increasing tire pressure?

[The motor guy]

So my truck calls for 50 in the front and 70psi in the rear and 45psi in all four when the truck isn't hauling or towing anything. For some reason the 2 wheel drive models have a lower psi than the 4x4 models. I never really like running with 45psi in the tires as far as cornering and turning is concerned, so I've always ran 60psi in the front and 50 in the back. Any harm in doing this? After having new tires put on they put it back down to 50 in the front and 70 in the rear. I can tell already it takes more effort to turn the steering wheel.

 

[gaijinnv]

You know what the manufacturer recommends, but you don't want to do that - so why would you trust the recommendations of a bunch of anonymous yahoos (myself included) on the internet?

Do whatever you want - you will anyway.

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted By: gaijinnv
You know what the manufacturer recommends, but you don't want to do that - so why would you trust the recommendations of a bunch of anonymous yahoos (myself included) on the internet?

Do whatever you want - you will anyway.


Just asking for opinions, Just as long as you stay below the recommended tire pressure 80psi then you aren't harming anything over than causing uneven wear if you actually run 80psi.

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted By: gaijinnv
You know what the manufacturer recommends, but you don't want to do that - so why would you trust the recommendations of a bunch of anonymous yahoos (myself included) on the internet?

Do whatever you want - you will anyway.


Engineers have their hands tied many times to conform with government regulations and such. There have been several occasions where I have modified brand spanking new items because I saw something that was going to cause a problem and cost me money down the line, so believing that engineers always know what's best or do whats best is a mistake. No offense to engineers, but they do their best with what they're given if that makes sense.

 

[LotI]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Originally Posted By: gaijinnv
You know what the manufacturer recommends, but you don't want to do that - so why would you trust the recommendations of a bunch of anonymous yahoos (myself included) on the internet?

Do whatever you want - you will anyway.


Just asking for opinions, Just as long as you stay below the recommended tire pressure 80psi then you aren't harming anything over than causing uneven wear if you actually run 80psi.

Dodge isn't recommending 80psi. It's the max cold pressure of your E load range tires.

If you run the truck manufacturer's recommended pressures you will have a decent ride and/or the vehicles maximum GVWR/GCWR rating without tire failure.

Your opinion is the only one that matters.

 

[The motor guy]

Yeah I see. I like how it rides with 60 in front and 50 in back. Maybe a bit rougher ride, but oh well I don't have a truck for ride quality. lol

 

[RooflessVW]

I would do 50/60. Harder than you need with nothing in the bed, and you're covered unless you have a full load.

 

[Srt20]

Look up the suggested tire pressure for your tires at the weight they are carrying. Your tire manufacturer should have a chart somewhere.

 

[mjoekingz28]

My truck calls for 50/80. I was running 50/50 for a while but liked how it rolled with 50/75. I backed down the rear by five psi since I didnt like being on max.


Watch out now, we 2500 guys can receive some anger if we dont dont keep 'er loaded down and pulling a trailer.


My truck doesnt have a coil spring at any corner. Rears are leafs and shock absorbers. Front, I think is some kind of torsion arm. Makes me feel manlier than the Ford HD guys with their coil springs.

50/50 sounds good for an unladen truck, but 50/60 sounds bad because it just feels right to have more psi in the bed than under the hood.


Also, we use more air pressure because the tires are constructed different than passenger tires that work on 30-35 pounds per square inch.

 

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
So my truck calls for 50 in the front and 70psi in the rear and 45psi in all four when the truck isn't hauling or towing anything. For some reason the 2 wheel drive models have a lower psi than the 4x4 models. I never really like running with 45psi in the tires as far as cornering and turning is concerned, so I've always ran 60psi in the front and 50 in the back. Any harm in doing this? After having new tires put on they put it back down to 50 in the front and 70 in the rear. I can tell already it takes more effort to turn the steering wheel.


Go by the wear pattern on the old tyres. If the wear is even, why not go 60 psi? of course, if you rotate alot you can't see anything...

 

[CapriRacer]

OK, a bunch of stuff wrong in these posts:

1) Yes, Dodge does specify 50/80 psi for at least one of the models Dodge made that year. I assume that M_O_M (Motor_Oil_Madman) looked it up - as he also noted Dodge specifies 45 psi if the vehicle if empty.

2) It's a specification. Not a recommendation. It's like the viscosity of the oil for the engine. You MIGHT be able to get away with using something different, but it is what the vehicle manufacturer specifies, so don't dismiss it lightly.

3) It varies, but as a general rule, vehicle manufacturers specify enough pressure to handle the load on the tire - plus a bit more pressure. Dodge seems to be the only one who didn't learn their lesson during the Ford/Firestone incident some 16 years back - that tire pressures have to be specified to carry at least 15% more than the minimum. I would be careful deviating from their specification.

4) In vehicle dynamics, tire pressure affects the front to rear balance, and vehicle manufacturers tests at the pressures they specify. So while Dodge specifies one set of pressures for a fully loaded condition and a different set of pressures for an empty vehicle MOM is saying he wants to use a third set that is biased the opposite direction. The problem here is that unless you burn off a set of tires trying to establish that a particular set of pressures works, you'll never know until it is too late.

5) Yes, higher pressures makes the steering wheel easier to turn. So does more power steering. That doesn't make it right.

6) And lastly, DO NOT USE THE CHARTS to set pressure. Those are MINIMUMS, not recommendations.

7) DO NOT DO THE CHALK TEST. That test is predicated on the idea that the tire manufacturer designs his tires to handle the load AND get even wear at that combination - and that is just plain wrong. While tire manufacturers spend quite a bit of time trying to get their tires to wear evenly, they don't always succeed, but more importantly, they try to get the tires to wear evenly REGARDLESS of pressure - so you could get a false reading if you do the test.

So my personal recommendation would be that IF you want to use 60 psi in the front for ease of steering reasons, then put 60 psi in the rear when empty, and 80 psi when loaded. That way you are at least mimicking the vehicle manufacturers specs.

 

[circuitsmith]

I would go 50/50 when unloaded, then you only need to change the rears when you load up.

 

[Doog]

I go by the sticker on the inside by the driver's door for tire pressure.

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: Doog
I go by the sticker on the inside by the driver's door for tire pressure.


+1,000

 

[GaryMX5]

Compare your tires to a basketball. The more you fill the ball the higher the ball will bounce and the more difficult it is to handle/control. The same principal is true for tires. As inflation rates go up they have the tendency to bounce more. Your shocks have to work that much harder to dampen those affects and that work will impact their life. There are costs associated with simple adjustments. Some good some bad. It's your decision where you want to spend or save that money.

 

[The motor guy]

Tires have always worn flat with either 45 or 60, although I didn't run 45 for long. I remember taking a wide left hand turn doing about 20mph one time and all I heard was errrrr from the tire squeeling, so it really affects handling when turning. I also heard that their was a tsb mentioning that some vehicles had the wrong tire pressure labels installed on the door, also another reason why I doubted the lower inflation. Other than a solid front axle on the 4x4 models the 4x2 trucks are exactly the same, yet they call for 15psi less? Makes no sense.

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Tires have always worn flat with either 45 or 60, although I didn't run 45 for long. I remember taking a wide left hand turn doing about 20mph one time and all I heard was errrrr from the tire squeeling, so it really affects handling when turning. I also heard that their was a tsb mentioning that some vehicles had the wrong tire pressure labels installed on the door, also another reason why I doubted the lower inflation. Other than a solid front axle on the 4x4 models the 4x2 trucks are exactly the same, yet they call for 15psi less? Makes no sense.


What about the transfer case? Not only is that a big heavy item by itself, but it also has fluid. I'll bet it weighs a couple hundred pounds what with all the extra shafts and connectors.

Plus, we don't know how Dodge does this - and it just might be that they are rounding with the 4X2 being at the high end of the rounding procedure, and the 4X4 being at the low end.