New to this forum. New owner of a 2016 ecoboost. Am going tow my trailer this summer from LA to Utah, Idaho and Montana to do some flyfishing. I want to air the tires from the door sticker rec. pressures of 35 to 45 or 50 lbs. will that have any effect on my TPMS. Do I have to do the relearn process? Thanks and have had fun reading on this forum.

 

Short answer - No. The TPMS is only interested in under inflation.
The bigger question is why you want to increase tire pressure. First check the tire sidewall for maximum inflation pressure. That's the do not exceed (when cold) pressure. Also on the tire sidewall is the load carrying capacity of each tire. Increasing the air pressure beyond the max inflation pressure does NOT increase the load carrying capacity of the tire.
If you want to be absolutely sure you wont have a problem find a public scale, hook up the trailer and get a weight for each axle particularly the rear truck axle. Divide by two and you should not exceed the load capacity of the tire or the axle. You can always re-arrange things in the trailer a bit to change axle loading.

 

Want to increase tire pressure not to increase payload. Increased pressure stiffens the sidewall to allow a more controlled towing experience. Sidewall max pressure is 51 lbs. I only want to go 40 to 45 lbs.

 

You can absolutely increase the tire pressure to suit your needs for the best ride while towing.

As mentioned, just do not exceed the max PSI the tire is rated for.

What kind trailer will you be towing? IE travel trailer? Having a good weight distribution hitch makes all the difference while towing. Especially with the anti-sway features.

Good luck!


biz

 

I had a 2013 Tacoma with a 4.0 engine. I pull a 20 ft Wilderness travel trailer. Dry 4100 lbs. Tow weight 5000. The Tacoma was a dog. Did terrible in the mountains and anything uphill. Max tow rating was 6500 lbs. Dont know where in the hell they pulled that out from. Level towing was marginal at best. About 10 mpg was the best I could get. What a difference the Ecoboost is. By far a much better truck. Mpg about the same but absolutely tows completely different. Way more power and stopping ability. I liked the Tacoma a lot but not towing. I spend 3 to 4 months in the summer flyfishing the Sierras. Lots of mountian driving. No more tail wagging the dog. Actually look forward to towing.

 

Nice setup! Yeah, you will certainly enjoy the F150 over the Tacoma while towing.


biz

 

The only time you need to do a "relearn" is when the location of the wheels is changed such as after a tire rotation. The procedure is in the owners manual.

 

I drive the wife's Tacoma every week or two. You're right, the power is nowhere near what the 3.5L EB power. However, going up and down the mountain, the Tacoma is more like driving a sports car. Not enough power sports car, but a sports car none-the-less. Kind of reminds me of my old MG Midget.

 

First, welcome to FTE!

As for the tire pressures, I agree with increasing pressure for towing - or even carrying heavy loads for that matter. We had this discussion a few months ago on my thread about towing, prep, etc. it used to be that manufacturers had a table showing the correct pressure for casual driving and for hauling/towing. For some reason they've discontinued that. But I think the need is still there. As you said, a stiffer sidewall, and therefore better handling, is one benefit of more pressure.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll enjoy the EB for towing. I was really impressed by how mine pulled the 5000 lb boat to the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell last fall. It didn't seem to care about the load, and there was no discernible difference with elevation - and we traveled from 700' to over 7000'. I'm sold!

 

Like I said I wasnt dissatisfied with the Tacoma other than its lack of power, especially at altitude. With a 4.0 engine you should get more than 236 hp. Even with a $ 5000 supercharger it would only make 305 hp. Didnt have one installed, my only option. Traded for my F150. Best decision I ever made.