especially after a long drive and some braking around town, the rims feel very hot to the touch. I get worried that the heat from the rims will hurt the bead of the tire. I think one of the IR thermometers is a great idea, at least to see if one of the tires/rims is much hotter than the others.

 

[jelag]

My 04 now has 170K miles pulling a trailer rated at 24K lbs... and its usually loaded to 20 to 22 K lbs... I use a digital point and shoot temp gauge... I expect all 8 tires on the trailer to run within 30 degrees of each other ... . if not I start looking for the problem when one tire is above the 30 degree... . I also can't remember ever finding the tread of tire more than 160 degrees... . even driving across the desert at 110 degrees... The tires are always at max pressure, I think that's 80 psi. . plus the tires on the truck are at max at 65???



I also check the disc brake rotors, and the hubs... . I've found 1 loose hub and twice I've found pads that are hanging up... all from high temperatures and got them fixed before there was an on the road failure... . OTOH... I've had 2 tire failures that I've missed... .



Hope this helps... .



Jim / Pacific Clutch