interstate tire pressures

[zigzagguzzi]

Just bought a 2005 interstate. The info on the drivers door panel says 80psi front and rear. The sticker on the side of the drivers seat says 56psi front and 80 psi rear. Vehicle had 80 front and rear when I got it. What is up. Thanks, jim

[lewster]

HI Jim,

Is the 'guzzi' part of your screen name as in... Moto Guzzi? Just wondering Anyway, I run a 2004 Sprinter as my service van and I carry about 2000# of tools around on a daily basis. I run the tires at 75psi rear and 60psi front. When towing, the rears go to 79 and the fronts to 65. I just changed out my first set of Michelins at a little over 50K miles. Great tires! You probably have the same LR-E tires as the GVWR on my van is 9800#

I don't know what the Interstate's GVWR is, but it might pay to go to a public scale and get it weighed to give you an exact figure to work with. Then check on Michelin's web site for the proper pressure at the specified load.

[interstateflyer]

I like 62/75 to 65/78 cold. 65/78 is best when water tank is full, 3 people and gear, and pulling a 1900 pound T@B trailer. Lower if driving on the interstate through Oklahoma.

I installed Koni shocks and struts after 3,000 miles. Have 20,000 now. They improved general handling and make it better in the wind. Not sure how they impacted tire pressure settings.

[zigzagguzzi]

Thanks for the help. I just got back from a 3000 mile trip Arkansas and Ohio and back from Florida. Set pressures at 80-80 and seemed too hard. I bet 65 in front will make a big difference in feel. Only problem was a power stearing leakthat seemed to heal itself? I kept topping up the fluid and it stopped leaking. A trip to the dealer is in order anyway. The shower has a small leak, minor problem. Oh yea, averaged just under 22 mpg in all types of driving, 2 lanes, interstates and cities. VERY HAPPY, jim PS. the Guzzi is for Moto Guzzi.

[herrgirdner]

"Lower if driving on the interstate through Oklahoma." Yea, buddy. As a native Oklahoman, I know just about what he means. I drove I40 last November, and thought it was an improvement over the dirt roads I remember driving when I lived there. No dust.
But the good side of that was the dirt roads had no trucks. I'd almost rather have the dust.
regards

[razorback]

I thought I40 was bad also until I got on 69 and 69/75 south from Checotah to Sherman!! One of the worst we've been on. We came back north through Beaumont and east Texas to avoid a return trip on it.

[Voyager407]

My new Airstream Interstate has three stickers referring to tire pressure. The dealer said I should go by the one from Airstream (rather than Dodge), as they are the ones who know what has been added to the chassis. Well, that sticker says 80 psi on each tire.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by Recorder

My new Airstream Interstate has three stickers referring to tire pressure. The dealer said I should go by the one from Airstream (rather than Dodge), as they are the ones who know what has been added to the chassis. Well, that sticker says 80 psi on each tire.

The last time that I weighed my van, it was at 8000lb. including me. 80 PSI is too harsh for the front tires. Do yourself a favor and get the rig weighed at a CAT scale. Do the entire van and then the front and rear axles. It's the ONLY way to be certain about what pressures you should be running.

You can then check on the tire manufacturer's web site for your tire size/type and load and put in the right pressure.

[68 Overlander]

Jim,
I might have missed it but what brand and size tires do you have? The answer is probably right on the manufactures website like Lew said. The conversion company (Airstream) will update the label with what they recommend based on max load but I too would have it weighed and fine tune the pressure with common sense and the tire manufactures recommendation.
One thing I believe is that you can't (shouldn't) adjust comfort with tire pressure. That comes from the suspension. If you have the tires inflated correctly and don't like the ride, the problem is elsewhere.

Hey, I like that Interstate and T @ B combo. looks cool. Mother-in-law plan maybe?

[rving42]

I go by the pressure posted by Airstream. 80 psi front and rear, even though the Dodge dealer tries to reset back to Sprinter stds. Just completed all the lower 48 states in weather from Death Valley heat (123 degrees) to sheeting ice at 20 degrees. I run with half tank water and fully loaded with all gear to survive over 2 years.

We currently have 52K on our Michelins with even wear (rotated every 8K) and likely have about 15K remaing in tread.

[electrodx]

We had a blowout on the right rear of our '06 Interstate last week and had to buy a new Michelin. The tire salesman recommended 60 for the front and no more than 70 for the rear depending on load or if you are towing something. He said that running them at 80 left little or no room for added pressure due to heating while driving. (We, too, had conflicting stickers on the seats and door panel.) He too said the ride quality would be better at 60-70 psi.

[Skater]

The air pressures are given for when the tire is cool and should be able to account for heating up while driving.

Example: on my B-van, my rear tires MUST be inflated to 80 PSI (cold) to handle the weight on that axle (nearly 6,000 lbs). Guess what the maximum inflation for those tires are? 80 PSI. If I go less, it will destroy the tire. (Linked picture shows the damage to the tire as it was deflating.)

The safe zone for a tire is (a) at or over the inflation recommendation given on the chassis, and (b) at or under the maximum inflation given on the sidewall of the tire. Note all inflations are while the tire is cold, not after you've been on the road even a few minutes.

You're far more likely to blow out a tire due to underinflation, because the tire will build up more heat than it can handle. At 80 PSI, I've run my fully loaded camper at interstate speeds on hot days while towing a car with nary a problem.