Tire Pressure
Question: Presently in Albuquerque.... came in from Houston, tx....getting ready to proceed to St.George,Az.... all tires are about 5 lbs low.... how does temperature and altitude affect tire pressure...
Forum Discussion
IMO, Effy is correct. Many people overthink this issue and then their brains freeze up and they end up doing barely anything.
First thing is to either buy a truckers air pressure gauge, or go to a truck tire shop and get your tire pressures checked. Find somewhere nearby that shop if you've driven over 4 miles to just sit and wait a couple hours for the tires to cool down. Then drive to the tire shop.
Have them set them to the max pressure listed on the side wall. After you've done that, than you should...
Get the rig weighed. Either pay for it, or do it for free at a closed weigh station along a freeway. With that knowledge, check what the tire manufacturer suggests as the appropriate PSI. Note that when you weigh the rig, if you get 4 corner weights, the tire pressure is set for the highest weight across the axle. So all tires across the axle are the same PSI.
As long as the tire pressures are not too low or too high, you have quite a while, and many happy miles of driving, before any safety or wear issues will show up. And that's all proper pressure is about, maximizing safety and longevity.
First thing is to either buy a truckers air pressure gauge, or go to a truck tire shop and get your tire pressures checked. Find somewhere nearby that shop if you've driven over 4 miles to just sit and wait a couple hours for the tires to cool down. Then drive to the tire shop.
Have them set them to the max pressure listed on the side wall. After you've done that, than you should...
Get the rig weighed. Either pay for it, or do it for free at a closed weigh station along a freeway. With that knowledge, check what the tire manufacturer suggests as the appropriate PSI. Note that when you weigh the rig, if you get 4 corner weights, the tire pressure is set for the highest weight across the axle. So all tires across the axle are the same PSI.
As long as the tire pressures are not too low or too high, you have quite a while, and many happy miles of driving, before any safety or wear issues will show up. And that's all proper pressure is about, maximizing safety and longevity.
