Tow Vehicle Tire Pressure

dave54 wrote:
The downside to max sidewall PSI is when you unhitch. Running around locally with little to no weight and tires inflated to max is the vehicle will ride like a army tank.
Doesn't really hurt the vehicle, but the occupants will be bounced around like peas in a kettle drum.

Not really true.

Back when I had a "heavy half" I ALWAYS ran FULL SIDEWALL PRESSURE.

That was with "P" Passenger tires and the sidewall pressure rating was 44 PSI.

With "P" or Passenger tires, you will BARELY NOTICE A DIFFERENCE IN RIDE running full 44 PSI or running say 32 PSI when empty.

Now with my 3/4 ton with sidewall pressure rating of 80 PSI there is a slightly noticeable difference in ride when running full sidewall pressure and empty..

Even then not all that bad and when camping a long way from home for a week or so a LITTLE BIT OF RIDE DISCOMFORT IS NOT ANY REASON TO BOTHER REMOVING THE AIR WHILE DISCONNECTED.

The only reason I do drop my pressure a few lbs on my 3/4 ton when home is to PREVENT TEARING THE CENTER TREAD OFF WHEN EMPTY.

So, the way I see it, if you are running Passenger tires (as pretty much all 1/2 tons do), run the full sidewall pressure all the times, UNLESS, you notice the centers of the tires wearing out before the outside tread..

That IS what I do with all of my cars and my former heavy half and it works very well, gives you best gas mileage also.

Now for LT tires on trucks, yeah, reducing the pressure a couple of pounds can soften the ride SLIGHTLY when empty but not all that much.. Tire wear tends to be more important ($250 per tire for my last replacements) and lowering the pressure a couple of lbs can help to get more even tire wear..

For trailers, I always run max sidewall pressure, most trailers will be loaded pretty close to the max tire capacity and this is no place to skimp on air (tire capacity goes DOWN or is DERATED with lower pressure). Chances are you WILL replace the trailer tires BEFORE the tread wears out..