Proper tire inflation

ognend wrote:

BurbMan wrote:

Lynnsr wrote:
There are never 2 correct answers.

Always inflate your tires based on the tire manufacturer's recommendations.

...and this isn't one of them, unless you are referring to the tire manufacturer's load/inflation tables, not just the max pressure printed on the sidewall.

OK - until this post I was fine ;), now I am confused. This should not be rocket science. If the tire has a max load of 80 psi and the truck sticker says inflate to 80 psi, why do I need these tables?

Thanks,


OD

Because the truck sticker says 55 psi for the front which is less than the 80 on the sidewall. The manufacturer bases the 55 psi on the GAWR of the front axle....in other words if you are carrying the max load that your front axle is rated for you shouldn't need more than 55 psi in the front tires. Unless of course your truck is overweight and your front axle is overloaded to begin with....

I don't get the thinking of "inflate all tires to the max"....yes, underinflation is bad because tires can overheat and fail. Overinflation is just as bad since it reduces the contact patch of the tire, wears the tread unevenly, and can wear out ball joints and other front end parts prematurely.

If you are not sure what you're carrying on the front axle, hit a scale as was mentioned.

Every manufacturer specifies max loads for their tires at varying pressures:

Bridgestone
Goodyear
Michelin

You get the idea.....