Tire pressure

[dvitale300]

I have a question. Going on a 500 mile trip tomorrow, leaving about 4am. Since it will be hot, is it a good idea to stop after 2 or 3 hours and check tire pressure / bleeding air off if necessary? I'll be starting ou at the recommended tire pressure (50 psi), but someone told me to do this. Thought I should check with the forum. Thanks

[kennyd63]

NO NO NO, and another DITTO...

[marcarolle]

Thanks to the original poster for the question, and thanks to members for your responses. Very informative.

Marc

[dave54]

fdwt994 wrote:
Agree with the others. Don't overthink it. The manufacturer knows the pressure will increase as the tire warms up. Set the pressure at cold and you'll be fine.

x3. The temp increase is built into the manufacturer's recommended pressure. Also elevation change.

[fla-gypsy]

Set when cold and check when cold. Never bleed off pressure

[fdwt994]

Agree with the others. Don't overthink it. The manufacturer knows the pressure will increase as the tire warms up. Set the pressure at cold and you'll be fine.

[LIKE2BUILD]

garyemunson wrote:
Set tire pressure when unit has been sitting and tire are not hot. DO NOT EVER 'bleed off' air as this can lead to underinflated tires once they cool back down. Elevated pressure from tires getting hot is NEVER a problem and actually helps keep the tire from getting even hotter by minimizing flexing of the rubber at speed.

Another DITTO

[myredracer]

Triple DITTO.

Check and set them at the ambient temp. in the morning before you leave when they've been in shade for at least a few hours. Unless you've been to a scale and have looked up a chart for loading vs. pressure, run them at the sidewall max. psi. If you are significantly changing altitude and outdoor temps. on a leg of a trip, you may need to reduce psi or add some air the next morning. Some will disagree, but if you are on a long trip (in days), it's a good idea to check the pressure on each leg of the trip to see if you have a slow leak in a tire.

If you have ST tires, it's very important to stay below 65 mph, never ever tow on under-inflated tires and make sure the tires aren't overloaded otherwise you can end up with a blowout. Overloading can be from inadequately sized tires by the RV manufacturer, being heavier on one side due to a slide and/or by having one or more full holding tanks. One of the best things you can do is weight your TT and TV at a scale so you know the actual tongue wt. and actual total wt. of the trailer.

A good digital pressure gauge is a good tool to have and a TPMS is also a good idea if you plan to travel around much.

[JIMNLIN]

David....tire makers know their tires will grow pressure from heat caused by rolling and carrying a load.
I've seen my 16" LT E tires set cold at 80 psi grow to 92-94 psi after several hours at interstate speed and a heavy load.

As has been said tire makers don't recommend letting air out of a hot tire. If I had let 12-14 psi out of my hot tires and stopped for a fuel/lunch break they would be cooled and 12-14 psi low and really get hot to the point of tread/belt separation issues.

[Ohio_Engineer]

What they said.

[hohenwald48]

DITTO DITTO

[wanderingbob]

DITTO

[gbopp]

dvitale300 wrote:
I have a question. Going on a 500 mile trip tomorrow, leaving about 4am. Since it will be hot, is it a good idea to stop after 2 or 3 hours and check tire pressure / bleeding air off if necessary? I'll be starting ou at the recommended tire pressure (50 psi), but someone told me to do this. Thought I should check with the forum. Thanks

Someone told you wrong. They didn't know what they were talking about.
Follow the above post and you will be fine.

[garyemunson]

Set tire pressure when unit has been sitting and tire are not hot. DO NOT EVER 'bleed off' air as this can lead to underinflated tires once they cool back down. Elevated pressure from tires getting hot is NEVER a problem and actually helps keep the tire from getting even hotter by minimizing flexing of the rubber at speed. Tires have to be grossly overinflated for there to be even the remotest possibility of a blowout from pressure. Tires blow out because they have been weakened from underinflation and the accompanying overflexing of the sidewalls. Go by the RV manufacturer's recommendation for pressure. The maximum safe cold temp is on the sidewall and can always be safely used but that is usually higher than what the RV mfg. calls for and will give a rougher ride. That pressure rating takes into account that the pressure will rise as the tire gets hot (but will return to the set pressure when cool again).