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LosAngeles's avatar
LosAngeles
Explorer
Jan 02, 2021

F350 tire airing down ranges w/ truck camper

F350 tire airing down ranges w/ truck camper

Hi all

I’m doing research and getting opinions and info about airing down pressure ranges (I know it varies a lot depending on tire, load, rig, conditions, etc)

We have a 4x4 F350 (2020) CrewCab with 8’ bed - single rear wheels (SRW) ….. plus a truck camper about 9.5 feet long on the back.

Tires are the shoes it came with - Load range E - GOODYEAR WRANGLER - “ALL TERRAIN ADVENTURE” LT275/70R18

(and overall i am very happy with them, for what it is worth. I do NOT want to change tires - they ride great, very quiet on pavement, and decently knobby, etc)

Total weight (wet, loaded) is 11,300

Now obviously we won’t be doing any hardcore wheeling…..

and I won’t seek out soft sand or soft deep snow……

and maybe I never need to air down, ever….

but in the future - if we suddenly found ourselves in a position where we wanted / needed to carefully drive off-road, on soft snow, soft sand, and wanted to stack the deck in our favor, I could air down somewhat to make the contact patch bigger.

I believe with these stock rims and these tires I should not go below 20 psi (does this sound about right for this rig?)

and I do know i’d need to air back up before highway driving. :-)
and yes I’d have a capable air compressor with me….. to air back up….
and likely air back up for any road driving of more than a 1/2 mile or so…..

but any suggestions, just for future reference?

Thanks!
  • “How much weight will your tires hold at 20 psi without doing damage to the tire or being unsafe?“

    That’s the key question as stated by azdryheat.
  • Ive run my truck camper on the beach on the east coast for 20 years. Sure ive been stuck it happens, but nbot often. I run 18-28 psi depending on conditions. BFG AT KOs.
  • Update - I was directed to this detailed article that has lots of good info, for anyone who is interested in reading it.

    The author Mellow Mike is quite experienced with truck campers.

    https://www.truckcamperadventure.com/airing-down-your-tires/
  • I have lot of fun watching Matt's Towing videos on youtube.
    He is using modified Jeep to pull tourist strangled in Lake Powell area.
    I've been to the area few times and got stuck there, what makes the videos "closer to home".
    So Matt is driving his Jeep with 9 psi on the soft sand they have in the area.
    On hot days and really blown sand he has to lower it to 7 psi to make recovery.
    Mind he is having oversized tires on his Jeep.
    Would I dare to drive my 7 tons truck/TC combo on 9 psi? Heck no.
    Bottom line - Matt is pulling lot of smart a** truckers from the sand. Some of them having TC.
    Meaning adjusting the set for blown sand and snow conditions is whole science that not too many understand.
    So you either spend hours exploring the subject and doing test, or keep Matt's phone number on speed dial. Too bad the cellphone coverage is not as good as providers advertise. ..
  • Your tires need a certain amount of air psi for the load being carried. How much weight will your tires hold at 20 psi without doing damage to the tire or being unsafe?
  • As Mentioned, This is not a good idea w/a single weighing in over 11K. If you can't go down that sand road w/80 psi then don't risk getting stuck or tire getting damaged by airing it down even for just a little bit. Tires & Batteries are expensive.
  • Those tires are rated at 3640#/EA at 80 psi
    That is a total load capacity of 7280# on rear axle

    Total GVW of truck/camper is 11,300#


    So how much weight is on the F/R Axles?

    Lowering air pressure with Camper ON truck could end up popping tire right off the Bead and/or cause damage to tire cords


    See Load Inflation Chart and at minimum match the actual weight being carried by F/R Tires (CAT Scales)


    LT275/70R/18 Tire Pressure Chart