F350 tire airing down ranges w/ truck camper

Grit dog wrote:

PastorCharlie wrote:


Snow driving keep tires up to proper inflation and start slow and stop slow and do not make any sudden turns. Reduce speed at all times on snow.

Haven't driven much on snow have ya? Low pressure on snow will help as much with traction on slippery surfaces as it will for traction/flotation on soft surfaces like sand. Both are about maximizing the contact patch.
Spinning out on ice and cant move? Let half the air out of the tires and generally drive away.

I have driven thousands of miles on snow covered roads, many trips from a few hundred miles to some trips lasting a thousand miles and some trips towing another vehicle ( Some in blizzard and whiteout conditions) and I would never drive those miles with tires aired down.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=168

Several vehicle manufacturer's owner's manuals recommend operating winter tires several psi (typically 3-5) higher than their recommended pressures for summer and all-season tires. While none of them actually provide the reason why, there are several scenarios that would support the practice.

First and foremost is that winter tires feature more aggressive tread designs, softer tread compounds and are often molded with deeper beginning tread depths than summer or all-season tires. While the combination of these design elements allows winter tires to remain more pliable in sub-freezing temperatures to provide more traction in snow and on ice, it often results in tires that have somewhat reduced responsiveness to driver input. The 3-5 psi higher recommended inflation pressures increase tire stability and help offset the reduction in responsiveness.

Additionally ambient air temperatures in winter typically range 40- to 50-degrees Fahrenheit colder than typical summer temperatures for the same location. The lower ambient temperatures allow tires to be more efficient at radiating heat and the tires will run cooler, building up less hot tire pressure. In this case, the 3-5 psi higher recommended inflation pressure increase helps offset the reduced hot tire pressures resulting from less heat buildup.