Tire Temperatures

[10forty2]

Well.... interesting observation made today. After my last tire failure, I had quite a bit of damage in the fender well. We took the coach to Camping World today (about 60 miles from home) for an estimate for insurance purposes. When we returned home from teh last trip on which we had the failure, I purchased a laser thermometer to be able to check the tire temps in the future. So today, when we stopped at Camping World, I immediately checked the tire temps for reference.

Currently, I have 5 Goodyear G647 19.5s and 1 Bridgestone 19.5 on the driver side outside dually coupled with the Goodyear. The Bridgestone was the only tire that had to replace my failed one on the roadside. The temps on all the Goodyears were around 110 degrees on arrival (give or take 3 degrees), but the one Bridgestone was only reading about 95 degrees.

So what gives? Why was the Bridgestone cooler than the rest? And what is considered an acceptable temp? All temps were read at the rear of the tire on the tread surface. I have in my possession a TST TPMS, but have not installed it yet.

[Gjac]

Not mentioned yet in this discussion I think the inside wheel carries a slightly higher load due to the crowning of most roads, more load would translate to higher temp readings all other things equal. Also the Bridgestone tire may be a truck tire with less softening and UV compounds than the Goodyears.

[JumboJet]

10forty2 wrote:

So what gives? Why was the Bridgestone cooler than the rest?

As has been mentioned, several different factors.

Tire compounds differ. I watch NASCAR races and most of the time they will mention what tire Goodyear has brought to the track. The concrete tracks get a different tire compound than the asphalt tracks which can get a different compound due to the banking and distance of the track.

Goodyear and NASCAR have been testing tires at Las Vegas this week.

Nascar Tire Test

And those cars do not use TPMS! Blow a tire, hit the wall!

Maybe Goodyear sells test tires to the RV industry/consumer awaiting your feedback! 🙂

[ArchHoagland]

I shoot my tires every time I stop. At least 300 times by now. What I look for is a difference of temperature between them.
Many things play a part on tire temperature including sun, wind, exhaust and, of course, the tire pressure itself.
A tire that runs hotter than the others by 10 to 15 degrees will get my attention and I'll monitor that tire every day in the morning before hitting the road.
You will develop a feel for the temps after several trips. It's good exercise and gives you a chance to do a visual of your RV during the walk around.

[lunch_surfer]

I agree with Bret Wolfe. Its a different tire diameter issue due to one tire being new the other having miles on it / use. Most tire guys will not let you run dis-similar tire on one side of rear axle set of duals.

[Passin_Thru]

Its kind of like A blivet, also known as a poiuyt, devil's fork or widget, is an undecipherable figure, an optical illusion and an impossible object. No reason, just does.

Nobody is perfect. I am nobody. I must be perfect.

[Dale_Traveling]

I currently have five Kelly and one Goodyear due to an valve stem failure. The one Goodyear always runs hotter by a couple of degrees. Doesn't matter where it's installed. Even through Kelly is part of Goodyear I would guess that the difference in ply material, rubber formula, tread design and such will have a direct effect on rolling temperatures.

[Geocritter]

I had a situation last summer where I was on a long, continuous downgrade going from 5,100’ to about 1,000’. Near the end my heat alarm went off in my TPMS so I pulled over and realized that I was overheating my brakes. I wasn’t overheating them terribly, but enough to make them smoke a little and transfer some of that heat to my tires via the disc brakes and metal rims. Seemed like a good time to stop for lunch and take a long break anyhow…

[Ivylog]

Temping your tires one time will not tell you much or after 60 miles, or five minutes after stopping. After several hundred miles some of the variables from your baseline are:
On a cool day or if running in the rain your temps can be 10+ degrees cooler than normal. Rarely are the front and rear tires the same temp. The bottom of the grove in the tread can be 5-10 degrees hotter than the tread. Almost always the inner dual tire will be hotter than the outside, as much as 10 degrees. On a hot afternoon the tires with the sun on them will be hotter than normal and about the only time the dual on that side will be the same temp. A strong cross wind will add 5+ degrees to one side and take that much from the other... a pretty good reason for running 5 psi over the pressure for your load.
Until you temp your tires enough times to establish a base line there are too many variables to let even a 10 degree difference bother you. I agree the smaller Bridgestone MAY explain the difference but not after 60 miles and one time.
I temp the sidewall about 1" from the tread as that is the easiest place to get to on the inside dual tire. This will be about 10 degrees cooler than the bottom of the groove in the middle of the tire... the hottest spot on my tires. I started temping my tires ten years ago, long before I have a TPMS and still do but not as often.
OP, do not let a 10+% increase in your tire pressures with your TPMS bother you as this is normal.

[10forty2]

TucsonJim wrote:
.....Have you considered purchasing a TPMS system so you can keep an eye on temperature and pressure while you're heading down the road?

I have the TST TPMS system but haven't installed it yet. Just got it for Christmas from Santa!

[10forty2]

All are G rated and all have max pressure listing of 110.

EDIT... Looks like the Bridgestone is slightly larger than the Goodyear with 622 Revs per mile for the Bridgestone vs 640 for the Goodyear. I really don't like mixing tread patterns on opposing wheel positions, but especially don't like different treads bolted together on duallys.

Anyway...it's temporary until we get everything settled. A new Goodyear will be put on in the Bridgestone's place and we'll likely replace the inner dually too since it was attached to the failed tire and may have some hidden damage after all is said and done.

[rgatijnet1]

10forty2 wrote:
All of the Goodyears were basically the same temp (within 3 degrees of each other including inner and outer on the passenger side as well as on the front) while the one Bridgestone was 10 degrees cooler. I can see your point if the Goodyear mounted beside it was carrying most of the load.

For reference, ALL tires were inflated today to 100PSI before we left. Sidewall Max cold rating for the Goodyears and the Bridgestone is 110. There is less than 500 miles difference in the tread wear.

Are all of the tires the same load rating, like F, G, or H? Since you said that the Brigestone could be inflated to 110 psi it might have a higher load rating.

[TucsonJim]

Different side wall thicknesses, belt construction, tread construction, road friction, tread thickness and other variables come into play. All of your tires were well within specification limits, so I wouldn't be concerned.

Have you considered purchasing a TPMS system so you can keep an eye on temperature and pressure while you're heading down the road?

[10forty2]

All of the Goodyears were basically the same temp (within 3 degrees of each other including inner and outer on the passenger side as well as on the front) while the one Bridgestone was 10 degrees cooler. I can see your point if the Goodyear mounted beside it was carrying most of the load.

For reference, ALL tires were inflated today to 100PSI before we left. Sidewall Max cold rating for the Goodyears and the Bridgestone is 110. There is less than 500 miles difference in the tread wear.

[rgatijnet1]

I would guess that a newer tire, with more tread and softer rubber, would shed heat better than an older tire with less tread and hardened rubber.