tire pressure question

[riven1950]

Just put Michelen lt tires on my 2013 f150 4x4 cc. Max pressure is 80 psi. E rated.

My question is what would be a good pressure to run when not towing or hauling? What do you folks do?

Door jamb calls for 35 psi, based on original P rated tires, same size. ( 275/65/18 )

Seems 80psi is too much and 35psi is too little for normal driving.

Also, is full 80 psi what you folks do for towing? Should front and back be different?

Towing a TT about 6000-6200lbs loaded with wd hitch/ sway.

thanks, bought tires at Ford dealer and they are not much help.

[Grit_dog]

^Yup, those tires last forever........and drive like plastic ice skates in the winter!
Had a set on a company truck and tried to wear them out so I could get rid of them. About 50kmi later, I turned in the truck for a new one and still hadn't wore em out.
For high mile, otr travel, no winter driving Bfg rugged trails are hard to beat.

[Cummins12V98]

80K on these BFG's running pressures based on load.

[Grit_dog]

riven1950 wrote:
OP here. My concern on running 35-40 psi empty was that the tires might not wear properly.

If 35-40 will not hurt the tire wear then that is what I will do. But it makes sense that more pressure is only needed for more carrying capacity.

Right now got them pumped to 55 because we are leaving on a towing trip this week.

It rides pretty good at 55 with the new Bilstein shocks. Man those are nice shocks and big improvement over stock!

Can't speak for what you need for towing, dunno how much weight you're adding, but unless you're putting serious tongue weight on the back I can't imagine needing more than about 50psi Max rear.
As far as driving empty, pick what feels best between 30 and 40 psi. Trust me. Been running D and E load tires on half tons for 20 plus years.

[mowermech]

Keep in mind that the Jeep Rubicon came from the factory with E rated tires, inflated to 33 PSI.
I put a lot of freeway miles on my 2006 Rubicon Unlimited, with the tires inflated to 33 PSI (cold), and had no tire problems at all. I did rotate the tires at every oil change, though, to keep the tread wear even on all four.

[riven1950]

OP here. My concern on running 35-40 psi empty was that the tires might not wear properly.

If 35-40 will not hurt the tire wear then that is what I will do. But it makes sense that more pressure is only needed for more carrying capacity.

Right now got them pumped to 55 because we are leaving on a towing trip this week.

It rides pretty good at 55 with the new Bilstein shocks. Man those are nice shocks and big improvement over stock!

[Grit_dog]

allen8106 wrote:
My door sticker calls for 65 front, 80 rear. I run that towing or not.

Why?
Just to keep the tire nanny light off, or you like the lumber wagon feel?

[Grit_dog]

Why would 35psi seem too little? Is that not what you ran with the P tires you jsit took off?
Remember air holds the vehicle up, the tire is just the balloon that keeps the air in.
Remember Pressure is almost 100% a function of load or weight, not what tires you have.
Or short answer, assuming relatively stock size and profile. Winter driving, I'd go maybe. 35f/30r for empty driving. Just for the extra traction. Summer driving (no Sno and ice) run 40/35.

[lbrjet]

riven1950 wrote:
OP here. I did chat online with Michelen. They would not give me an answer to the psi for towing, liability issue I am sure.

They did do a look up and said to get the same max load capacity as my original P tires I would need to inflate to 55psi.

But did you air to max pressure on your 'P's? You have a 4K axle on your truck. Air accordingly.

[Cummins12V98]

allen8106 wrote:
My door sticker calls for 65 front, 80 rear. I run that towing or not.

You are wearing your tires out well before their time! Those are max load inflation numbers. I would recommend 65 front ALL the time since the front axle load changes very little. I would also check to see what your actual loaded rear axle weighs loaded and unloaded. You may be able to run less pressure loaded if your RV is not too heavy. What ever the weight/inflation chart says per your weights add 5psi.

This is from someone that gets 100K on a set of BFG or Michelins on a 2500 4x4.

Also your unloaded ride is not what ic could be. 45psi unloaded rear is most likely where you should be.

[allen8106]

My door sticker calls for 65 front, 80 rear. I run that towing or not.

[The_real_wild1]

A new 1/2t isn't a truck lol. It is a car!!

[mowermech]

The_real_wild1 wrote:
E rated tires do not belong on a half ton. I made the mistake of getting e rated tires on my new 2008 ram 1500. The ride was bad and I realized they sold me e rated tires a few days later. I should have took them back but never did and regretted staying with them for 4 years until I got rid of the truck. The only way to get them to ride good is to drop the pressure to about 30 PSI and that is too low for them. I ran 35 psi and they still rode like ****. I suggest returning the tires and getting the proper D rated tire for your truck.

every time I see a post like this I am reminded of my 2006 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited. It came from the factory with big wide E rated tires (for strength when rock crawling). the recommended tire pressure according to the door frame sticker? 33 PSI for max. axle load!
Off road I often aired down to 12 PSI for more grip.
Yes, on a half ton pickup E rated tires can ride like a truck if you don't air them down. 30 to 35 PSI is not too low.
I always figured it rides like a truck because it IS a TRUCK!

[The_real_wild1]

If you want load capacity buy a 3/4T or 1T. People buy a 1/2t for less load capacity and better ride. You kill your ride quality by putting on an E rated tire. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

[Grit_dog]

The_real_wild1 wrote:
E rated tires do not belong on a half ton. I made the mistake of getting e rated tires on my new 2008 ram 1500. The ride was bad and I realized they sold me e rated tires a few days later. I should have took them back but never did and regretted staying with them for 4 years until I got rid of the truck. The only way to get them to ride good is to drop the pressure to about 30 PSI and that is too low for them. I ran 35 psi and they still rode like ****. I suggest returning the tires and getting the proper D rated tire for your truck.

They probably lasted a lot longer than comparable C tires.
Also no such thing as "proper" D rated tires. Well there's nothing wrong with them but they'll ride just as rough as Es when aired up. See previous post.