tire inflation - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

nofear4189 · 08-29-2005, 11:41 AM

i was checking the air in my tires and noticed that they all had about 45 psi in them. Ive never saw a tire filled that high, so i looked on the tire and it said 50psi. It didnt say "inflate to 50 psi", it just showed the weight the tire can handle and a few other #'s and then 50psi. That is the only psi # i saw on the whole tire. I checked front and back side of tire. Reason being, i just got a nail removed from 1 tire, and the shop that plugged it filled that tire back up to 35. (i took the tire off the truck that had the nail, so they could not have filled all the other ones up, because i didnt take the whole truck to them, jsut that one tire. I checked all the others, and they were all at 44-45. Should i keep them all at 45, or is it safe to go a little lower. The truck seems to have a tremendously hard ride even with the new shocks. Im thinking it could somewhat be from the tires being at 50 psi. Would it be safe for all of them to be at like 40? By the way, the tires are Summit Radial RLT Trail climbers. 31x10.50

thanks,

-Adam

***humanoid*** · 08-29-2005, 11:55 AM

I'd keep them all the 35 lbs. You're getting a rough ride because the tires were aired up so high. Make sure to check the tire pressure when the tires are "cold' and out of the sunlight. If you've been driving around make sure to let the tires cool down for at least an hour in the shade before you check the tire pressure.

nofear4189 · 08-29-2005, 12:03 PM

ok, i think ill do that. 45 seems way too high for me. I checked them cold (sitting all night) and that was the reading. thanks,

-Adam

***humanoid*** · 08-29-2005, 12:06 PM

No problem, anytime. Keep us updated on the ride is after airing down a bit. It should be a bit softer. Keep an eye on the gas mileage, it may go down just a bit because of more rolling resistence with the tires.

***Bakemono*** · 08-29-2005, 03:50 PM

If you are hauling a heavy load in the bed, you should have the rear tires aired up that high, but if you are just driving around unloaded, 35 psi should be fine.
You should use whatever it says on the door jam as a starting point and then fine-tune the psi based upon how your tires are wearing.
On my truck it says 35 psi but I run the fronts at 40 psi (to compensate for the weight of the engine) and I run the rears at 33 psi. They seem to wear the most even at that psi.
Cap'n

smasheromalley · 08-30-2005, 01:58 PM

Cap'n has it right. Technically you should run the tires at the truck manufacturers recommended pressure but it is quite safe to adjust that up or down slightly to your preference.

Lowering the tire pressure may increase rolling resistance tho. You may find the truck feels like it has less pep and gets a little lower fuel economy.

rpmspeedyBlue · 09-01-2005, 02:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Toyota

If you are hauling a heavy load in the bed, you should have the rear tires aired up that high, but if you are just driving around unloaded, 35 psi should be fine.
You should use whatever it says on the door jam as a starting point and then fine-tune the psi based upon how your tires are wearing.
On my truck it says 35 psi but I run the fronts at 40 psi (to compensate for the weight of the engine) and I run the rears at 33 psi. They seem to wear the most even at that psi.
Cap'n

Are the door specs only for factory tires that the manufacturer put on the truck? It seems that the Tires that are on the truck might be different?

Mike-in-WV · 09-01-2005, 02:59 PM

The tire preasure on the door jamb is for different tire sizes and they are listed as such. The preasure marked on the tire itself is the max, not the recommended weight.

The idea that you should have more weight in front than in the rear is not something I agree with. I have never had tires wear uneven because I keep them the same or slightly more weight in the rear. But keep in mind that I haul different things a little more than the average person. Also I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and I feel this has allot to do with wear difference from front to back more than the actual preasure. The biggest reason for more wear on the front than the rear( Other than failure to rotate) is due to the constant turning back and forth of the steering wheel, Mike

***Bakemono*** · 09-01-2005, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpmspeedyBlue

Are the door specs only for factory tires that the manufacturer put on the truck? It seems that the Tires that are on the truck might be different?

To the best of my knowledge, they list the recommended PSI with the STOCK tire size.
Cap'n

***Bakemono*** · 09-01-2005, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike-in-WV

The tire preasure on the door jamb is for different tire sizes and they are listed as such. The preasure marked on the tire itself is the max, not the recommended weight.

The idea that you should have more weight in front than in the rear is not something I agree with. I have never had tires wear uneven because I keep them the same or slightly more weight in the rear. But keep in mind that I haul different things a little more than the average person. Also I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and I feel this has allot to do with wear difference from front to back more than the actual preasure. The biggest reason for more wear on the front than the rear( Other than failure to rotate) is due to the constant turning back and forth of the steering wheel, Mike

I put more air in the front tires to compensate for the added weight of the engine over the front tires.
I rotate my tires at 5,000 miles and even at that point the edges of the tread are just starting to be cupped.
Cap'n

rpmspeedyBlue · 09-01-2005, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Toyota

I put more air in the front tires to compensate for the added weight of the engine over the front tires.
I rotate my tires at 5,000 miles and even at that point the edges of the tread are just starting to be cupped.
Cap'n

I was told that you should put 2 to 3 lb less of the recommended pressure in the front because of the heat expansion. I then was toid by wheel works that you shouldn't. You just put the recommended pressure in all tires because redials get hot and expand at high speeds which if you exceed the pressure your chances of a blow out are much higer. I also read this on the maintance and warranty brochure for the tire. I guess this mainly pertains to high speed driving and not hauling or commuting.

***Bakemono*** · 09-01-2005, 07:20 PM

Less air in the fronts??? Not sure if I agree with that one.
Cap'n

rpmspeedyBlue · 09-01-2005, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain_Toyota

Less air in the fronts??? Not sure if I agree with that one.
Cap'n

Yeah, I question this also when I noticed my tires were wearing pretty fast. I now keep all tires at the recommended air pressure and have them rotated and balance. It saves $$$ in the long run.