I just wondered how many of you increase the TV tire pressure when you tow? For example my F-150 door sticker says to run 35 lbs. in each tire. When I tow I am at the max cargo limit and the WD hitch has transferred some on the load to the front wheels, so I bump the front tires to 38 lbs. and the rear tires to 40 lbs.I have done this for years; I upped the tire pressure whenever I load the truck heavy. I just wonder if other do this or if it is just an old habit. :)

I run close to max for the tires.

Always inflate the tires to max for towing. After 26K milesthe tires are flat across the tread with no signs of abnorman wear.

Although the door sticker on our HD truck states to run max pressure of 80 psi in our 16' LT LR-E tires, I always air them down when not towing for a more comfortable ride. Return them to near max when towing.

I get the best performance with about 75 lbs in the back and 40-50 in the front. These are 10 ply tires.A tire shop set up my tires at bizarre pressures, perhaps a disgruntled employee.. Anyway, before I discovered this, I had a back tire at about 110, the other at 70 and the fronts at 2 different lower levels. I could not understand why it was towing so horribly. I set the pressure properly and its night and day.Tire pressure is a basic, but a good starting point if you are having issues.m

rbpru wrote:I just wondered how many of you increase the TV tire pressure when you tow? ...I do.I sometimes lazily neglect to reduce the pressure when done towing, but that is better than lazily not increasing it from the normal pressure to the proper pressure for towing. :)

Increasing the TV tire pressure. | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

Community Alumni
Sep 08, 2014
I run sidewall max all of the time, 51 psi, on P metrics. Running the sidewall max on E's while empty would probably rattle my eyeballs out of their sockets.
wannavolunteerF
Explorer
Sep 06, 2014
my F150 shows 35 all around for the P tires that came on my truck, I bump up to 40 when I am towing (maybe even 42 if I am towing heavy) and I don't have that too soft feel that my P tires give me otherwise.
BubbaChris
Explorer
Sep 06, 2014
My Expy has the same 35 recommended and 44 max on the tire. Since the tire's max payload rating is tied to max pressure, I normally run 42psi in the rear when towing.
opnspaces
Navigator III
Sep 06, 2014
my Suburban has a sticker on the door jamb that states
40 front and 50 rear for comfort
50 front and 80 rear for towing. So that's basically what I do.

I did try running all four tires at the max of 80 psi when I first got them and it was a bit scary to drive on the highway. It felt like the tires didn't have a solid grip on the road.
tomman58
Explorer
Sep 06, 2014
I have towed with 1200# torsion bars for no less than 130,000 miles. I DEFLATE the rear tires about 5 or 8 pounds . I found the hard way that with those bars there is significantly less weight on the back tires and the center tread will burn down a lot faster then the fronts. I do not over inflate any tire ever.
atreis
Explorer
Sep 06, 2014
I use the max pressure for the tire when towing (which is considerably higher than the 35 lbs that Toyota recommends for normal use). If it's questionable, check to make sure the wheels are rated for the higher pressure.
campigloo
Explorer
Sep 05, 2014
I always run my rear tires at 80 when towing. If I won't be towing for a while I lower them to 55 for a better ride. Drives the monitors crazy, but oh well. I don't know what your tongue weight is but when you get new tires you may want to consider a slightly beefier tire. It can make a lot of difference.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Sep 05, 2014
The wifes 1500 crew cab chevy shows 35 psi off the tire placard which is about right running around.
However I find running the rear tires at 44 max psi works much better when towing or carrying a load.
jerem0621
Explorer II
Sep 05, 2014
I had a F150 that had a max of 44 PSI. When towing with 35 PSI it was squishy...bumped up to 44 psi and all was peachy again.

Ironically, my TC has a Payload sticker based on 36 psi in my tires. Looked on the sidewall and they can handle 44...needed to haul a lot of people last weekend...bumped them up to 44 psi and the Van handled great.

Reminds me..I need to go air them down now.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
intheburbs
Explorer
Sep 05, 2014
Sticker on my door says 50 PSI front, 71 PSI rear. That's what I run them at all the time. Truck rides very nicely; empty or towing.

On my half-ton, I'd upgraded to LT Load E tires. I wanted the additional sidewall strength for towing and offroading. Even though the tire sticker said 35 PSI max, the tires could go much higher, so I bumped up the pressure when towing my TT. I usually ran the rears up to ~60 PSI and the fronts to 50. Firmed things up nicely.