I have a 2003 F250 2wd Crewcab with a V10 engine and 265/75/16 tires. So far I have about 6,400 miles. The label on the truck says to run 50psi on the front and 70psi for the rear. 50psi on the front just seems to soft for me, so I've been running them at 60psi. The ride is a little firm, but feels pretty good. It does seem like it's a little bouncy in the back unloaded. Tire wear looks fine so far. Does anyone have any suggestions as far as comfort and wear with front/rear tire pressure? The truck is still kinda new to me, so any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

I run 60 psi all around for daily driving. That seems to help the mileage a little. The tires seem to be wearing evenly but I only have 33K on them and they are almost down to the wear bars. Darn Firestones.

 

I run 60psi empty all the way around, have 49k on them and about 1/3 tread left. Yes, Firestones.

 

I run 60 PSI front and 40 PSI rear empty on Load Range D tyres. I've tried 60 all the way round, but the back end is so light the rear tyres wear on the inside at 60, so I bumped it down to 40 and now they wear evenly.

 

Here's my standard reply to tire pressure questions:

For Ford trucks, there’s 2 types of tires possible. Small trucks like a Ranger will probably have Passenger car tires installed. Passenger car tires start with P in the part number. Trucks like a F350 will come with Light Truck tires. Light truck tires start with LT in the part number. These 2 tires are built to different standards and have different pressure requirements. Passenger car tires have a max inflation pressure listed on the sidewall. Light truck tires do NOT have a max pressure listed on the sidewall. Go outside and look at one; it only has a max load at a listed cold pressure. My comments following apply to Light truck tires.

The label on the door jamb is assuming a truck is loaded to the GAWR’s (Gross Axle Weight Rating). If you are operating at a lower weight, you can reduce the pressure for better tire wear, smoother ride and better traction. The label is also assuming you have stock tires as delivered from the factory. If you have a different tire installed, you need to use the correct pressure for the tire installed.

Here’s the proper way to determine what pressure to run in your tires. Weigh your truck, getting individual weights for each wheel (or at a minimum each axle). Then consult the tire inflation chart for your brand/model of tire. The chart will tell you what pressure to run based on your weight. If you got individual wheel weights, use the heaviest wheel on an axle to determine what pressure to run on all tires on that axle. If you weigh your truck unloaded you’ll need to do this again with your normal load. If your load fluctuates all the time, it’s probably easier to just keep the tires inflated to handle the highest load you anticipate.

In my case, I carry a 4000 lb slide-in camper occasionally. I keep the truck tires inflated for unloaded driving most of the time. Then before I load the camper, I pump them up for the extra weight. That way the truck rides smoothly with good traction and even tread wear while unloaded. If I was loading and unloading the camper daily or even weekly, I’d probably just keep the tires pumped up. Changing tire pressure daily on a dually would get old real quick.

It's a good idea to read the footnotes and fine print in tire inflation manuals also. For instance, in the Firestone manual it says that if you are driving for long periods at 65 to 74 mph, you should increase the tire pressure 10 psi (provided the wheels are rated to handle the pressure). In the case of the Firestone Steeltex 265/75-16 tire that would be 90 psi if you are at max load. This means that the 80 psi listed on the sidewall is not the max pressure. If you want to drive 75 to 84 mph , you still need those extra 10 psi, but you also need to reduce you max weight capacity by 10%.

You can view a tire inflation table for LT235/85-16 tires at http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/LoadInflLTMetric.pdf .

Here’s the inflation table for the LT265/75R16 Firestone Steeltex tire

Weight Pressure
1910 35
2100 40
2280 45
2470 50
2625 55
2790 60
3000 65
3105 70
3260 75
3415 80

If you are driving at higher speeds for extended periods, you need to add more air:

65-74mph add 10psi
75-84mph add 10psi & decrease max load 10%

 

WOW!! harald thats some info!! thanks!!
but what I do is the old trial and error method..
I first put the max air in them then I work down. I drive at each setting for a couple days.It has worked for me.
And as for a better ride get rid of those factory shocks!!!!
Thats another thread but ford shocks are the pits!!!

JMHO

twinbulls

 

Hi, my tires are 33 x 12.5 x 16.5, Apache tires, the max load is said to be at 50 lbs pressure written on the side wall. What would it be for unloaded condition?

I put in 30 lbs, is that ok with these type of tires?

Thanks
Mike