Best way to break in new 19.5 tires
Many have you have read my posts on Centramatic balancer thread in regarding my difficulty with the new Dynatrac 245/70r/19.5 16ply load H tires that arrived on the new 19.5 Visions back in June. Coul...
Forum Discussion
Tires don't need breaking in. I suspect the people that noticed wander the first 1000 miles just got used to it.
I know that you can use the "Chalk Method" to determine the appropriate tire pressure for your load.
Take a piece of chalk, draw a stripe across the tread. Drive for a few revolutions of the tire. Look where the stripe is worn off. If it's the edges, you are underinflated, if the center, overinflated. Even wear across the entire surface is desirable. This will change with load. Load capacity is pretty much proportional to inflation, so you should have different pressures, loaded and unloaded. Like someone said above, tires that are relatively overinflated for load are fine, and tend to create less heat, but tires that are underinflated can be dangerous. It's significantly less important with radial tires than it used to be with bias ply tires.
Vehicle manufacturers will also use tire inflation to control handling, not just weight capacity. For liability reasons, a vehicle that understeers (front end washes out first, limits spins) is safer than one that oversteers. Inflation has a significant effect on traction, both acceleration/braking and steering.
I know that you can use the "Chalk Method" to determine the appropriate tire pressure for your load.
Take a piece of chalk, draw a stripe across the tread. Drive for a few revolutions of the tire. Look where the stripe is worn off. If it's the edges, you are underinflated, if the center, overinflated. Even wear across the entire surface is desirable. This will change with load. Load capacity is pretty much proportional to inflation, so you should have different pressures, loaded and unloaded. Like someone said above, tires that are relatively overinflated for load are fine, and tend to create less heat, but tires that are underinflated can be dangerous. It's significantly less important with radial tires than it used to be with bias ply tires.
Vehicle manufacturers will also use tire inflation to control handling, not just weight capacity. For liability reasons, a vehicle that understeers (front end washes out first, limits spins) is safer than one that oversteers. Inflation has a significant effect on traction, both acceleration/braking and steering.
