Tire pressures

[The Minimalist]

The Carlisle info has been there for some time folks.

Regarding any manufacturer who says they will not warranty tires unless they are run at max pressure; my opinion is that this is just a dodge. If you run at max pressure, as indicated on the sidewall, and wear out the center tread, they are going to say it was overinflated.........and it was. Bring it in with both outer treads gone and they will say it was under inflated.......and it was.

The statements regarding max pressure and warranty are ambiguous at best. Are they talking about absolute max pressure as indicated on the sidewall, or the max pressure for the load range?

What we are looking for is a pressure that will give us the most effective, read even, contact of the tire with the road over the full width of the tread. Too much air, center line wear; too little, sidewall wear. We're looking for the Goldilocks solution............"Ah! This one is just right."

Using the charts from the tire manufacturer and a true weight for your trailer, determine your true load and inflate to match that load range. Then carry a tread depth gauge and a IR thermometer. Tread depth and tire temp, both tread and side wall will tell the story over time.

As much as we would like it, there is no one size fits all answer. Even a trailer manufacturers recommendation is only a suggestion based on expected load. Some of use travel heavier than others; some lighter.

Just my 2 cents. Anybody got $4.98 I could borrow? I need a cup of coffee.

Clif

[Steve Hilby]

Well, after reading all your inputs I'm still confused. But I'm confused at a higher level.

I think what I'm going to do is check the tire size against the Carlisle chart (or an equivalent chart for whatever tires she has on the trailer) and inflate to slightly above the pressure corresponding to her trailer weight.

[mcbrew]

I'm wondering what the downside is to running at or slightly above the pressure that the Goodyear chart lists for my Scamp's weight. It runs at the right temperature, even on HOT days and long distances. The tread is wearing evenly. Bounce is less than it was at max sidewall pressure.

I have no relationship with Carlisle tire. They did not manufacture my tire, or sell it to me, or manufacture my trailer. Goodyear and Scamp both tell me to run at 15 PSI. I run at 20 PSI.

Please tell me exactly what harm is being done, not just that I am wrong and think I am right. The same could be said of anyone here -- including Carlisle tire.

[Perry J]

The best indicator of a properly inflated tire is even tire wear.
According to my PU owners manuel I over inflate the tires on my PU by 4 pounds hoping to improve my fuel mileage.
I doubt you're causing any harm.
John