I'm in a 2007 E-350. Front tires say 44psi max. Rear tires say 80psi max (they're different tires obviously, correct size, different brand/model). The vehicle info sticker on the door panel says fronts should be 60psi and the rears should be 80psi. Looks like the rears are okay, but what should I do with the fronts? Inflate past the tire specs? Also, I'm pulling a single axle trailer that weighs approx 2000lbs. The van itself has about 1000lbs of cargo and passengers.

 

You should replace the front tires with the proper tires for the van. Those tires do not have enough load rating to be safe on the van.

DO NOT put 60 PSI in tires that are rated for a maximum of 44 PSI! That's a blowout that could happen as you fill the tires.

 

Optimal tire pressure depends upon vehicle load, use whatever pressure is necessary (up to the max rated on the tire) to achieve a flat tire profile which produces even tire wear and best traction. If you keep tires inflated to the maximum all the time but the truck is only occasionally loaded then you will experience accelerated center tire wear and poor traction.

 

Mark and Conan are very correct. I have to strongly agree and reiterate:
1 replace the front tires immediately with proper tires,
2 do NOT inflate tires beyond the "spec" on the tire

 

Thanks for the help, all. Thing is, these 44psi tires were put on by a tire shop in TN last year. We were on the road traveling (we're traveling musicians) and had a flat. So that flat and it's adjacent partner were replaced with these new 44psi ones. not sure why a shop would put the wrong tires on, other than the fact that the sizes are correct but they are just rated for lower pressure. they must not have checked. Why would Goodyear even make truck tires like this that can't handle a bigger load?

 

Those tires are for a lighter vehicle that uses the same size tire. They are NOT the correct tire for the van. I can speculate why the tire shop installed them, but I don't KNOW why they did.

On the sidewall close to the maximum pressure is the maximum load the tire is rated for in pounds. Compare the maximum load of the front tires to the rear tires. Are they different? Does the load of the two front tires added equal or exceed the maximum load found on the load information sticker that can be found in the driver's door jamb?

 

I fully understand sizing (i.e. 225/75r16), but you'll have to help me decode what the rest of it all means:

Fronts:
Goodyear P225/75r16 104s M+S M671 EYDR 2312

Rears:
Michelin LT225/75r16 115/112r LTX M/S M+S DOT B3JH AKEX 3511 F518G

 

Those tires are fine as long as you're not loading it to the max all the time and the weight on the front end doesn't exceed the weight rating for both tires combined. Run the air pressure at whatever the sidewall recommends and based on the overall weight you're driving it at. The max GVW is just that, that is the max weight rating of the vehicle, fully loaded. If you are not operating it loaded to the max, you do not need max weight rated tires on it.

 

Your front tires are a "P" series, short for "passenger car"

Rear are "LT" meaning "light truck"---which you are without a doubt!

Disagreeing ever so slightly that a P tire on an E350 chassis is acceptable UNLESS you are one million percent it will NEVER be loaded anywhere near their max safe weight carrying limits. Even then its still not advisable--in my highly-concerned-for-YOUR-safety opinion anyway!

Consider your front end absorbs so much of the braking force when in a panic stop its conceivable those tire safe operating limits could be exceeded quite quickly and quite dramatically, a blow out happening even though you think your cargo load and GVW was within acceptable limits.

I get the financial part of all this but myself I'd be scared as driving around with such mismatched tires. If that seller was/is a national chain and you have purchase records I'd make a case for them being swapped out with little to no expense on your part.

Sad that any tire seller would do this sort of thing----hope it resolves in your favor.

 

To start with, you should stop in at the next truck scales you pass on the Highway and weigh your front end and rear end separately. My van weighs 4000 on the front axle most of the time and more on the rear. Weigh yours for real numbers to work from, and read the load rating on your sidewall. If you're close to your load ratings of your tires, they'll wear out quickly and should be considered unsafe.

I second the advice that you go to another toe shop in the same chain and explain the situation, telling them that you believe your van is unsafe because of the rating on the tires. Be polite about it because the person you'll be talking to didn't cause your problem, but let them know that you expect tires in the proper rating and that you don't expect to pay more than the price difference between the wrong tires you have and the right ones you're going to get.

 

Not those numbers. Where the tire says what the maximum pressure is it will also tell you the tire's maximum load in pounds and kilograms. It's in plain English, no decoding necessary.

The answer, though, is in the tire size. You have the wrong size tires on the front. When the size starts with a P it is a passenger car tire, not a light truck tire. THOSE TIRES ARE UNSAFE ON YOUR VAN. If you don't replace them with the right tires I predict a high chance of you killing somebody. Harsh? I don't think so. Those tires are UNSAFE and you have a dangerous situation. Carry on at the risk of anyone that is near you when you drive this van.

 

quick decode for you: on the P series tire. the "104s" is the code for the load rating from a goodyear add "104S Load Index 104 = 1984lbs (900kg) per tire. Speed Rating “S” = 112mph (180kph)"

the michelin tire has two ratings for its load, one if its used on the front (115) and one if its used on the rear (112r)

according to tire rack a load rating of 110 is 2337 lbs. I could not find for 112, or 115

kenn

 

Maximum load is maximum load. It makes no difference what vehicle it's on. pounds are pounds, whether its on a truck or car. What it he had a crossover ? What advice would you rely on then ? It's a car, it's a truck, wait ! It's both !! Passenger car tires generally have fewer sidewall belts, I say generally because there are and always have been passenger car tires with the sidewall construction (and weight rating) of truck tires.

 

X 2 on this

 

So the front tires say this:
"Tread 4 Plies 2 Polyester Cord + 2 Steel cord" and a max weight of 1984lbs per tire.

For the sake of accuracy, I will definitely take it slow and get each axle weighed at the next station I can find. For the sake of immediate discussion, I know the curb weight of this van is around 5200lbs or so. With 2 passengers and cargo, we're looking at maybe pushing 6200lbs total. There's no way we're exceeding the maximum weight on these front tires...although maybe getting somewhat close within a couple hundred pounds. I would never rotate them to the rear with the trailer and all, but in my estimation they might be ok for the front. Is saying that death is imminent a little hyperbolic?