Tire inflations

[Licreek]

Hello, I wondered how everyone handles tire inflations? I was at the rv show in Dallas yesterday and bought a tire pressur monitor but I still need valve stem extentions, then I guess I have to buy a compressor? This all seams very labor intensive. Is this what everyone is doing or am I over thinking tire pressure? Is there somewhere to take the rig to get air checked and adjusted. My last question regards tire pressure. I have a 36' diesel pusher. I have 6 tires on the ground. My tire inflation guide on the wall next to the driver seat shows the tire sizes and under inflations on front and rear it just says max inflation 100lbs. Is it ok and safe to keep all tires inflated to 100lbs. Is there a good average inflation? So that my tire questions. Thank you, Lee

[Lwiddis]

“Is there somewhere to take the rig to get air checked and adjusted”

That’s your job and it isn’t that big a deal to check and inflate if necessary.

[garyemunson]

Tire pressure monitors should be required on all new RVs. The difference with your car and an RV is usually the RV drives long distances every day. A picked up nail has plenty of time to leak a tire down to the danger point of failure. With your car, you'd just come back out of the store to find a flat. The RV has a blowout at speed. You can check your tire pressure every morning but pick up a nail leaving the campground.

[Dutch_12078]

Licreek wrote:
So how much do inflations vary? Is the average 100lbs? Before I get a weight should I run at max?

Inflations can vary quite a bit depending on both weights and the installed tire pressure/weight capacity ratings. A load range 'H' tire for instance, can support higher weights than a load range 'F' tire.

In the interim, run at the weights listed on the label on the wall. Do not run at the "Maximum PSI" shown on the tire sidewalls unless they happen to be the same as the chart. That's pretty unlikely though, as it leaves no safety margin at all. Running at the max pressure unnecessarily can lead to a rougher ride and even cause uneven wear on the tires. On the other hand, the leading cause of tire failures by far is under inflation, so err on the high side a bit for safety, just don't over do it.

[Licreek]

So how much do inflations vary? Is the average 100lbs? Before I get a weight should I run at max?

[rgatijnet1]

As usual, a lot depends on how and where you travel. If you travel out West where the altitude changes and the temperature varies quite a bit, you should check your tire pressures every morning.
Also you need to keep in mind that RV tires lose air more than automobile tires so it is important to check your tire pressure on a regular basis, with a high quality tire gauge. You can run the maximum tire pressure, as mentioned on your wall placard, at 100 psi, but you will probably notice a harsher ride, increased tire wear, and decreased traction for braking and wet weather traction.
You can have all four corners of your RV weighed with full fuel, loaded for a trip, with as much fresh water as you usually carry, and with all passengers, and then you can calculate the exact tire pressure as recommended by your tire manufacturer's inflation chart. Most people will add an additional 5 psi as a safety measure.
You can also not check your tire pressures on a regular basis, have tire problems, and then come on this forum and complain about the manufacturer of your tires and how they build an inferior product. You may also become one of those that suffers a front tire blow out and loses control of your RV.
There are a lot of choices but the one ALL RV tire manufacturers recommend is to have your coach weighed and adjust the tire pressure accordingly. Doing it right will insure longer tire service, safer operation in all weather conditions, and less chance of a tire failure.

[STBRetired]

I think you are over thinking this a bit. Unless you have an issue, you should only need to adjust your air pressure a few times during the season. I set the pressures in the spring when the MH comes out of storage, then again in the summer when it starts to get really hot, then finally in the fall when it cools back down. If your tires, rims and valves are good, the cold tire pressure will not change. Just watch the TPMS to make sure.

Like Dutch said, get your MH weighed and use the inflation chart from the tire manufacturer to set the cold tire pressure. If you set it to the sticker pressure, that would probably be okay until you can get it weighed.

[Dutch_12078]

A tire pressure monitor system is just that, a means of monitoring your tire pressures, nothing more. Having your tire pressures monitored constantly versus periodic checks is a safety issue. If you want to pay someone to check and adjust your tire pressures when needed, that's up to you, and most tire shops that service trucks will do it for you. On the other hand, many of us do have a compressor on board so we can do it ourselves whenever and wherever it's needed, just as some of us do our own oil changes, etc.

As for your tire inflation pressures, the best way to set them is to know what your four corner weights, or at least axle weights, are with the coach fully loaded with full tanks, etc., for travel. Using those weights and the tire manufacturer's load ratings, you can find the optimum settings for your conditions. Until then go with the settings on the on the wall.