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Old 01-29-2018, 07:08 PM   #21
demijac
 
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Pay Attention to Maximum Axle Pressure

Bought some Michelin Load E's at Costco awhile back. I'd been getting different answers to the same tire pressure questions everywhere I went. This time around, the guy said that you should never exceed the maximum axle pressure. That pressure wasn't listed on the door jamb. He had to get under the truck and look at the axles and somewhere down under there, he was able to ascertain the maximum axle pressure.

When we tow, we now pump up the rear to a couple less PSI than the specified maximum axle pressure and about three PSI less in the front. When done towing, we switch back to the same lower tire pressure all the way around.
This approach has been working well for us.

Does this make any sense to the tire pressure gurus out there?
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Old 01-29-2018, 07:14 PM   #22
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Doesn't your jamb label say something like, "maximum axle load xxxx pounds at xx psi"
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Old 01-29-2018, 08:35 PM   #23
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I don't think there is one "answer" that fits all. Depends on the vehicle, but more importantly, what the load rating is for your tires.

Are they LT (light truck) and if so are they E load, D load, C load.

Or are they P Metric (passenger).

A quick visit to the tirerack.com site will assist in finding max tire pressure and weight limitations for the tires you are running on.
Combine this knowledge with the vehicle specs on the label in the drivers door jamb and you should be well informed on your ranges.

Personally I have Michelin Defenders in P Metric and run them at the max when towing and per the vehicle label spec when not.
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Old 01-29-2018, 09:23 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by demijac View Post
This time around, the guy said that you should never exceed the maximum axle pressure. That pressure wasn't listed on the door jamb. He had to get under the truck and look at the axles and somewhere down under there, he was able to ascertain the maximum axle pressure.

Does this make any sense to the tire pressure gurus out there?
No this does not make sense at all. Unless you translate that to load. I am very familar with Ford products. I am sure others are the same as well. Axles, suspensions and the vehicle is rated based on a total load. Not tire pressure.

One doesn't have to crawl under a truck to get that data either. Front and rear axle weight rating (GAWR) is listed on the warranty sticker on the drivers door post. As is the gross vehicle weight rating. (GVWR) I believe this data is posted to comply with federal law.

If one feels like crawling under the vehicle the same axle rating will be on a tag. (Either in paper, metal or stamped) One way to check to see if the axle has been replaced is to see if that axle weight rating matches the warranty tag. All of the steering, suspension & brake parts installed in a truck by the manufacturer are installed to meet those ratings.

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Old 01-30-2018, 10:01 AM   #25
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If I were the OP I would swear off forums.
He asked a simple question and got some good information and some disinformation.
And he hasn’t been back.
BTW, I have never heard of anyone having to crawl under a vehicle to get tire pressure info, aside from checking the spare.
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Old 01-30-2018, 12:42 PM   #26
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I had a tire business for years and I never used what the door recommends. I always used what the tire manufacture recommends. If your tire says 44 psi cold then I would run at least 40 psi (when cold). Running tires too low causes them to heat up and the result is tire failure. Especially radials, they flex a lot and that is what causes the heat. You will get all kinds of opinions on this subject but if you call the manufacture they will most likely recommend the pressure posted on the tire.

Good Luck
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Old 01-30-2018, 04:01 PM   #27
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Bumping up the pressure

Pull our 1967 22-ft. Safari with a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado. Tire pressure placard at 35psi. When pulling the trailer at 35psi the rear end would "squish" back and forth just a little bit. This is not sway. Just a little movement back and forth. Added 5psi up to 40psi. Took that slight movement right out of the picture. But have to say the ride without the trailer is much harsher. So when not pulling the trailer for longer periods of time I will return the tires to recommended PSI. The truck manufacture must know what they are doing.

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Old 01-30-2018, 05:37 PM   #28
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In the good ol’ bias-ply days, you got straightforward how-to on tires.

Pump in an extra 2 pounds, for example, for highway driving.

I checked my tires (a Duraturn brand, or Dura-something). Max pressure is 51 pounds.

Chevy recommends 35 pounds (says nothing about more pressure if carrying a loud).

I’m going to go with 45 pounds.

Don’t ask me why!
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Old 01-31-2018, 06:35 AM   #29
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a couple of thoughts:

1) Every light vehicle sold in the US has a vehicle tire placard that lists the original tire size and the specified inflation pressure for that size. Since 2008, that sticker has only the pressure is specified for a fully loaded vehicle - and that would include towing.

There should also be another sticker than specifies the GAWR's (Gross Axle Weight Ratings - the max design load for weakest component) and the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - the max design load for the vehicle.)

If you do the math, the GVWR should be less than the GAWR's added together - and the GAWR's ought to be smaller than the max load calculated for the pressure specified on the tire placard by about 15%. (I am not sure all the vehicle manufacturers do this as the government regulations don't require 15%!)

There may also be another sticker that specifies a pressure when the vehicles is less than fully loaded.

That means that is you are towing within the design limitations specified by the vehicle manufacturer, the pressure listed on the vehicle tire placard is appropriate. Please note: One may like the way the vehicle feels using a pressure higher than specified, but that doesn't mean it is applicable for every vehicle/tire combination.

Personal opinion: If you are towing beyond the limitations specified by the vehicle manufacturer, you need a bigger tow vehicle!


2) Tire manufacturers will point to the vehicle tire placard as the proper pressure. You may obtain differing opinions from individual representatives of those companies - just like ones experienced here in the this thread - but the *Official* response will be to use what is on the vehicle tire placard. That's because the tire manufacturer doesn't know what may have gone into each vehicle manufacturer's decision - and the tire manufacturer would need to test every vehicle if they specify something different - and that isn't going to happen.

3) Be careful when reading the sidewall of a tire for max pressure. Sometimes the max pressure is NOT linked to the max load - and sometimes it is.
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Old 02-09-2018, 12:12 PM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by capriracer View Post
a couple of thoughts:

1) every light vehicle sold in the us has a vehicle tire placard that lists the original tire size and the specified inflation pressure for that size. Since 2008, that sticker has only the pressure is specified for a fully loaded vehicle - and that would include towing.

There should also be another sticker than specifies the gawr's (gross axle weight ratings - the max design load for weakest component) and the gvwr (gross vehicle weight rating - the max design load for the vehicle.)

if you do the math, the gvwr should be less than the gawr's added together - and the gawr's ought to be smaller than the max load calculated for the pressure specified on the tire placard by about 15%. (i am not sure all the vehicle manufacturers do this as the government regulations don't require 15%!)

there may also be another sticker that specifies a pressure when the vehicles is less than fully loaded.

That means that is you are towing within the design limitations specified by the vehicle manufacturer, the pressure listed on the vehicle tire placard is appropriate. Please note: One may like the way the vehicle feels using a pressure higher than specified, but that doesn't mean it is applicable for every vehicle/tire combination.

Personal opinion: If you are towing beyond the limitations specified by the vehicle manufacturer, you need a bigger tow vehicle!


2) tire manufacturers will point to the vehicle tire placard as the proper pressure. You may obtain differing opinions from individual representatives of those companies - just like ones experienced here in the this thread - but the *official* response will be to use what is on the vehicle tire placard. That's because the tire manufacturer doesn't know what may have gone into each vehicle manufacturer's decision - and the tire manufacturer would need to test every vehicle if they specify something different - and that isn't going to happen.

3) be careful when reading the sidewall of a tire for max pressure. Sometimes the max pressure is not linked to the max load - and sometimes it is.
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Old 02-09-2018, 12:39 PM   #31
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After about 5 years since my last post, I'll take the bait on this topic.

If you run a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - and you should if you care about your Airstream, you will find a huge change in tire pressure as a result of outside temperatures.

So those running at maximum tire pressure when starting out on a 70 degree day are way more likely to experience a blow-out later in the day when the temp reaches 90 +.

Experience with my TPMS is that tire pressure goes up a pound for every 3 degrees. I'm sure there are other variables that factor into the results ...

Point is, if you are worried about your tires or want to reduce the chances of a blow-out, you need a TPMS so you can monitor the actual tire pressure.

Other concerns with regard to minimizing a blow-out include speed (tires have limits) and weight.
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Old 02-10-2018, 07:15 AM   #32
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Originally Posted by GetOutDoors View Post
........ If you run a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) - and you should if you care about your Airstream, you will find a huge change in tire pressure as a result of outside temperatures. ......
Yes, that is true!

Quote:
Originally Posted by GetOutDoors View Post
........So those running at maximum tire pressure when starting out on a 70 degree day are way more likely to experience a blow-out later in the day when the temp reaches 90 +. ......
Ah ...... Mmmmm ....... Sorry, no.

The pressure a tire bursts just due to pressure is way, way above the max pressure listed on the sidewall. Even a tire with an 80 psi max pressure will not burst at 150 psi - except by running over an object.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GetOutDoors View Post
........ Experience with my TPMS is that tire pressure goes up a pound for every 3 degrees. I'm sure there are other variables that factor into the results .....
The rule of thumb is 3% for every 10 degrees F.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GetOutDoors View Post
........Other concerns with regard to minimizing a blow-out include speed (tires have limits) and weight.
Very true,
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Old 04-25-2018, 06:01 PM   #33
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I had assumed that I needed to add air when towing, but after checking my truck weight at a CAT scale the rear was lower weight (without the trailer) than the front which made me wonder why the door sticker was more for the rear (30 front vs 33 rear). So I contacted Michelin via online chat and was told that I only need to add air if the owner manual says to. My Tundra manual is silent, so no added air. So, the door sticker pressures assume loaded weight, hence higher pressure in the rear. When I add the trailer (will verify at a CAT scale next week) I will be adding about 1000 lbs for tongue weight and gear and I will be well within the load rating and so the tire pressures. But I will be watching for tread wear. Michelin states that the tires are chosen by the manufacturer to perform per the loading specification, so I have to believe they have correctly engineered the system. It makes sense that there is no need to add air if the loading does not exceed the door sticker. And if you are exceeding the door sticker, you probably need a different tow vehicle.
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