I am going to tow my travel trailer 26' 5000 pounds this weekend and on the tire it sayes 80 psi max the plate inside the door says 50 front 70 rear . I checked the pressure and I have 45 in all 4 tires . Should I put more air in for towing and for daily driving ? Thanks Joe Z

 

Pulling my 5er, I run 50/65 (Front/Rear). When I am empty I run 45/45

 

Serious loads? Yes run the proper amount. Your camper? I wouldnt. I've been hauling camper trailers for a dealership for over a year. I've learned pulling camper trailer running 80lbs beat you to death and wears your tires. Although keeps your mileage up. Running your tires around 50lbs gives you alot better ride, doesn't wear your tires nearly as much nor your mileage.

 

Good advice, see what feels good for your truck. Max pressure is usually only required with max loads. Use your tire label for a guide as to what is max pressure, then reduce your pressure based on your load. 80 lbs on a E rated tire and your driving with hockey pucks for tires. I like 15% less than max when towing, a little less than that when empty.

 

Maybe I'm on a different planet than you guys, but I keep my stock Michelins at 75psi front&rear and I get even tire wear and a nice ride. My '99 was another story. That truck was brutal no matter what tire pressure or tire make. My 04.5 rides like a luxury car compared to my '99. Personally, I like the way my truck rides and handles at the higher tire pressures. I can darn near guarantee that you'll have less tire problems the harder you run them!!

 

I think that you're supposed to add 10 psi above what is needed for the load for sustained speeds above 65 mph.

 

Maybe it's just me, but some of you guys' tire pressures seem a little low. I have the load range E tires and when empty I'm running about 60 psi. But when I hitch up my 10,000 lb 5th (plus tool box/fuel tank combo in the back of truck) I'm right at, or a little over the GVWR on my truck. During these times I run about 75 psi in the truck's rear tires.

 

I run all 4 tires at 55 psi empty and run the rears up to 70 psi when towing the 5th wheel. At 19k miles my tires still look like new.

 

I run 75 front and 60 rear...

 

How can you get enough weight on the front end to need more than 55=60 lbs of air. Read the pressure chart that came with the truck. SNOKING

 

I keep mine at 80psi all the time seams to ride good to me. When towing 80psi means less side wall movement on the tire, better for towing less sway.

 

I just put these new tires on. (Firestone Transforce A/T), as my Goodyear GS-A's were prematurly cracked on the inside of the sidewall (all 6 tires, fronts were way worse) I used to run 60 in the front and 50 in the rear on those tires. These tires always looked low (squatted) in the front, I believe that this had something to do with the tires going bad quickly. I have read a number of threads here and on TDR on this subject, and those that tended to have their GS-A's at higher pressures seemd to have a lower occurance of the infamous inside cracking problem.

When I had the new tires put on, I noticed the same thing, the front tires looked low (squatted) even though they had 60lbs in them. I believe that with the weight of these trucks up front that necessitates more pressure up front.

These new tires ride smoother and quieter than the Goodyears, and so far I am real happy with them. We will have to see about wet and snow traction.

Just my 2cts worth.

 

I run 60psi all around. If I hook up a heavy load I'll go to 70, but my trailer normally weighs in the 6000-8000 lbs range, so I leave them alone at 60. Mine are wearing great

My dad has a 99 diesel, runs 75psi in them all the time, and only used the truck to tow the boat (5k) or the trailer (8K). He got 70,000 miles out of the stock Michlens on the truck. I agree that a softer tire will give a better ride, however I'd rather keep my tire psi right around 60 for the best millage and wear, and spend the money I save from tires on a good set of shocks that will give a good ride. I can promise you put our shocks on 1500 with 35 psi tires and it will still beat you to death. Let the shocks absorb the blows, not the tires.

 

On my '99, I got 125,000 miles on the original Michelin LTX M&S tires running them at 70-75psi. If you all wanted a soft ride, you should have gotten a luxury car!!