[dsevern]

Excuse me if this has been hashed and re-hashed, but I can't find it. My boss and I were just discussing the recommended tire inflation on pickups. Both of us had noticed that our diesel pickups (his 2003 Dodge 4WD, my 95 Chevy 2WD) recommended much higher pressure in the rear tires than the front. Since Diesel engines ain't exactly "light" neither of us thought this made much sense on a truck that runs probably 90% of the time with no load on it. It seems to me that it makes for more "bounce" and less traction that way.

Can anyone explain this?

 

[WNYTractorTinkerer]

I usually do the opposite.. Higher (about 1# or so) in the front as there is more weight hence the tire is pressed down more up there and that keeps the traction areas about the same on all tires.. I'm sure folks have alot of different ideas around this.. Let the posting begin!

 

[andythedrew]

Those pressures are for maximum payload. You can run them less when you are unloaded.

 

[snoyes]

I agree that the higher pressure in back is for payload.... Obviously, to max out the tire's rated performance, they need to be at the max PSI (80 PSI for E rated which normally are stock on the 3/4 ton and 1 tons). If you took the maximum of every tire, your truck could handle 12,780 lbs based on 3195 per tire max load.... That being said, your truck max rated gross weight is normally well under that, hovering around 8800-9600 lbs....

An additionally benefit is a slightly better fuel economy with the tires aired up to the max, but the ride may not justify the benefits of fuel economy.

 

[raytasch]

neither of us thought this made much sense on a truck that runs probably 90% of the time with no load on it. It seems to me that it makes for more "bounce" and less traction that way.

Can anyone explain this?

The recommendations are for those folks who use a truck as a loaded truck, not a commuting vehicle or a grocery getter.

 

[dsevern]

Kind of what I thought, running 60 in front and 80 in back was kind of irrational, since there's no "loaded/unloaded" recommendation I could find, even in the owner's manual. (although I think that book was originally written in some other language, maybe ancient Egyptian, translated into Ancient Greek, then Latin, then Chinese, Russian, French, German, then English, all by someone using a computer program...)

 

[andythedrew]

Kind of what I thought, running 60 in front and 80 in back was kind of irrational, since there's no "loaded/unloaded" recommendation I could find, even in the owner's manual. (although I think that book was originally written in some other language, maybe ancient Egyptian, translated into Ancient Greek, then Latin, then Chinese, Russian, French, German, then English, all by someone using a computer program...)

It is easier and less risky for them to just give the pressure for the rated payload. Give people too many options and they end up getting sued over a blowout.

 

[turbodave]

My 2005 Dodge 2500 lists two inflation pressures for the rear tires, I don't remember what they were off hand, but something like 45psi with no load and 80psi at max load.

 

[deereboy55]

I know guys who only use their pickups for commuting to work ,some of them put passenger car tires on them and run 32 lbs of air . Great ride, and they never carry anything in them.

 

[Team_Green]

I have a 1 ton dodge.. The tires are at max front and back but when it goes down the road it has a trailer on it most of the time.. On my 3/4 ton car the tire pressure is the same higher on the front and lower on the back as it doesn't tow anything.