Tire pressures

[Doug S]

I recently bought a 28 ft. diesel motor coach. i found that the tires were dry rotted. I had them all replaced today. The tire shop recommended 90 lb. to 110 lb. The airstream manual recommends 65 lb. in front and 55 lb. in the back. The tire dealer suggested that maybe the original tires might have been bias rather than radial tires. Any have any advise? I now have 80 lb. all all around.

[dadstoy]

What tires did you put on...brand, model, size?

[Doug S]

I put Goodyear 8 R 19.5 steal belted radials.
Doug

[dadstoy]

You will get a dozen different answers here and the only real answer is to have your MH weighed and then run the pressure recommended by Goodyear for the specific tire you got. That answer always pisses me off because how many people can actually get their MH weighed? Very few. The pressures you mentioned were for the bias tires at the time. My manual states the same. I got new tires one month ago and went in with 70 lbs in all six. Tire shop said to leave them at 70. A 200k rig sitting next to me came in for new tires and the tire guy said the owner runs at 90 lbs but it rides like a rock. I wish someone had a typical tire chart that stated the average pressure to run. I for one will probably never have the chance to weigh my MH

[Smartstream]

Here is a link to the goodyear tire inflation chart for motorhome tires.
http://goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

70 psi is a pretty good inflation front and rear for your tires. You may get by with 65 psi if you are running real light.

Cheers, Dan

[masseyfarm]

Under inflation is a killer for radial tires. Better to over inflate.
Most highway scales are now digital and are open for weighing even if not attended by the enforcement officer.
If you can, try to get a weight on each wheel.
Otherwise, go with the tire manufactures recommendation.
Dave

[perryg114]

Well one way to determine proper tire pressure is get on a nice flat parking lot and get a piece of chalk and put a mark across the face of the tire. Now drive a few feet and look at the chalk mark. If the mark is lighter in the center you have too much air. If the mark is lighter on the edges you have too little air. You want what is left of the chalk mark to be uniform all the way across. It is also not a bad idea to feel the temperature of the tires when you stop at a rest stop. If you can't hold your hand on the tire tread chances are you are overloading the tire or it is underinflated.

Perry

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by dadstoy

You will get a dozen different answers here and the only real answer is to have your MH weighed and then run the pressure recommended by Goodyear for the specific tire you got. That answer always pisses me off because how many people can actually get their MH weighed? Very few. The pressures you mentioned were for the bias tires at the time. My manual states the same. I got new tires one month ago and went in with 70 lbs in all six. Tire shop said to leave them at 70. A 200k rig sitting next to me came in for new tires and the tire guy said the owner runs at 90 lbs but it rides like a rock. I wish someone had a typical tire chart that stated the average pressure to run. I for one will probably never have the chance to weigh my MH

1,200 certified three-pad scales nationwide by just one company: CAT Scale Locator.

With those readings one can consult the tire manufacturer for best pressure against load. Neither too high nor too low. A scale is the only way to be accurate. While axle position by axle position may be best, the industry uses an average across the axle in it's calculations.

And, an accurate gauge. This company rates highly: PCL Ordinary gauges can be off considerably (10% or more).

When ready to buy I would also start with the tire manufacturer for vehicle-specific tire recommendations, versus a dealer trying to move inventory.

Centramatic or BalanceMaster would be next on my list.

.

[Phoenix]

We live and drive mostly in Arizona and the desert southwest, where all of our gators are either on the side of the road or in the zoo.

Personally, our tires are rated at 80 psi, and that's what we run. This tire pressure was recommended by our Airstream dealer, Discount Tire and Costco; so who am I to question their reasoning. I have ridden in our Bambi at 55-60 mph, and the ride is comparable to our Tundra, so I have no problems at all with that pressure.

I agree, most tire failures are due to under-inflation (and GYMs and ST tires; but that's another story).