TIre pressure during towing vs not towing
How do you guys handle this? Once you arrive at the camp site, do you lower the pressure and once again increase it when you leave? If you are moving sites to sites frequently, this must be a ...
Forum Discussion
Acei,
To lower the air pressure when you are unhooked, you need to know the weight on the rear tires when unhooked. Go to the truck scales at a truck stop and weigh your truck in that condition.
Then look up your tire size in a "Load and Inflation Table". One hard part is finding one. I recommend you save them for easier reference.
You can look by searching: load and inflation tables light trucks
For example:
table 1
table 2
My example: My truck's rear axle weighs a little less that 3200 lbs when the trailer is unhooked and the truck is load for a trip. The weight is evenly distributed, side to side. 3200/2=1600 per tire. I round up 150 lbs or more per tire for a safety buffer, then look up that weight for my tire, then add 5 psi or more to what the table says (for temp related pressure variation, possible air pressure loss, and more safety buffer). My tires are listed for 1910 lbs at 35 psi. I would add at least 5 or 10 psi to the 35 psi to get an tire pressure of 40 or 45. 45 psi gives me an acceptable ride, so I never go lower than 45. My understanding is these tables give the minimum air pressure to carry the load. Leave a safety buffer.
When I am somewhere for a few days, I leave the air pressure as is (ready for towing again). I don't want a chance of forgetting to raise the air pressure again before towing. Not that I would forget :R
I do recommend carrying a good air compressor.
I hope this helps. Read and seek understanding :). Save the info you find useful for future reference.
To lower the air pressure when you are unhooked, you need to know the weight on the rear tires when unhooked. Go to the truck scales at a truck stop and weigh your truck in that condition.
Then look up your tire size in a "Load and Inflation Table". One hard part is finding one. I recommend you save them for easier reference.
You can look by searching: load and inflation tables light trucks
For example:
table 1
table 2
My example: My truck's rear axle weighs a little less that 3200 lbs when the trailer is unhooked and the truck is load for a trip. The weight is evenly distributed, side to side. 3200/2=1600 per tire. I round up 150 lbs or more per tire for a safety buffer, then look up that weight for my tire, then add 5 psi or more to what the table says (for temp related pressure variation, possible air pressure loss, and more safety buffer). My tires are listed for 1910 lbs at 35 psi. I would add at least 5 or 10 psi to the 35 psi to get an tire pressure of 40 or 45. 45 psi gives me an acceptable ride, so I never go lower than 45. My understanding is these tables give the minimum air pressure to carry the load. Leave a safety buffer.
When I am somewhere for a few days, I leave the air pressure as is (ready for towing again). I don't want a chance of forgetting to raise the air pressure again before towing. Not that I would forget :R
I do recommend carrying a good air compressor.
I hope this helps. Read and seek understanding :). Save the info you find useful for future reference.
