Would this cause tire damage?

[Filthy-Beast]

Originally Posted by VicS1950

........Huh? Please elaborate.

On one hand, you say you go tire manufacture recommendations, on the other, you say you always run max pressure. I posted the load / inflation recommendation chart from a tire manufacture. Max load / max pressure is just that, max pressure required to carry the max load.

In the chart, the bottom tire listed has max air of 80# that's to support a load on 4 tires of 13,860#. running with a load of less than 50% of that on a 6000# trailer you would not to run those tires at 80#.

I'm aware of the chalk test.....

Others reading this might not be. Others who aren't aware might like to play, thus I shared.

It's very possible that for you your trailers weight and max load on the tires are close enough that max pressure is good for you. But that might be the case for all, especially if they have replaced or upgraded their tires.

To say always run at max pressure is not always right. My heavily modified Jeeps door sticker says 35# and my tires say max is 50#. The correct pressures are 28 for the front tires and 26 for the rear. It is based on the weight / inflation chart from the manufacturer and in the absence of a chart the chalk test will get you close.

[oldmanAZ]

I missed what was going on in this thread and just read through it quickly. My take on what has been said recently...

Under inflation is bad. Everyone agrees with that, correct? It increases sidewall flex and increases tire temperature. It is a leading cause of tire failure.

The primary question appears to be what is the correct inflation pressure for our highway driving: Is it based on the weight the tire is supporting or the maximum shown on the side of the tire?

If we have a high degree of confidence we know the weight the tire is supporting, we can find and use the manufacturer's inflation recommendation for that load. Not being under inflated, that would be safe and should give us even tread wear and maximum tread life.

If we increase the inflation to the maximum on the sidewall, that would be safe. If the tire is supporting light loads, the higher pressure may cause the center of the tire to wear faster so that would have to be watched. On the other hand, higher pressure would reduce sidewall flex, lowering tire temperature, and helping to reduce sway.

IMO, a further complication is a vehicle manufacturer's desire for a softer ride. Higher tire pressures usually create a harsher ride. My experience is that vehicle tire inflation stickers have pressures on the low side. It may be safe for the weight the tires carry, but they sacrifice handling for a softer ride.

I do watch my tread wear carefully, but I've always had my tires inflated higher than the vehicle manufacture's sticker for better mpg and handling. For towing, tires on my TV are at 80psi rear, 70psi front, and trailer at the max on the tire (Sorry, TT isn't here and I don't have the psi committed to memory yet... but I don't have to. It has the pressure right on the side of the tire).

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by Filthy-Beast

On one hand, you say you go tire manufacture recommendations, on the other, you say you always run max pressure. I posted the load / inflation recommendation chart from a tire manufacture. Max load / max pressure is just that, max pressure required to carry the max load.

I got that and see your point.

Originally Posted by Filthy-Beast

In the chart, the bottom tire listed has max air of 80# that's to support a load on 4 tires of 13,860#. running with a load of less than 50% of that on a 6000# trailer you would not [need] to run those tires at 80#.

Your previous reference to the charts made me think that you were suggesting mixing tires with different pressure ratings. That is never a good thing.

As I stated earlier, tread wear hasn't been an issue for me with running max sidewall pressure. My tires age out long before the tread would wear out.

vic

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

I missed what was going on in this thread and just read through it quickly. My take on what has been said recently...

Under inflation is bad. Everyone agrees with that, correct? It increases sidewall flex and increases tire temperature. It is a leading cause of tire failure.

The primary question appears to be what is the correct inflation pressure for our highway driving: Is it based on the weight the tire is supporting or the maximum shown on the side of the tire?

If we have a high degree of confidence we know the weight the tire is supporting, we can find and use the manufacturer's inflation recommendation for that load. Not being under inflated, that would be safe and should give us even tread wear and maximum tread life.

If we increase the inflation to the maximum on the sidewall, that would be safe. If the tire is supporting light loads, the higher pressure may cause the center of the tire to wear faster so that would have to be watched. On the other hand, higher pressure would reduce sidewall flex, lowering tire temperature, and helping to reduce sway.

IMO, a further complication is a vehicle manufacturer's desire for a softer ride. Higher tire pressures usually create a harsher ride. My experience is that vehicle tire inflation stickers have pressures on the low side. It may be safe for the weight the tires carry, but they sacrifice handling for a softer ride.

I do watch my tread wear carefully, but I've always had my tires inflated higher than the vehicle manufacture's sticker for better mpg and handling. For towing, tires on my TV are at 80psi rear, 70psi front, and trailer at the max on the tire (Sorry, TT isn't here and I don't have the psi committed to memory yet... but I don't have to. It has the pressure right on the side of the tire).

Good summary.

Ride quality in a trailer isn't high on my priority list. Keeping tires running cooler is.

vic