Tire Safety

[oldmanAZ]

@ TSTGUY..
Your post...
"You may need to see if your tires are inflated properly.
If you haven't weighed your trailer, you should be running your air pressure at the maximum cold pressure. Typically on a 15" trailer tire it is 65 lbs.

I teach tire safety seminars all over the country. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to answer your questions.

You will get all sorts of comments on forums. Most of the time they are very accurate but sometimes...

Let me know if I can help"

I need to ask: Is having ALL tires (TV and TT) inflated to their maximum shown on the sidewall the safest way to tow for all tires? It is my understanding that it is and I have posted that many times on this forum. It gives you the coolest running, highest load carrying capacity, and the least sidewall flex for sway reduction. This has been a hot topic in this forum from time to time and I, for one, welcome having someone with knowledge and experience weigh in on this topic.

[mike837go]

First, I don't have nearly enough book learning nor experience to properly comment on the main issue.


However, I despise blanket statement on principle. Saying this or that is the absolute solution leaves lots of holes for arguments.


Generally, I look at what the vehicle manufacturer has recommended as appropriate tire pressure and the maximum the tire manufacturer has stated on the tire.


I've found that somewhere between those... is safe, comfortable operation.


It takes setting the pressure of all tires (cold). The driving the rig. Adjust up or down (within limits) by no more than 2 PSI at a time until one is satisfied with the operation of the rig.


No engineer several years and hundreds (or thousands) of miles away can know the conditions you are driving your rig under.


We are responsible for the safe operations of our cars, trucks, RV's. Understanding how changes in tire pressure impact our rigs is part of that responsibility!

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

@ TSTGUY..
If you haven't weighed your trailer, you should be running your air pressure at the maximum cold pressure. Typically on a 15" trailer tire it is 65 lbs.

I teach tire safety seminars all over the country. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to answer your questions.

This statement is a bit scary in itself...

65 lbs is correct on a 15" Load Range D Tire but would be dramatically under inflated on a 15" E tire...

[Ottawasteve]

I am not a tire engineer either, but I would definitely question the credentials of somebody who makes blanket statements for all situations to run tires at maximum sidewall pressure. If it was that simple, the tire manufacturers would do the same and not bother with the weight/inflation charts.

Running your TV at max pressure on the sidewall will more than likely be over inflated. This will result in your tires not reaching their full lifespan as the center treads will wear out faster than the outside edges. On a TT this is less of a concern for most people as the age of their tires mandates changing them before the treadwear requires changing them.