Personally I will never again use retreads. Tried them years ago on differant vehicles and had nothing but grief. The thing that finally put me off them for good was when a retread came off a rear wheel at speed and ended up INSIDE the trunk of my car. Scared me 'you know what' and nearly gave my wife a heart attack with the noise. Tire stayed up and no loss of control. But ...<br><br>Another thing, I notice that too many owners look at the pressure rating on the side of a tire and then run the tire at that pressure. That figure is always a MAXIMUM pressure. Normal operating pressure is below that number. Why anyone would want to run their tires at a constant maximum pressure is beyond me.

 

I've seen air pressure at some of these posts @ 90 lbs . Isn't that a good idea for a 5er like mine that weigh over 15,500 lbs.<br>Anybody know what those Michelins XPS Traction 235/85/16 air pressure is?<br>Are there tires that can handle 90lbs?

 

OK, I'm going to stick my neck out here. Guys, please don't stomp on it too hard.<br>ALL tires have a specific load rating. In other words they are designed to carry a certain maximum load. At loads less then maximum (the desired) the air pressure is reduced for a better ride etc.<br>The enemy of all tires is HEAT. One thing that generates more heat is friction. One thing that causes friction in tires is the flexing of the sidewalls. More pressure, less flexing. Less pressure, more flexing. Ideal tire pressures are a compromise. One way I have experimented with ideal tire pressures in the past, (using tire sizes different to factory) but is a bit time consuming is to inflate the tire to maximum rated pressure and then drive normally for about half an hour and check the tire temperature. You will need a good temperature gauge for this. For this test, load the vehicle to the load you normally carry. Then lower the pressure by about 5 pounds. Repeat the drive and measure the temperature after about another half an hour. Drop the pressure another 5 pounds and so on. When the temperature starts to climb, that is the optimum pressure. Raise the pressure by half of the amount of the last pressure drop.

 

Mexstan is correct if you have a pyrometer and take the time to do it.<br><br>Rule of thumb I use that I got from a longtime tire guy - run D &amp; E-rated tires at 10psi under max unless loaded. I just got 63K miles out of Uniroyal Laredo E-rated (80 psi) run at 65-70psi and never rotated to the rear.<br><br>D &amp; E-rated tires have a much stiffer sidewall that does not like to bulge the way a C-rated tire will. The stiffer sidewall is designed to handle greater loads and is not supposed to be flexing as much. Yes, the ride is harsher than if they were aired down some but I don't want to have to worry about the heat generated from excessive flexing due to low pressure and a thousand pounds of motor on top of them. <br><br>If running heavy the tires need to be at or near maximum pressure to keep heat from flexing to a minimum. This also can help reduce sway due to sidewall wiggle. <br><br>It amazes me all of the large SUVs that I see with obviously under-aired tires running around with &quot;Soccer Mom&quot; yanking in and out of traffic and the tires deforming from the side-to-side motion.<br><br>Can you say Firestones on Expeditions?

 

Thanks for all info. I think I'm going to go for the 235/85/16 Michlin. My truck recommends 215/85/16. Will the 235's work for me? I hope I don't get a rub when I turn the wheel all the way. I like the idea of a wider tire. Pullin 15,500 lb 5er. Does that make sense...&quot;a wider tire&quot;

 

Don't know about the rubbing. Remember, a wider tire is more prone to aquaplaning at speed. I see you are from Florida so presumabaly snow is a foreign word to you, but a wider tire also tends to have less traction in snow. Mud too for that matter.

 

That was very inlightening info. I never thought about that. I thought the wider tire was better for the load, but I don't pull that often. Maybe 1500 miles year. I'm going to rethink the 215. Perhaps I'll go for that since that is the recommended tire. I'm scared to death about hydroplaining

 

I've never hydroplaned with a wide tire, but I've always had them with either MT tread or AT tread.<br><br>I have hydroplaned a street tires before though, and they were narrow and on cars.<br><br><br>phox

 

What does MT or AT tread mean..Thanks

 

Mud Terrain, All Terrain