Tire Pressures?

[demiles]

I’ve noticed that 1/2 ton trucks have the same recommended tire pressures front and rear while 3/4 ton and up always have a pressure offset front to rear. Why don’t they run a offset on 1/2 ton trucks? What do you think?

[Chainwright]

If you ask the good folks here what they keep their tire pressure at for a comfortable ride or when driving under certain circumstances, that's one thing, but when you Ask a Specific question like the one YOU are asking, that is best answered by the "guy" who actually made the the "thing" then maybe it's best to go to the Manufacturer and ask, they have engineers that have worked on this their WHOLE life and are best suited to answer your question. Personally when I have a question, before I come on here I GOOGLE it. Unless you're just looking for good conversation, then you've come to the right place.

[JIMNLIN]

The F150 with a 2607 gvwr payload has a 4550 rawr. These trucks rear axle can weigh in the 2200-2300 lb range. Now add 2607 lbs in the bed (payload) = 4800-4900 lbs for a overload condition.

Best is to weigh your trucks front and rear axles separately. That way you will know if those big gvwr based payloads when placed in the bed isn't overloading a tire/wheel/rear spring pack.

[Super_Dave]

downtheroad wrote:
Our 4WD diesel recommends 80 psi front and 55 psi rear for full payload rating. Quite a difference. It's due to the weight of the heavy diesel motor and the front transfer case.

I always thought I was crazy. My front tires always have way more squat than the rears with equal and recommended tire pressure.

[downtheroad]

Our 4WD diesel recommends 80 psi front and 55 psi rear for full payload rating. Quite a difference. It's due to the weight of the heavy diesel motor and the front transfer case.

[Tvov]

I adjust rear tire pressure depending on what I'm doing. When I am hauling materials (landscape 6x8 ties, stone, etc) I put the rears up to full pressure, which I believe is 75psi. I confirm it with the door sticker. My trucks's tires can go up to 80psi. Fronts I keep at 65psi.

When I know I'm just going to be running errands and/or not hauling for awhile, I'll put the rears down to 65psi. Lower pressure with an empty bed really improves the ride.

My truck rides best when loaded near max - then it has a surprisingly comfortable suspension.

F150 1/2 ton type trucks don't usually have that large of a weight carrying spread, so no need to go through adjusting the tire pressures.

[CALandLIN]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I have caused undue wear on tires because I overinflated, and underinflated tires. The absolute best way to adjust pressure is by taking the truck ready to roll over a scale that scales each tire... or at least measures both fronts and both backs. Then look at the tire specs and see what pressure you need to carry the load you have.

On vehicles such as the OP has posted about, the tire inflation guidance came from the FMVSS standards the vehicle manufacturer is required to follow and certify. That guidance contains the minimum safety standard for that vehicle's recommended tire inflation for OE tires. To do less than what has been recommended is to violate safety.


Of course, that's an owner's call. Without the built-in load capacity reserves included in the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, the owner would be relying on zero usage degrading from a used tire.

[demiles]

Artum Snowbird wrote:
I have caused undue wear on tires because I overinflated, and underinflated tires. The absolute best way to adjust pressure is by taking the truck ready to roll over a scale that scales each tire... or at least measures both fronts and both backs. Then look at the tire specs and see what pressure you need to carry the load you have.

The only thing those load/inflation charts tell you is the “maximum” tire load at various cold inflation pressures. They in no way indicate that running higher pressure for a given load causes abnormal wear.

[demiles]

FishOnOne wrote:

demiles wrote:
I’ve noticed that 1/2 ton trucks have the same recommended tire pressures front and rear while 3/4 ton and up always have a pressure offset front to rear. Why don’t they run a offset on 1/2 ton trucks? What do you think?

My Super Duty requires 65psi both front and back.

I thought your XD truck was supposed to be a 3/4 ton.

Kinda. It calls for 62 psi front 73 psi rear. My 2006 2500HD was 55-80

[Grit_dog]

Good grief.
Anyone who has a pickup truck and uses it for multiple purposes should get it through their heads that pressure “should “ vary as the load varies significantly.
Not that hard. Read one load inflation chart if you don’t understand and just remember a few key pressures for loads if you don’t have an aptitude for it.
And for gosh sakes, realize that the stupid door stickers are no more than a govt mandated ultra conservtive guideline designed for the most inept operators.
Much like the safety warnings on your lawnmower to not put your hand under the deck.

[KM_Rolling]

mtofell1 wrote:
At the risk of giving 1/2 ton truck owners information they probably don't want to hear, the rear tires aren't inflated much (and generally aren't able to be) because the trucks really can't carry that much weight.

HD trucks and above have payloads that generally start at 2X what a half ton does. As the capacity goes up, the need to carry said capacity goes up and more capable tires (with higher PSI ratings) are needed.

Not all 1/2 ton trucks are the same.

Stickers on my F150-

[mtofell1]

At the risk of giving 1/2 ton truck owners information they probably don't want to hear, the rear tires aren't inflated much (and generally aren't able to be) because the trucks really can't carry that much weight.

HD trucks and above have payloads that generally start at 2X what a half ton does. As the capacity goes up, the need to carry said capacity goes up and more capable tires (with higher PSI ratings) are needed.

[FishOnOne]

demiles wrote:
I’ve noticed that 1/2 ton trucks have the same recommended tire pressures front and rear while 3/4 ton and up always have a pressure offset front to rear. Why don’t they run a offset on 1/2 ton trucks? What do you think?

My Super Duty requires 65psi both front and back.

I thought your XD truck was supposed to be a 3/4 ton.

[Atlee]

On my 2014 F150 4x4 HDPP truck which has OEM LT245/75R17 LRE tires, the yellow sticker calls for 55# psi in the front tires, and 60# psi in the rear tires.

Also, the FAWR is 4050#, and the RAWR is 4800#.

[demiles]

KD4UPL wrote:
1/2 ton trucks tend to carry about the same weight on the front and rear axles when fully loaded. Look at the door sticker on the jamb and you will see the FAWR and RAWR are pretty close.
2500 and 3500 trucks are designed to carry a lot more weight in the bed so their RAWR is generally several thousand pounds higher than the FAWR, thus the tires need more air. The front of either truck generally weighs about the same no matter what since the cab, hood, engine, etc. are basically the same across 1500 to 3500.

I would still expect to see a psi differential on the high GVWR 1/2 tons which can see a 1000 lbs + difference between axles.