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lilcountry's avatar
lilcountry
Explorer
Jul 16, 2014

tire pressure

I have a question about tire pressure. My load range E tires are rated for 80 psi. I know that once I start moving, especially in warmer weather, the psi will increase. Should I start with 80 psi, or should I start with a lower pressure? If so, what do you recommend?
  • Thanks for the replies. I just didn't know if the heat expansion was factored in by the manufacturer.
  • Vulcaneer wrote:
    Measure tire pressure in the morning before the sun gets your tires too hot. Air up to proper temp at that time. The tire manufacturer already factors in for heat expansion after that. So don't check them again if they are hot. They will be a the manufacturers proper operational temp range.


    exactly.
  • without knowing what the weight each tire is going to have to carry, and what weight they are rated to carry, there is no way to know what pressure they need.

    Ideally, weigh the vehicle, add the capacities of all tires, divide the total weight by the total capacity to get the percentage of capacity you will be supporting. Then multiply the maximum pressure (in this case 80 psi) by the percentage.

    And yup, pump 'em up to that in the morning while they are still cold and don't change the pressure when they heat up in service, as that temperature rise is already built in to the pressure they stamped on the tire sidewall.

    If you pump 'em up to 80, and no doubt have less than the full capacity on the rig, you might gain a little bit of fuel mileage, but it will be at the expense of a harder ride and unless on radial tires, the center of the tread will wear out prematurely.
  • Measure tire pressure in the morning before the sun gets your tires too hot. Air up to proper temp at that time. The tire manufacturer already factors in for heat expansion after that. So don't check them again if they are hot. They will be a the manufacturers proper operational temp range.