I need some help here. My truck has Michilen, 265X16, LTX A/S, load range E tires on it. I have been running 70 psi in my front tires. I have no problem with it riding rough. Will it harm the tires if I run the maximum 80 psi in them without a load on the truck? I don't know if it will but a friend says it will. He says it will bow the tire out in the center, because of the type of tire it is. On my other trucks, I have always run the maximum psi stated on the side of the tire, without a problem, but they were passenger tires on 1500s. What do you all think?

Thanks for your input.

Tom

 

Why do you want to run more pressure? do you have a plow or something? other than that the extra pressure is not needed even 70 is a bit high i'd say around 60-65 in the forn & around 55-60 in the rear no load.
but to answer your question if you are running them @ 80 with no extra load the will wear in the center quicker than the outside cause there is not enough weight to make it run evenly.

DRecu!

 

I always run my tires at max pressure towing or not and my tire wear has always been good

I worked with Bridgestone and Bandag tire co when I managed a large fleet.....when they came into my shop to do tire checks they always looked at the sidewall max pressure then checked the tire pressure....if the tire was 5 psi low they marked the tire as a possable flat

The simple way is to run the pressure you like best and watch your tread wear....middle wear is too much pressure....outside wear is too little pressure

One simple method for finding the right pressure for your vehicle is to draw a chalk line across the tread, then drive a bit and check the line. Even wear is good, while the line fading in the center indicates over-inflation. Worst is when the chalk mark wears off at the outer edges (shoulders) first, meaning that the pressure is too low. Under-inflation lessens the tire's load capacity, can make for squirrelly handling and, most importantly, makes the tire run hotter. Hot tires tend to disintegrate, regardless of who made them. Consequently, it's better to err on the high side, even if ride quality may suffer and the tire wear pattern could be less than optimal. However, do not exceed the maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall—there can indeed be too much of a good thing.

Once the lines wear off evenly, note those pressures for future reference. While the inflation must be identical for both ends of an axle, the front tires will often require a slightly higher pressure since they usually carry more of the weight of an unladen vehicle (most engines are up front).

 

Drecu & Pappyman,

Thanks for your quick replies. No, I don't have a plow down here. Not too much of the white stuff ever. Kind of wish we did have some snow once in a while though.

The reason I am thinking about maximum pressure for the front is that the tires look like they are riding on the edges, even with 70 psi. I get a little feathering on the inside and outside, if I go below 70 psi. Now, the rear tires are fine at 65 psi. Nice and smooth and they look flat across their surfaces.

Pappyman, I'm like you. I have always maxed out the pressure and have had good results on standard vehicle tires. I don't know why these tires should be any different.

I like your suggestion with the chalk line. I will do that tomorrow.

Tom

 

When I am not hauling something I keep mine at 65 front/55 to 60 rear with no problems of uneven wear.I have tried the chalk and it does help when it is dry and you can drive for a distance. Goodluck Rick

 

[quote author=pappyman link=board=5;threadid=24052;start=0#msg227035 date=1071965858]
One simple method for finding the right pressure for your vehicle is to draw a chalk line across the tread, then drive a bit and check the line. [/quote]

Cool idea. Thanks!

 

65 front
55 rear.

Sometimes 60 in the rear when I'm towing my boat.

 

I run 65 to 70 in the fronts and 60 to 65 in the duals. I use to run 80 but it seemed to feather the outer edges of the front tires a lot. I rotate the tires every 9000 miles in the pattern called for in the book and I got 75000 out of the first set and they were still serviceable at that. I've got over 66000 on the set on there now. Not bad for an 8000 pound truck I think especially for the weight I pull some times. I have experimented with pressures clear down to 45 psi and everything in between.

Here is my theory and this is strictly my theory and it works for me: I believe that if you run the tires at full pressure, it makes the side walls too stiff and if the front end specs are out at all, it will show in the tire wear. The side walls are too stiff at max pressure to compensate for any misalignment.
If you lower the pressure a little, like to 65 or 70, it will allow the sidewalls to flex unevenly and will allow the tire to sit flat on the road. All six of the tires that I took off at 75000 miles are just as flat across the tread as new, no scuffing or anything.

Now you can say this is BS and argue all you want and shoot holes in my theory but I still have the first set of tires in the shed if you want to see them and you can look at the set on the truck with 66000 on them right now. I'm tickled to get 75000 miles out of a set of tires this expensive on a vehicle this big so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

I believe you. Even without training wheels, I run 65/55 and have had great luck.

 

I have run 55 front and 45 rearwith no load on truck sence day one.
Truck rides better and have 61000 miles on tires and are wearing
real even with more mileage to come.

 

I run 70 front, 50 to 65 rear dependent on if I am hauling 5er.
If you get much below this there will be some cracking on tire sidewall even with, or just outside the rim edge.

10 ply tires flexing too much against rim edge causes this if pressure is too low. A couple of tire shop experts told me this is what happens as I was following specs on truck, and had this happen to mine.

 

Front tire pressure.........

Had the time yesterday to try out Pappyman's chalk test. I put a good amount of chalk on the front tires and drove for about 30 miles with 80 lbs in the tires. The right front tire wore all the chalk off from side to side and the left front left some on the inside and outside of the tread. Made for a very rough ride !!!!!!!!

I don't see how 50 lbs, like the manual says for a quadcab diesel, could help but wear the tires out prematurely.

I am going back to 65 to 70 lbs in the front and let it go.

 

Running more pressure than is necessary puts more stress on the suspension, particularly the front of 4wd trucks. I ran 55/45 front/rear when unloaded with the stock 245/75 Michelins and the first set was still good when replaced at 30,000 miles. When not being used as a truck I like mine to ride like a car and not skitter around bumpy roads (which is all the roads around here).

 

I have been runnung 65-75 in front since i got her home from the dealer new that had 40 all round. Got over 70k out of first set and could have maybe gone over 80k but i wanted better tread for winter. Replacements have over 60k on them and are wearing well. All suspension parts are orignal, keep em greased, and dont do a lot of wheel turning while truck is not in motion really helps to get the most out of reliaibility out of the track bars and other front end parts, and having enough air in the tires dosent stress them as much when having to turn the wheel at slow speeds...
Each truck is different but most i have seen running 65-75 front and 55-65 rear get better fuel mileage, longer tire life, have fewer front end problems. Look at the booklet that should have come with the truck about the load rating for the different tires and read what the reccomendation there says, most are surprised at how much weight we have on the frontends of these things. Also look at what happened with ford and firestone a few years ago with the low air settings (just food for thought).