What tire pressure do you run?

[iweb]

I have the 265 AT and was wondering what you guys run for air pressure? Mine was at 55 on the front and 65 on the rear. I run empty most of the time. Thanks.

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2001 F250 CC XLT 4x4 V10
Auto Shortie 3:73LS Red Loaded

[SamC]

I run 65 ft/rear all year long, except when I plow snow. Then I put the front tires up to 80 psi. This was per the local Firestone dealer. SamC

[V10 man]

Firestone R4S's D rating.

55 psi front, 50 psi rear
65 psi when loaded all 4

When I had the E ply Firestone AT's I ran 65 front and 60 rear. 75 psi when loaded.

[Harald]

I run 50 front and 35 rear unloaded on my dually. For more general tire pressure info, I'll offer this:

The label on the door jamb is assuming a truck loaded to the GAWR’s (Gross Axle Weight Rating). If you are operating at a lower weight you can reduce the pressure for better tire wear, smoother ride and better traction.

Here’s the proper way to determine what pressure to run in your tires. Weigh your truck, getting individual weights for each wheel (or at a minimum each axle). Then consult the tire inflation chart for your brand/model of tire. You can view a chart at www.trucktires.com . The chart will tell you what pressure to run based on your weight. If you got individual wheel weights, use the heaviest wheel on an axle to determine what pressure to run on all tires on that axle. If you weigh your truck unloaded you’ll need to do this again with your normal load. If your load fluctuates all the time, it’s probably easier to just keep the tires inflated to handle the highest load you anticipate.

In my case, I carry a 4000 lb slide-in camper occasionally. I keep the truck tires inflated for unloaded driving most of the time. Then before I load the camper, I pump them up for the extra weight. That way the truck rides smoothly with good traction and even tread wear while unloaded. If I was loading and unloading the camper daily or even weekly, I’d probably just keep the tires pumped up. Changing tire pressure daily on a dually would get old real quick.

It's a good idea to read the footnotes and fine print in tire inflation manuals also. For instance, in the Firestone manual it says that if you are driving for long periods at 65 to 75 mph while at the rated max load for the tire, you should increase the tire pressure 10 psi (provided the wheels are rated to handle the pressure). In the case of the Firestone Steeltex 265/75-16 tire that would be 90 psi. This means that the 80 psi listed on the sidewall is not the max pressure. If you want to drive 75 to 85 mph at max load, you still need those extra 10 psi, but you also need to reduce you max weight capacity by 10%.


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Y2K F350 CC DRW LWB Lariat 4R100 V10 4.30ls.
98 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" slide-in camper.