Tire/wheel temps.

Thanks clicky

Good reference to tread surface temps...

For what its worth... Bridgestone commercial q&a says 150-180 deg F is considered normal.

http://www.bridgestonetrucktires.com/us_eng/answers/doctor_performance.asp#2

-marc

Bedlam wrote:
Steel retains heat more than aluminum.

Yes (or you could say aluminum conducts heat better than steel...).

In any case the aluminum wheels NEVER felt warm. Now the rear steelies do...wondering if anyone else has observed same?

The whole tire/wheel thing is kind of funny. Camped next to some very nice Folks last weekend. They have 230k on their 99 Ford with OE aluminum wheels...been all over the country.
They have had 2 cracked wheels and 3 blown valve stems (before switching to brass stems) and they did not seem the least bit concerned!
(They are carrying a large Lance on a SRW truck they say weighs ~ 4k#)

Ignorance is bliss! The more you start weighing these things the lighter your wallet gets!



FWIW; TRA advocates waiting 3 hrs after extended driving before checking psi

And if in doubt about the load on your tires spend the $10 to have it weighed at a CAT scale in your area. No need to guess.

It does not matter what the temperature is inside the tires so long as you let them cool down for 30 minutes before doing a pressure check. That is to have the air inside the tire equalize with the outside ambient air.

Tire manufacturers allow for the increase in tire pressure with operation of the tire. So long as the tire is not under inflated you have no worries. It is with under inflated tires or overloaded tires that the excess sidewall flexing and heat buildup can lead to failure of the tire.

Steel retains heat more than aluminum.

deltabravo wrote:
There are so many factors involved with respect to tire temperature, it's hard to give a hard and fast rule about what is "too hot".

Factors involved:
weight on the tire
ambient air temp
road surface temp
tire pressure

Agreed...this is why I was hoping to find a spec/chart of when a tire/wheel starts to reach dangerous temps (deformation/loss of integrity/failure).

It's kind of odd that a lot of Folks talk about watching their tire/wheel temps with IR gauges, etc but nobody knows what they are looking for other than relative temps or "yeah...it feels ok"?

I do know the new steel wheels feel warmer to the touch than the previous aluminum wheels. Presumably due to the delta in thermal properties.
Anyone else notice the difference between steel and aluminum?

Tx, B

There are so many factors involved with respect to tire temperature, it's hard to give a hard and fast rule about what is "too hot".

Factors involved:
weight on the tire
ambient air temp
road surface temp
tire pressure

I am more concerned about temperature of the tire than the wheel.

I also look at the temperature of the wheel hubs of my trailer. I do this because I had a huge problem with one of my flatbed trailers a few years ago.

I bet not many people know what a PY0 wheel is, but I do. :-)