craig333
Riley's Human
Installers usually inflate to whatever the door sticker says. Always pays to check when you get home.
Are load range E tires really needed for camper?
- Thread starter Maddogs
- Start date
BigRanchInSky
Advanced Member
Speaking of tire pressure, I just purchased BFGoodrich - All-Terrain T/A KO2 (that replaced the stock Goodyear Wranglers that came with my 2019 F250) and the shop inflated the back axle to 80 psi and the front to 70 psi.
Tire tech was telling me I needed to properly support the camper weight in the rear of the truck otherwise the front of the could truck lift up=have less than optimal control.* I only drove it back to the camper storage place a few miles, but it did seem overall better riding with new tires.
*I have experienced the dreaded "death wobble" in my F250 [that scared me and my wife to death], so the new tires are on top of new stock Ford steering stabilizer part (that I had to make a slight fuss to the dealer about getting, but they did it pronto after that).
Soon I will start a new camper season and hope to dear lord the death wobble is somewhat pacified.
Apologies to OP for stealing his thread.
Tire tech was telling me I needed to properly support the camper weight in the rear of the truck otherwise the front of the could truck lift up=have less than optimal control.* I only drove it back to the camper storage place a few miles, but it did seem overall better riding with new tires.
*I have experienced the dreaded "death wobble" in my F250 [that scared me and my wife to death], so the new tires are on top of new stock Ford steering stabilizer part (that I had to make a slight fuss to the dealer about getting, but they did it pronto after that).
Soon I will start a new camper season and hope to dear lord the death wobble is somewhat pacified.
Apologies to OP for stealing his thread.
I would use a load calculator for the specific size/specs of your tire. You certainly don't want K02s with 70+ psi in them. My K02's have a maximum pressure of 65PSI written on the sidewall. Using a load calculator I derived 55psi front 60psi rear (w/camper). 325/65/r18 BFG k02, E rated. Obviously the Px will be dependent on your tire width etc.BigRanchInSky said:
I've had tire shops fill them to 80psi before as well. I drive a few blocks away and check the pressure every time I leave a shop for that reason.
rubberlegs
back country campers
Your tire tech doesn't quite have their physics correct. Tire pressure will have only a very small effect on truck tilt and definitely no effect on front tire weight and control. That's purely due to where the "center of gravity" is. For our truck/camper, all the camper weight was on the rear axle, so it might be close to that for yours.BigRanchInSky said:
Also the pressures sound a bit high, especially the front, so it'd be worth calculating it. If you want a check for correct pressures, weigh your front and rear axles if you can find a weigh station, give us your exact tire size, and one of us can check for you.
The tire wobble thing is something I can't comment on. Maybe there's an expert here who can.
Someone else commented that their tires were only rated to 65psi. Those sound like load range C (not E) tires. Maybe D. I can't check now since we are on the road... Load range E goes up to 80 psi.
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
Yes, 65psi = LR-D.
I just did an oil change and tire rotation. While rotating, i noted the tire pressures I had used for 10K miles, and measured tire wear across the treads, to determine if they were inflated “correctly”. I assume that even wear across the tread is what is desired.
YMMV, but with my 8’ bed 2015 crew cab Duramax, the front is still heavier than the back, with my fully built out Grandby on it.
My conclusions are that running 60 psi front and 58 psi rear gets me even tire wear.
YMMV, but with my 8’ bed 2015 crew cab Duramax, the front is still heavier than the back, with my fully built out Grandby on it.
My conclusions are that running 60 psi front and 58 psi rear gets me even tire wear.
rubberlegs said:
LT 325/65R18Mighty Dodge Ram said:
127/124R E RWL
34.6"
13"
9-12"
9.5"
15/32"
E
3860/3525 lbs
65 psi
67.1 lbs
601
Nope, they are 100% E rated tires with a 65 PSI max. I'll take a picture of the sidewall for you if you'd like. There's no way I'd have my F-350 W/Hawk on anything other than E rated. They're so wide that I'm guessing if you had enough weight to require 80 PSI, you'd be way over the tires overall weight limit? Either way, at current weight, 55 and 60 PSI is right in the sweet spot for even tire wear (using chalk method)
Mighty Dodge Ram
Senior Member
“Nope, they are 100% E rated tires with a 65 PSI max.” Yup, you are correct!
Well, that’s a first for me. I’ve driven many, many sets of both D & E tires and max pressures have always been 65 & 80, respectively. But these tires have also had higher profiles compared to the 65 series you’re running. So much for assumptions and old school thinking…
Well, that’s a first for me. I’ve driven many, many sets of both D & E tires and max pressures have always been 65 & 80, respectively. But these tires have also had higher profiles compared to the 65 series you’re running. So much for assumptions and old school thinking…
For what it is worth (and with very few numbers): I got my 2016 Fleet and my 2016 Tacoma at the same time. I ran the stock P-rated Toyo tires for about 20k miles, including a good many rather hair-raising rocky tracks in Utah and Colorado. No flats, didn't get stuck, no problem. But I got sick of the mushy feel of the tires on the highway (off-road they felt "okay") and nervous about potential side-wall punctures. I sold the used Toyo tires for $100. Following the lead of a seasoned old-timer on WTW I replaced the Toyo tires with Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT:
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/19540-cooper-discoverer-atpat3-tires-a-personal-critique/#entry229266
I've run the Coopers about 30k now -- rocky tracks, dirt, sand, highway (not much mud). I love them because I don't really think about them very much. (But I admit my heart swells with pride when other guys who know much more about tires say, "Good tires.") I argue with the service guys at my Toyota dealer who always want to set them at 32 psi [!]. I inflate mine to 40 psi front and back. The mushy feeling is gone, and my assessment of them agrees with that of ski3pin in the above thread.
https://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/19540-cooper-discoverer-atpat3-tires-a-personal-critique/#entry229266
I've run the Coopers about 30k now -- rocky tracks, dirt, sand, highway (not much mud). I love them because I don't really think about them very much. (But I admit my heart swells with pride when other guys who know much more about tires say, "Good tires.") I argue with the service guys at my Toyota dealer who always want to set them at 32 psi [!]. I inflate mine to 40 psi front and back. The mushy feeling is gone, and my assessment of them agrees with that of ski3pin in the above thread.
rubberlegs
back country campers
Yup, it's interesting that the answer is often "it depends"! Look at https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdf on page 22, where there's E rated tires at different pressures, 65 and 80. For some reason, your tires aren't in the table.Jsoboti said:
rubberlegs
back country campers
Your setup might be differently loaded than ours, but you might take a look at the weight on front and rear axles. At highway speeds, the thicker construction can heat up the tires, which can do some damage. Our Fleet weight is all on the rear axle on our Tacoma, so we need higher rear pressures. See https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20170203.pdfNew Man said:
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