Tire pressure and temps while towing

Experienced RV trailer owners and most of the trailering world knows the advantages of using max sidewall pressures vs those numbers from a minimum pressure chart. Tire makers 1-800 tech line is a good place to glean information. Next step up is ask the membership on a forum if they found the tech's persons input works or does something work better. The more forums input, the better.


This from Goodear RV website;

Special Considerations
Unless trying to resolve poor ride quality problems with an RV trailer, it is recommended that trailer tires be inflated to the pressure indicated on the sidewall of the tire. Trailer tires experience significant lateral (side-to-side) loads due to vehicle sway from uneven roads or passing vehicles. Using the inflation pressure engraved on the sidewall will provide optimum load carrying capacity and minimize heat build-up.

rvsafety.com

Tire Load and Inflation Ratings

Note: Towable – Travel Trailer/ 5th Wheel owners Due to the severe use conditions experienced by tires when axles are very close together – tire industry experts recommend maximum (sidewall) inflation pressure for towable tires unless this causes a sever over-inflation situation (20psi+), often referred to as the ‘basketball effect’. If this is your situation allow a 10 – 15psi safety margin above the minimum required inflation pressure.

And Tireman9
one of our tire engineers also recommends max sidewall pressures says; from rvtiresafety.com his online tire blog;

"The manufacturers do not take into consideration the side to side unbalance, as to do so would require them to provide larger (more expensive) tires. The other thing RV industry does not take into consideration is the forces to the tire structure due to running close axle spacing. Engineering analysis shows that when turning corners the forces trying to tear the tire apart can be over 20% higher in multi-axle applications than with tires at the corners of the vehicle.
The only options for the trailer owner are to up-size the tires (if there is room) or up-rate and increase inflation (if a higher Load Range tire and stronger wheels are available). Lacking the above being sure to run the tire at the inflation shown on the sidewall (i.e. max) will slightly decrease but not eliminate the overload forces.

LT tires can better stand abuse such as operating at lower minimum tire pressures but why abuse a good tire.