Tire Pressure Question

[Goldie50]

I just bought new Goodyear Endurance tires for my 2015 White Hawk 27DSLR. It has 14” rims and the previous tires and the sticker placed by the factory calls for 50lbs TP. The fine folks at Discount Tire insisted the tires call for Maximum pressure of 65lbs. They pointed out that my previous tires called for 50lbs maximum. Should I go by what is on the sticker?

[Parcany]

I would go with what you were told by the installers

[BrentB]

It depends on how much weight they are carrying: https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

[dannyabear]

The rims will hold 65psi, run 65# and don't look back; also give you an additional 280# carrying 'cushion', and good for 88 mph. Change out the valve stems for the screw on ones

[mikegray]

I would inflate to what it says Max psi is on the side of the tires???
Mike

[Riverman]

I go by what is printed on the tire.

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by dannyabear

The rims will hold 65psi, run 65# and don't look back; also give you an additional 280# carrying 'cushion', and good for 88 mph. Change out the valve stems for the screw on ones

This. You bought better tires, take advantage of them. 65 psi will run cooler, hold more weight, last longer and give you a bigger cushion for air loss before a catastrophic failure.

[bigironcoder]

My uncle and I used to argue about this all the time. IMO, it's not a one size fits all thing. As BrentB said above, it all depends on the weight the tires are carrying. Sure, setting tires to the "maximum" pressure would be essential if carrying maximum weight for the tires. But what if your trailer's GVWR is much less than the maximum weight for the tires? Combine that with rough roads, concrete interstates, and my lightweight trailer would spend 1/2 its time airborne. I go by Goodyear's chart and keep my tires at 50 lbs. Rides much better.

https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

My trailer's GVWR is 3,750 of which 12% is on the hitch, so that's 3,300 lbs on the tires. I have Goodyear Endurance ST 205 / 75R14, Load Range D, 65 max psi, 2,040 lbs tires, for a tire carrying capacity of 4,080 lbs at 65psi. According to the pointy heads at Goodyear who designed these tires, I can carry 3,520 lbs at 50 psi.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by BrentB

It depends on how much weight they are carrying: https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

Originally Posted by bigironcoder

My trailer's GVWR is 3,750 of which 12% is on the hitch, so that's 3,300 lbs on the tires. I have Goodyear Endurance ST 205 / 75R14, Load Range D, 65 max psi, 2,040 lbs tires, for a tire carrying capacity of 4,080 lbs at 65psi. According to the pointy heads at Goodyear who designed these tires, I can carry 3,520 lbs at 50 psi.

X-2 Over inflation reduces road contact.

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

X-2 Over inflation reduces road contact.

I would highly doubt that a tire manufacturer's max psi listed on the sidewall would produce an over inflated tire. At max psi listed on the tire you will still have 100% tread contact. Now if you inflate a tire over it's max rating then you might have some abnormal middle wear. I would think that under inflation would produce wear on the outside/inside of the tire.

[jasum]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

I would highly doubt that a tire manufacturer's max psi listed on the sidewall would produce an over inflated tire. At max psi listed on the tire you will still have 100% tread contact. Now if you inflate a tire over it's max rating then you might have some abnormal middle wear. I would think that under inflation would produce wear on the outside/inside of the tire.

X2

[Johnny Lightning]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

I would highly doubt that a tire manufacturer's max psi listed on the sidewall would produce an over inflated tire. At max psi listed on the tire you will still have 100% tread contact. Now if you inflate a tire over it's max rating then you might have some abnormal middle wear. I would think that under inflation would produce wear on the outside/inside of the tire.

If that's the case, please explain why EVERY tire manufacturer publishes an inflation chart for their tires where inflation pressure is dependent upon weight. There is a reason they put "maximum" in front of the psi rating. This is likely the most common urban legend in trailer towing today.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Johnny Lightning

If that's the case, please explain why EVERY tire manufacturer publishes an inflation chart for their tires where inflation pressure is dependent upon weight. There is a reason they put "maximum" in front of the psi rating. This is likely the most common urban legend in trailer towing today.

Why do you believe that inflating trailer tires to what a tire manufacturer says is the "maximum" is an "urban legend"?
The tire manufacturer shows the maximum pressure on their inflation chart so do you agree that the "maximum" is a safe pressure for someone unsure of what their trailer tire load really is?
For a given load, do you agree that a tire inflated to pressures below what the manufacturer inflation chart shows, it is then, by definition, underinflated?
Do you believe that underinflated tires are unsafe?

[wags999]

Originally Posted by TCNashville

I would highly doubt that a tire manufacturer's max psi listed on the sidewall would produce an over inflated tire. At max psi listed on the tire you will still have 100% tread contact. Now if you inflate a tire over it's max rating then you might have some abnormal middle wear. I would think that under inflation would produce wear on the outside/inside of the tire.

Because they list different PSI depending on the weight the tire is carrying, I can see if you have less weight, the tire could be over inflated and hence, not be as "flat" as it should be. Has to be a difference in tire profile with zero weight and max weight on it, I would think.



I upgraded to Goodyears with an E rating, at 80 PSI I can carry 30 + percent more weight than my max trailer rating. I will try 65PSI which still gives me a large cushion over actual weight and see how it handles and tows.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by wags999

Snip...
I upgraded to Goodyears with an E rating, at 80 PSI I can carry 30 + percent more weight than my max trailer rating. I will try 65PSI which still gives me a large cushion over actual weight and see how it handles and tows.

We have the same trailer and same tires.
I'm pleased with the towing and handling with 80psi and see no reason to change. But please let us know what you find. I may be old, but I'm always open to learning and improving.

[bigironcoder]

It seems to me that whether a tire is under or over inflated is a factor of both weight and tire pressure. In other words, a Goodyear Endurance ST205/75R14 set to 65 psi with a weight of 2,040 lbs on each tire would be properly inflated, but the same tire would be over inflated with less weight, particularly 1,650 lbs per tire in my case. But I wasn't so much concerned about wearing the center of the tire as I was that the tires bounced so much on rough roads.

[Les7h]

The sticker doesn’t know that you upgraded to a better quality tire - my personal choice is to run the maximum pressure printed on the sidewall - everybody has a “ reason “ for their personal choice Les

[bigironcoder]

Interesting that when it comes to the maximum psi rating on tires, some take that as the best or ideal pressure. Does that mean the 5,600 maximum rpm of my Hemi V-8 is the best speed to run it?

[ShawnR]

My TT sticker says 4400lbs/axle at 65 psi. My wheels and tires are rated to 80 psi, or 2830 each, or 5660/axle. My TT weighs 8k, 7 on the axles and 1 on the ball. I see no reason to air to 80 based on the load so I stay at 65. When my truck tires are inflated over the door sticker the ride is harsh and I’d imagine the RV rides the same.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by bigironcoder

It seems to me that whether a tire is under or over inflated is a factor of both weight and tire pressure. In other words, a Goodyear Endurance ST205/75R14 set to 65 psi with a weight of 2,040 lbs on each tire would be properly inflated, but the same tire would be over inflated with less weight, particularly 1,650 lbs per tire in my case. But I wasn't so much concerned about wearing the center of the tire as I was that the tires bounced so much on rough roads.

Originally Posted by Les7h

The sticker doesn’t know that you upgraded to a better quality tire - my personal choice is to run the maximum pressure printed on the sidewall - everybody has a reason for their personal choice Les

Les summed things up nicely, IMO: "Everybody has a 'reason' for their personal choice."