Tire inflation

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

I forget what the max pressure is on the Maxis tires but like the 58-60 .

The maximum for a Load Range D ST205/75R15 will be 65 PSI (as shown on the load-inflation tables).

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

The Maxis tires are a lot heavier then the Carlisles were . So I have pressure up a little .

The tires are heavier, but that doesn't mean that they need any more pressure, just that they can handle more pressure without bursting and carry more load.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by thoer

Jim how did you manage to quote me on a post I didn’t make. Oh I know, it always Eric’s fault.....

I must have multi-quoted and deleted the link to Brian's post. I will correct.... even though it probably is your fault. Check with Mary.

edit: All is better now. LOL

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The maximum for a Load Range D ST205/75R15 will be 65 PSI (as shown on the load-inflation tables).


The tires are heavier, but that doesn't mean that they need any more pressure, just that they can handle more pressure without bursting and carry more load.

That's the max pressure now . Good to know about the bursting and loads . Hope to get more use out of them and they warrant for 6 years . Wanted better tires for trailer even though don't want to carry a lot . Have a 8 ft truck bed to carry things . Downsized a long time ago having a camper after motorhome . Couldn't believe the unused crap we were carrying around .Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I have kept them at 80 psi for the 15 years I have been using them.

Little ST205/75R15's, not a larger size common on heavier equipment? On a travel trailer? While running at half their rated capacity even when the trailer is loaded to GVWR? It would work, but it's hard to see why.

High load ranges are used to allow the use of smaller (and thus cheaper) tires. When a flat-deck for construction materials and equipment gets to several tons, four little tires need a lot of pressure; they don't when carrying a travel trailer of less than three tons gross weight.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

That's the max pressure now . Good to know about the bursting and loads . Hope to get more use out of them and they warrant for 6 years . Wanted better tires for trailer even though don't want to carry a lot . Have a 8 ft truck bed to carry things . Downsized a long time ago having a camper after motorhome . Couldn't believe the unused crap we were carrying around .Pat

Brian just remembered, going about same time in August , same road , same temps tge new Maxis ran about 8-10 degree cooler . The Carlisles I saw temps going up over 110 . The Maxis stayed in the 90's at the most . Pat

[float5]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Has anyone tried kicking a tire inflated to 30 psi, and another to 50 psi? If you did, you would have found very little difference. Either one will break your toe if you kick hard enough. The amount of cushion difference to the ride is negligible. The torsion axle on Escape trailers is what takes care of that.

With how trailer tires are constructed, the higher the pressure, the more stability they have, especially with the sidewall. A stiffer sidewall is less prone to lateral movement and wear on the tires. Keeping the sidewalls stiff is paramount to their performance, thus it is essential to keep them fully pressured up at higher weights. At lower weights the tires will perform okay at the minimum pressure, but will do equally as well, and I believe even better, inflated to maximum pressure.

Tread wear will differ very little between lower and higher pressure too.

My thought, and that of my tire shop manager, is that why not run them at their design pressure? For 30 years of trailer ownership, I have always maintained my tires at maximum pressure.

Yes, this is the kind of explanation I read way back from Carlisle saying to use the psi on the sidewall. Seen the same explanation a number of places.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by float5

Yes, this is the kind of explanation I read way back from Carlisle saying to use the psi on the sidewall. Seen the same explanation a number of places.

Interesting on this forum I remember a member claiming to run his Escape tires at 48 lbs . Pat

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Interesting on this forum I remember a member claiming to run his Escape tires at 48 lbs . Pat

Without all the numbers, numbers such as this are quite useless.
What size tire? What load range? Which model of Escape? Dual axle or single?

[phalaney]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The great thing about the ride of trailers is that no one rides in them, so they don't realize how rough it is. It is possible to adjust pressures and feel some difference, although the degree of roughness is better judged by stuff in the trailer (and best judged by an accelerometer in the trailer, but no one measures anything).


Why use higher pressure with the Load Range D tires? They're the same size, and so do not need any more pressure to get the same behaviour.

I wonder if people would use 80 PSI if they could get this size of ST tire in Load Range E? The "always use maximum for trailers" philosophy would say to do exactly that.

Great ? and I confess to being guilty as charged, with our sold off 19' Scamp. I can tell you that we carried a 2 recumbent bike rack in back, and could see the tire on the long one in our trailer mirror. It always had a good little bounce, even after being cinched down super tight. Probably reflecting the whole trailer bounce. Increased trailer frame and body wear/decreased braking/handling foot print, versus microscopic mileage gain/decreased tire wear - I don't think that I should have done this.....

[thoer]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Interesting on this forum I remember a member claiming to run his Escape tires at 48 lbs . Pat

...which would be right in the range Reace suggested for our 17

[Bobbito]

I realize that my truck tires are a much higher load range than the stock ones the Tundra came with, and the reason they have a maximum 80 psi. I was surprised to read on this thread that Jim Bennett has been running his heavy duty tires at their maximum 80 psi for years without deflating when the truck is empty. This didn’t jibe with what I had been told about my tires by KalTire and my mechanic, or what I experienced. As I said in an earlier post, when I ran my tires at 55 psi constant pressure they bulged in the middle without a load adequate to counter the pressure. The proof was in me having to replace them recently with the center almost bald, but the edges of the tread still with substantial tread.

After searching the Internet it seems that when you get higher load range off-road tires you must deal with a much more complex scenario. I saw this thread on a GM truck club forum that included posts that warned of how inflating to maximum 80 psi would give uneven tread wear.

What tire pressure to run on load "E" tires? | Chevy Truck Forum | GM Truck Club

Can some of our forum experts (including Jim) weigh in on this? Does this problem depend on the brand of tire or some other variable?

BTW, my wife prefers the ride when our tires aren’t at their maximum pressure. The reason we got these heavier tires was so we could drive our truck on roads with sharp rocks without worry that they, especially the sidewalls, would be punctured. Staying with the P-rated tires the truck come would have made tire pressures much simpler and given us a better ride. It’s the sacrifice one makes to get to the best fishing.

Bob K

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Bobbito

I was surprised to read on this thread that Jim Bennett has been running his heavy duty tires at their maximum 80 psi for years without deflating when the truck is empty. This didn’t jibe with what I had been told about my tires by KalTire and my mechanic, or what I experienced.

Mine are ST trailer trailer tires, not truck tires, mounted on my dump trailer. Installed by KalTire.

[float5]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

Mine are ST trailer trailer tires, not truck tires, mounted on my dump trailer. Installed by KalTire.

That is what I thought. Trailer, not truck. Big difference to some of us.

[Bobbito]

Oops! Sorry about the confusion. I was looking back at earlier posts about TV tire pressure and missed the reference to trailers. I didn’t realize trailer tire pressures went to 80 psi.


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