georgebuhr
TYF Newbie
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2011
- Posts
- 19
- Reaction score
- 11
I’m not a tire pro but have mounted my fair share of tires. Best advice I’ve seen so far was given by the guy that said he called Goodyear. He is absolutely correct in saying that psi on sidewall is ONLY for mounting. Placard in door jamb is what you should be running at all times, UNLESS you have changed from stock conditions. You can look at tire wear all you want, but the more dangerous condition is when you are over/underinflated. This creates a hot spot INSIDE the tire that you will not see just looking at tire wear. You can tell when this has happened when you dismount a tire and you see loose rubber bouncing around inside the tire. This can cause blowouts that you will never know is coming.
I would also note that the less air a tire has in it, the less load it can carry. This means that when you bump up from 17s like my yukon has to 20s or 22s, you need to significantly bump up the psi to be safe. Same thing when adding weight. You don’t need to change psi going to LTs, UNLESS you add weight or are towing, then the psi needs to match the load with the purpose of not creating a hot spot inside the tire.
Moral to the story is rather than assuming, guessing, looking at wear, etc, the best route is talk to a tire professional/ manufacturer to get a recommendation for the conditions. I believe there is also a book that tire installers have access to that is basically a bible for tires that tells you all the info you need. I’m not telling anyone to stop doing what works for them, but you have to be careful to get this right. Having a tire blow out is never fun.
I would also note that the less air a tire has in it, the less load it can carry. This means that when you bump up from 17s like my yukon has to 20s or 22s, you need to significantly bump up the psi to be safe. Same thing when adding weight. You don’t need to change psi going to LTs, UNLESS you add weight or are towing, then the psi needs to match the load with the purpose of not creating a hot spot inside the tire.
Moral to the story is rather than assuming, guessing, looking at wear, etc, the best route is talk to a tire professional/ manufacturer to get a recommendation for the conditions. I believe there is also a book that tire installers have access to that is basically a bible for tires that tells you all the info you need. I’m not telling anyone to stop doing what works for them, but you have to be careful to get this right. Having a tire blow out is never fun.