Tire pressure
I have a question. Going on a 500 mile trip tomorrow, leaving about 4am. Since it will be hot, is it a good idea to stop after 2 or 3 hours and check tire pressure / bleeding air off if necessary? I'...
Forum Discussion
Triple DITTO.
Check and set them at the ambient temp. in the morning before you leave when they've been in shade for at least a few hours. Unless you've been to a scale and have looked up a chart for loading vs. pressure, run them at the sidewall max. psi. If you are significantly changing altitude and outdoor temps. on a leg of a trip, you may need to reduce psi or add some air the next morning. Some will disagree, but if you are on a long trip (in days), it's a good idea to check the pressure on each leg of the trip to see if you have a slow leak in a tire.
If you have ST tires, it's very important to stay below 65 mph, never ever tow on under-inflated tires and make sure the tires aren't overloaded otherwise you can end up with a blowout. Overloading can be from inadequately sized tires by the RV manufacturer, being heavier on one side due to a slide and/or by having one or more full holding tanks. One of the best things you can do is weight your TT and TV at a scale so you know the actual tongue wt. and actual total wt. of the trailer.
A good digital pressure gauge is a good tool to have and a TPMS is also a good idea if you plan to travel around much.
Check and set them at the ambient temp. in the morning before you leave when they've been in shade for at least a few hours. Unless you've been to a scale and have looked up a chart for loading vs. pressure, run them at the sidewall max. psi. If you are significantly changing altitude and outdoor temps. on a leg of a trip, you may need to reduce psi or add some air the next morning. Some will disagree, but if you are on a long trip (in days), it's a good idea to check the pressure on each leg of the trip to see if you have a slow leak in a tire.
If you have ST tires, it's very important to stay below 65 mph, never ever tow on under-inflated tires and make sure the tires aren't overloaded otherwise you can end up with a blowout. Overloading can be from inadequately sized tires by the RV manufacturer, being heavier on one side due to a slide and/or by having one or more full holding tanks. One of the best things you can do is weight your TT and TV at a scale so you know the actual tongue wt. and actual total wt. of the trailer.
A good digital pressure gauge is a good tool to have and a TPMS is also a good idea if you plan to travel around much.
