Tire Pressure Unloaded
 

What do you guys run for tire pressure unloaded? Just picked up an F250 platinum with high capacity tow. Wondering if I can soften the ride up when I'm not towing.

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Also, welcome to the forums!

I run around 60. Used Forscan to prevent the low tire pressure warnings.

As much as I tow (nearly every day) and has hard as it is to reach the inside wheels, I simply leave mine at the maximum (70 front 65 rear) at all times. Of course, with the leaking valve stem issues of the F350 duallies mine seems to be chronically low anyway. :D

I have a 2017 F-250 Platinum, 6.7, crew cab, short bed. So, with the Platinum - 20" wheels.

I run 60 psi cold all around unloaded.

No TPMS alarms at all.

I'll run higher when loaded, but 60 psi unloaded seems to work fine driving highway/city 70/30.

Jim

Isn't the maximum 80psi cold?

I run 55 all around unloaded. Used FORScan to adjust the TPMS warning.

LOL!!!!! Me too!!!!

Man, are those some gawdawful answers. Based on most of those above answers you will wind up with better gas mileage, but premature tire wear, lousy ride and since you are only using the very middle of your tire- lousy traction in any kind of off-road conditions.

The absolutely best way to know how much air to put in would be with "the Chalk Test". Take a powdery type of chalk (kids sidewalk chalk) rub a line across the top of the tire from inside to outside, drive 100' across a parking lot and then reverse a hundred feet (no turning) and see what part is rubbed off. Over inflated will just see the middle rubbed off, under inflatted mostly just the outside. What you want is even wear on the chalk- then you know your right tire pressure- This should be done in any configuration you drive your truck.

OR

On an "at least" scenario check for inflation charts (https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125...s_20170203.pdf) like this on the web. Then trust (sarcastic) what Ford says about the front end and the rear weight of your truck and inflate to that level.

On an unloaded f350 CClwb- your tire pressure will be closer to 40psi front and 32psi in the rears.

I have a chart with multiple configurations set up for my varing weights- and depending on whether I am on or off-road I deflate or inflate with my Viair.

Well being involved with the tire industry albeit military aircraft tires and worked on the development and qualification on many tires including all three variants of the F35 along with all three landing gear systems, the engineers at the manufacturers take exception to most of the comments on this thread. Just because of what I do I have access to some of these folks Michelin/BF Goodrich, Goodyear and the automotive guys (I deal with the aviation folks) have let me know that because of the carcass design and the flexing to put in simple terms running less than 20% of the maximum pressure is not recommended. Our engineers concurred with this as well.

Just FWIW.... In the end however, it is your throat your razor.

Run what you find works for you, BUT 40 psi / 32 psi is downright dangerous on the F250/350. With the tires as designed - running that low of a pressure with the truck (empty) weight, results in too much side wall flex that will then generate heat and failure. Take a plastic spoon and bend it back and forth about 10 times quickly and see how hot it get - then think of your sidewall flexing as you drive at 70mph. Low tire pressure was a major contributor to the Ford Explorer tire failures about 10 years ago (Firestone was also to blame). The reason that TPMS is required on all new cars now.

As I said - run what you want, but please don't encourage others to run that low of a pressure on a tire that is made to run at 70 psi. Dropping to 55-60 psi may be OK, but not 32-40 psi.

Jim

I agree that sounds way too low. Although, this chart seems to support low PSIs. I have the Michelin 275/65R20s.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...4a418c75d5.jpg

Too low or too high of air pressure is BAD. But, what are you using as your “yard stick”?

Instead of using gut reaction and how you have always done it as your guide, use the suggested PSI charts for weight. I challenge you to find ANY tire manufacturer or tire industry organization that states MAXIMUM PSI is what you should run no matter what your vehicles weight is. Maximum air pressure is just that-MAXIMUM.

As a previous multi-airplane owner and operator- although airplane and truck tires have very different roles- air pressure importance is the same.

As a previous Expedition vehicle owner (vehicle ranged between 11,500 and 12,700 pounds depending on what we were taking). I have run at 25 psi (for road conditions) up to 80 psi on highway. Always based on tire, altitude, temperature and load dependence. Never run at highway speeds at low psi, and never operate in extreme off-road conditions (sand or rock) at high psi.

I meant maximum as in "maximum on the door sticker". Of course, since there's just one value on the door sticker, the word "maximum" probably never should have made it into that statement. :)

Just had the truck serviced the other day, which included tread depth measurements. At 55,000 miles my tread (on all six tires) is wearing evenly, with no rounded edges or unusual wear patterns. The fronts are rotated at every oil change. I expect to get at least another 30,000 miles out of these tires. Traction has never been an issue, and gravel is as far "off road" as this dually is going.