Are Our Tires REALLY that sensitive?
I know I will roust the ire of many a tire aficionado, as well as those who will claim expert knowledge from years of traveling and RV'ing and quasi-engineering or actual engineering status/certificat...
Forum Discussion
wolfe10 wrote:Effy wrote:mike brez wrote:
I weighed my rig once loaded up how it will travel. Inflated tires 5lbs over what inflation chart says for my weights. Check them every time before we leave. Have a tire pressure monitor system of some sort. At home when we park we park on rubber mud flaps.we don't cover our tires but is most likely a good idea.
Never understood the 5-10 PSi over the chart thing I see on here all the time. Why? If the chart says at x weight adjust to Y PSI, why would you go over? 10 miles down the road once they heat up now you are way outside the parameters specifically outlined in the chart. I don't get it. Over inflated tires can be just as bad as underinflated. Why wouldn't you go by the chart?
Understanding what the tire charts represent explains it all. They give the MINIMUM PSI for a given weight. Said another way, if it weighs more, the chart moves you to a higher PSI.
To keep from over-complicating PSI, most of us take the minimum and add 5-10 PSI to account for: cold fronts (lower temperatures), that big shopping trip, extra guests, full tanks, etc.
This is exactly why I do what I do. Sometimes my kids come with us sometimes they don't. Sometimes we have four bikes hanging on the Thule rack and sometimes two and yes my wife can shop with the best of them. This is just what I do and has worked out fine for me.
