O.T. Tire Pressure

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

AZ in Colorado Springs

Follow the instructions in the vehicle manufacturer's sticker or the tire manufacturer's guidance. Don't trust the oil change guy -- he might be guessing or maybe he "remembered it wrong" from one car to the next.

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

Mark Nowicki

How old are the tires on the Dodge?

Last service was 4 years ago?

Door sticker, sort of.

Jason Roehl in Lafayette, IN

The tire sidewall will list a maximum pressure. NEVER exceed that one. The door sticker will list a pressure to use when the vehicle is fully loaded. For most cars, this would be the correct pressure. Trucks get a little trickier in that there can be quite a weight difference between unloaded and fully loaded, and the correct tire pressures for those weights can be quite different. For instance, my 3/4-ton van has a max rear tire pressure listed of 80 PSI, but that's fully loaded. I currently drive it nearly empty most of the time, so I have 60 PSI in the rear tires.

But, since you only drive that truck about 600 miles/year, I'd put 41 PSI in them and not worry about it. The tires will age out long before they wear out from (slight) over-inflation, which is far better than under-inflation (30 PSI in a full-size truck is pretty sketchy, IMHO).

Jason

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

Stuart Johnson

How old are the tires on the Dodge?

Bought in 2006.

Last service was 4 years ago?

It's only driven around 600 miles a year. Maybe 800 in a tough year.

Re: Door sticker, sort of.

John McGaw

A problem with the sticker pressures is that the manufacturer is also, at least in the case of passenger cars, taking ride quality into account so the numbers they give are probably lower than optimum for maximum even tread wear. I find that, keeping my Outback's tire pressure two pounds over the posted numbers makes the tires last appreciably longer (at the cost of being a bit 'thumpier' going over road imperfections). When tuning sports cars and racing vehicles a change in tire pressure of a few percent is seen as a big thing and can mean the difference between winning and losing.

BTW: never never never trust the people at the oil-change places to get the tire pressure right. I have found at least one that regularly pumped the tires up to the maximum sidewall pressure.

Re: Door sticker, sort of.

Joe in a Cleveland suburb

"never never never trust the people at the oil-change places"

That is so true in so many ways.

I tell people all the time to not go to the quicky oil change places. So many horror stories.

Earlier this summer, my daughter was in a hurry and didn't listen to my advice. She went to one of those places in Virginia with her 3 year old Subaru that has a CVT transmission. They put the wrong type of fluid in her tranny. The car died on the highway on her way to Washington DC. Long story short, they had to pay to have Subaru replace her transmission with a new one as well as all her related expenses.

For tire pressure, I go by the tag in the door sill. My BMW M3 calls for 30 front, 35 rear. That is what my mechanic recommends as well.

Re: Door sticker, sort of.

Tony Memphis

Yep. Our Nissan dealer can't even get it right! They always put way too much in my wife's Z. Every single time. Makes me wonder about what else they do!?!

I check my tires often anyway. Especially around seasonal temperature changes. Does it make any difference? I dunno. I assume keeping it "close" is a good thing vs way too much or way too little.

Tony

Re: Door sticker, sort of.

Mark Nowicki

The tires have already "aged out"

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

Joseph Mulherin

Mark got it right....the tires have already aged out...time for a new set. I have always set my tires on my vehicles at 3lbs over the recommended pressures...55yrs worth of driving and no blowouts or flats either.

Re: Door sticker, sort of.

ivan Warrington

The CAFE rules dictate how much air to put in tire. The higher the pressure the better the mileage. I usually go with 75% max sidewall pressure on the tire. The sill pressures are for full gross load and CAFE.

Just replaced my Michelins on my 2007 F250, they died after 6 years and still had lots of tread. Dry rot. After new tires it rode like a wagon. Had them take out 10 pounds each, now okay.

AND while you're at it...

Gary Smyth

invest $20 in a accurate tire pressure gage. ACCU-GAGE, 0-60 range gage is a one time investment and you don't have to worry about those sliding rod pocket namby pamby disasters. ACCU-Gage makes different pressure gages so get the right one for your truck, trailer, tractor, car or bike (higher range). Get one with a hose connector to make things easier on yourself.

These are used by aircraft mechanics for landing gear on light planes and maybe heavy as well. One time purchase. Also great as holiday/housewarming gifts. Make a simple wood 2 x 4 nesting housing for the garage wall. Keep it safe and doesn't kink the hose.

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

Don Stephan

Do any of the engine fluids tend to absorb water over time? Doubt if my mechanic would recommend 4 years between fluid changes, even with low mileage. And I trust his judgement, he's not just trying to maximize his income.

Re: O.T. Tire Pressure

AZ in Colorado Springs

They don't necessarily absorb water, but get contaminated by it. Water vapor will condense inside the engine and transmission and can contaminate the fluids there. If you frequently operate the vehicle and get everything up to operating temperatures, the water will boil off. Short trips and infrequent use of the vehicle are both hard on the drive train.