Tow Vehicle Tire Pressure
Do others increase / decrease the tire pressure in their tow vehicle when they are pulling the trailer? My truck specs say 35 psi for all 4 tires, but nothing about adjusting when towing. I'm thin...
Forum Discussion
trailer_newbe wrote:
“”You, DON'T account for heat. The engineers have already done that. You always set them cold. If they are at correct pressure, the heat buildup is normal. Now, if one gets low that will create excess heat that can raise the pressure to the point of a blowout.
Mark””
I do not agree. The manufacturer list the MAX pressure on their side wall. Granted they usually say cold, but anyone who thinks they engineered all road temperature conditions, I have a bridge across the Grand Canyon I’ll sell you. Set to 80 PSI then drive through Yuma on a 120 degree day, bad idea. I’ve aired to 80 PSI then hit the road and observed 86 PSI, which I’m good with, but where I live the temperature (and more importantly) the asphalt gets so hot it starts to melt. You can’t just air to max (cold) and take off, because you need to compensate for the time of year and where you are heading.
It's not usually cold, it's always cold. I've never seen a tire that did not specify PSI cold. That being said my Suburban specifies 55 psi for comfort and for 80 PSI when towing. I just air them to 70 PSI as I'm not hitting max cargo weight anyway and I don't worry about hot roads as I know there is plenty or room to grow pressure wise.
