Tire Air-Presure Preparation: timing
Silly question: We are getting ready for a short journey tomorrow afternoon; is it okay to check and fill the air in the trailer tires today; or, should I wait until tomorrow? Does it really matter?
Forum Discussion
Set the cold inflation pressure to the max. sidewall psi after all tires have been in the shade and not in use for at least 2 hours (3 is better). "Cold" is the ambient temp. in the immediate area of the tires. Day of trip or day before, won't really matter. Sometimes it's not possible to have your camper in the shade later in the day so either the evening before or early morning of the trip is fine to set the CIP.
Remember, always follow the 3 golden rules for ST type tires (if that's what you have): never tow (1) under-inflated, (2) overloaded & (3) over the max speed rating of the tire (usually 65 mph for ST). Sadly, neither the dealer or RV manufacturer tell you this and there really ought to be a sticker on the exterior right above the wheels with the pertinent info.
If you haven't yet, it's good practice to go to a scale and find what the weight on the axles/tires is, and side to side can also be a good idea for a trailer with a heavy slide on one side. The weight will give you the amount of "reserve load capacity" you have in the tires. This is important and you want at least 15 percent capacity and more is better. Running on psi lower than the max. sidewall rating will reduce the reserve capacity and can result in premature tire failure.
Anything and everything you ever want to know about RV tires can be found on RVtiresafety.net by a retired tire engineer. Lotsa great bedtime reading for camping. :)
Remember, always follow the 3 golden rules for ST type tires (if that's what you have): never tow (1) under-inflated, (2) overloaded & (3) over the max speed rating of the tire (usually 65 mph for ST). Sadly, neither the dealer or RV manufacturer tell you this and there really ought to be a sticker on the exterior right above the wheels with the pertinent info.
If you haven't yet, it's good practice to go to a scale and find what the weight on the axles/tires is, and side to side can also be a good idea for a trailer with a heavy slide on one side. The weight will give you the amount of "reserve load capacity" you have in the tires. This is important and you want at least 15 percent capacity and more is better. Running on psi lower than the max. sidewall rating will reduce the reserve capacity and can result in premature tire failure.
Anything and everything you ever want to know about RV tires can be found on RVtiresafety.net by a retired tire engineer. Lotsa great bedtime reading for camping. :)
