Tire pressure before going south

[J_E]

I am curious what others do about air pressure in your fifth-wheel tires. If you set it at proper PSI in the north at 30 degrees and then end up in FL at 90 degrees, what effect will that have on the tire pressure?

[larry_barnhart]

I use the max 110 lbs when we tow our 34 ft alpenlite. Have not had a tire problem yet.
chevman

[NC_Hauler]

NHIrish wrote:
Always popcorn time with tire questions.

Inflate to max psi for trailer tires and check regularly...or daily...or weigh all wheels and axles individually and follow the appropriate formula...which will have you pretty close to the max tire pressure on the side of the tire.

Since almost nobody takes the time to go through the weighing process to determine the heaviest load on a tire, just fill them. I don't know anyone that has worn out the tread on a trailer tire. Any extra tread wear will be negligible and full tires add a greater safety margin.

WHY would you not want the tire to have maximum load capacity as specified on the sidewall when all you read about here is tire issues on trailers. It is a trailer, not occupied by people, therefore ride comfort or handling characteristics are not relevant. It is top heavy and subject to crazy road forces. Add to that the fact that most manufacturers do not give you adequate surplus capacity when they spec the tire and you get a recipe for failure.


Explain to me, if you can, why I would want less than max capacity in my trailer tires cause I don't get it.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-trailer-tire-frequently-asked-questions.aspx

agree

[NHIrish]

Always popcorn time with tire questions.

Inflate to max psi for trailer tires and check regularly...or daily...or weigh all wheels and axles individually and follow the appropriate formula...which will have you pretty close to the max tire pressure on the side of the tire.

Since almost nobody takes the time to go through the weighing process to determine the heaviest load on a tire, just fill them. I don't know anyone that has worn out the tread on a trailer tire. Any extra tread wear will be negligible and full tires add a greater safety margin.

WHY would you not want the tire to have maximum load capacity as specified on the sidewall when all you read about here is tire issues on trailers. It is a trailer, not occupied by people, therefore ride comfort or handling characteristics are not relevant. It is top heavy and subject to crazy road forces. Add to that the fact that most manufacturers do not give you adequate surplus capacity when they spec the tire and you get a recipe for failure.


Explain to me, if you can, why I would want less than max capacity in my trailer tires cause I don't get it.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-trailer-tire-frequently-asked-questions.aspx

[NC_Hauler]

Dave H M wrote:
Hmmmmmm, I wonder who will eventually wizz the highest on the wall. :R

Hmmmmmm, There's probably a gage for that somewhere...what did that have to do with checking tire air pressure:h

[Dave_H_M]

Hmmmmmm, I wonder who will eventually wizz the highest on the wall. :R

[NC_Hauler]

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
Well then I must be "asking for trouble", whatever that must be. I have been pulling trailers since '75 and never had any wear issues and only blew one tire, a Goodyear Marathon. And I do have a TPMS which has not indicated any issue. :C

Well then you're ok, though some refined calibration equip has found some TPMS off by as much as 10% at times...I use a high dollar digital read out that I can also have calibrated, so feel pt=retty good about it,

Look up the spec's on that gauge and let us know the percentage of error. Might be interesting.

It's a commercial digital read out for tires that I can check it's calibration with some pretty sophisticated calibration equipment that I can use ...It's within +/- 2 psi to actual reading.

You still didn't give a brand or the mfg spec's for accuracy. At what pressure was it calibrated?

Haltec Pro Series digital gage...I checked known/verified air pressures of 35 psi 65 psi, 80 psi and 110 psi against what the gage read at these known values.
I didn't check manufactures specs, Gage was recommended by a Quality Engineer in my company's tire division...

It's close enough for me to trust it's accuracy and feel ok with the readings. I just had some helpful insight into the gage I purchased. I also have a slime digital gage that I've used for years, and basing readings from the Haltec to the Slime, The $30 Slime is almost as accurate, close enough to not worry.

It appears I ruffled your feathers from the 3rd. degree I'm getting from you...Don't understand why, no reason for me to lie about a tire pressure gage and how I'm fortunate enough to be able to check it's accuracy..

No ruffled feathers just curious as to what brand is considered a "good" gauge and how much they cost. Google can't find a Caltech tire pressure gauge so I guess it was a moot point.

OK, I don't seem to hunt and peck with my right hand only very well..Since the stroke, I can't type with my left hand and need to do a better job of proof reading before I post. The gage is a Teltek, TLK139, ignore the price, I paid NO where near that. I attached an 20" flex hose to it and added the chuck that works on my trucks valve stem, then checked gage against a known /verified air pressures of 35, 50, 80 and 110 psi,, and compared what gage was reading to a known actual pressure

As to what is the best....I stated I have a SLIME digital read out pressure gage that is very accurate and use it most of the time, but will still compare at times with the Teltik, but that doesn't necessarily make it good.. 40 years ago or more I'd use a $1 gage and never had the first issue with tires on any vehicle ot trailer I owned...so all this may be WAY overblown( pun intended)

[avvidclif1]

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
Well then I must be "asking for trouble", whatever that must be. I have been pulling trailers since '75 and never had any wear issues and only blew one tire, a Goodyear Marathon. And I do have a TPMS which has not indicated any issue. :C

Well then you're ok, though some refined calibration equip has found some TPMS off by as much as 10% at times...I use a high dollar digital read out that I can also have calibrated, so feel pt=retty good about it,

Look up the spec's on that gauge and let us know the percentage of error. Might be interesting.

It's a commercial digital read out for tires that I can check it's calibration with some pretty sophisticated calibration equipment that I can use ...It's within +/- 2 psi to actual reading.

You still didn't give a brand or the mfg spec's for accuracy. At what pressure was it calibrated?

Haltec Pro Series digital gage...I checked known/verified air pressures of 35 psi 65 psi, 80 psi and 110 psi against what the gage read at these known values.
I didn't check manufactures specs, Gage was recommended by a Quality Engineer in my company's tire division...

It's close enough for me to trust it's accuracy and feel ok with the readings. I just had some helpful insight into the gage I purchased. I also have a slime digital gage that I've used for years, and basing readings from the Haltec to the Slime, The $30 Slime is almost as accurate, close enough to not worry.

It appears I ruffled your feathers from the 3rd. degree I'm getting from you...Don't understand why, no reason for me to lie about a tire pressure gage and how I'm fortunate enough to be able to check it's accuracy..

No ruffled feathers just curious as to what brand is considered a "good" gauge and how much they cost. Google can't find a Haltech tire pressure gauge so I guess it was a moot point.

[neal10a]

I would like to also mention my experience with nitrogen filled tires. As an experiment I filled one tire with nitrogen to see if there is any difference in temperature vs pressure as claimed by those selling nitrogen. The bottom line is there is no measurable difference because of the accuracy of the TPMS at 1%. Aircraft use nitro to minimize a potential fire hazard and race cars use nitro because of the temperature extremes the tire run at (200deg). Trailer, truck and passenger cars do not share the same environments and therefore it is a waste of money to fill those tires with Nitro. As it turns out physical laws support his my experience.

[NC_Hauler]

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
Well then I must be "asking for trouble", whatever that must be. I have been pulling trailers since '75 and never had any wear issues and only blew one tire, a Goodyear Marathon. And I do have a TPMS which has not indicated any issue. :C

Well then you're ok, though some refined calibration equip has found some TPMS off by as much as 10% at times...I use a high dollar digital read out that I can also have calibrated, so feel pt=retty good about it,

Look up the spec's on that gauge and let us know the percentage of error. Might be interesting.

It's a commercial digital read out for tires that I can check it's calibration with some pretty sophisticated calibration equipment that I can use ...It's within +/- 2 psi to actual reading.

You still didn't give a brand or the mfg spec's for accuracy. At what pressure was it calibrated?

Haltec Pro Series digital gage...I checked known/verified air pressures of 35 psi 65 psi, 80 psi and 110 psi against what the gage read at these known values.
I didn't check manufactures specs, Gage was recommended by a Quality Engineer in my company's tire division...

It's close enough for me to trust it's accuracy and feel ok with the readings. I just had some helpful insight into the gage I purchased. I also have a slime digital gage that I've used for years, and basing readings from the Haltec to the Slime, The $30 Slime is almost as accurate, close enough to not worry.

It appears I ruffled your feathers from the 3rd. degree I'm getting from you...Don't understand why, no reason for me to lie about a tire pressure gage and how I'm fortunate enough to be able to check it's accuracy..

[Sam_Spade]

rdemore wrote:
I am curious about what happened and if air pressure had a effect. The two tires that blew were put on summer 2012.

You have to ask? Really ??

You started out inflated 13 PSI OVER THE RECOMMENDED PRESSURE and then drove to a warmer climate.....which just made matters worse.

But you didn't include what are possibly the most important pieces of information:
What was the max. loaded pressure on the side of the old tires ?
How many miles did they have on them and were they visibly worn ??
How heavily loaded was the trailer ??
Were these the right load range tires for the vehicle ?

So....yes, if you abuse your tires, they will fail quicker.

(Edit)
Now I see that you changed load range ratings with the failed tires. It is even possible that they did not fit the rims right.

[justme]

neal10a wrote:
Why not follow the tire manufactures recommendations. When they say cold temperature they mean at 70deg F ambient with the tire at ambient temperature. The tire temperature will be above ambient while running. So one must let the tires cool before checking the pressure. My 110 psi tires get 50 deg F above ambient while traveling at highway speeds--and the pressure will be above 120 psi until they cool down to ambient. So it would be stupid to let air out of the tire when they are hot. When the tires are at 40 deg F they are below 100psi and it would be stupid to add more air at that temperature because they would be 110 psi when they get to 70 deg F.

That says it all

[avvidclif1]

NC Hauler wrote:

avvidclif1 wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

RAS43 wrote:
Well then I must be "asking for trouble", whatever that must be. I have been pulling trailers since '75 and never had any wear issues and only blew one tire, a Goodyear Marathon. And I do have a TPMS which has not indicated any issue. :C

Well then you're ok, though some refined calibration equip has found some TPMS off by as much as 10% at times...I use a high dollar digital read out that I can also have calibrated, so feel pt=retty good about it,

Look up the spec's on that gauge and let us know the percentage of error. Might be interesting.

It's a commercial digital read out for tires that I can check it's calibration with some pretty sophisticated calibration equipment that I can use ...It's within +/- 2 psi to actual reading.

You still didn't give a brand or the mfg spec's for accuracy. At what pressure was it calibrated?

[jadatis]

laknox wrote:

rdemore wrote:
I just returned from Christmas in Cocoa Beach. We left Tn with the tires at about 78 psi cold. I have TPMS on the trailer, and by the the time we got to Atlanta the pressure was around 85-86 psi. Just south of Atlanta, we had a blowout, and the next morning a 2nd blowout. Replaced the two tires with Goodyear Marathons (only option on Sunday morning) and they set the pressure to 70 psi and suggested I look at the camper recommendation. I found it on the name plate and it was 65 psi.

Well, with all that said, two blowouts in 200 miles, no spare for the 2nd, I am curious about what happened and if air pressure had a effect. The two tires that blew were put on summer 2012.

What was the load rating on the tires that blew? If they were D-rated, you were over-pressured from the get-go; if E-rated, they =should= have been able to handle that, no problem. So long as your wheels are rated for 80, or more, you're good to go to run E-rated tires. Obviously, your FW is spec'd for D's if the placard said 65 psi.


Lyle

And where the tires ST tires , then they are calculated in their maximum load for 65m/h and so already a deflection that is to the edges.
If then a little more load or lower pressure and it goes wrong.

What was the history of the tires ,where they always at about 80 psi or did you begin at 65 psi, then a while to low pressure , or better to much deflection , and the damage is done , and slowly this damage leads to a blowout.

The temperature rising from 78 to 86 is what you would expect and does not imply to low pressure. A pressure rising of 10 to 11% is what you would expect to give no damage to tire.

[rdemore]

Lyle,

Thanks for the reply. We upgraded the tires from D's to E's when we bought the trailer in 2012. I this is the third tire of that new set that has failed. I am beginning to think that it may have just been a bad set of tires. Any any case we replaced the remaining tire after the last blowout and do not have that set on anymore.

I am just trying to make sure that I have not left some base uncovered. I really do not like changing tires on the side of the interstate.

[laknox]

rdemore wrote:
I just returned from Christmas in Cocoa Beach. We left Tn with the tires at about 78 psi cold. I have TPMS on the trailer, and by the the time we got to Atlanta the pressure was around 85-86 psi. Just south of Atlanta, we had a blowout, and the next morning a 2nd blowout. Replaced the two tires with Goodyear Marathons (only option on Sunday morning) and they set the pressure to 70 psi and suggested I look at the camper recommendation. I found it on the name plate and it was 65 psi.

Well, with all that said, two blowouts in 200 miles, no spare for the 2nd, I am curious about what happened and if air pressure had a effect. The two tires that blew were put on summer 2012.

What was the load rating on the tires that blew? If they were D-rated, you were over-pressured from the get-go; if E-rated, they =should= have been able to handle that, no problem. So long as your wheels are rated for 80, or more, you're good to go to run E-rated tires. Obviously, your FW is spec'd for D's if the placard said 65 psi.

Lyle