tire pressure when towing

[GARunner]

Is it a good idea to increase rear tire pressure when towing a heavy load? In my case, I will be towing a fully loaded U-haul 6' x 12' trailer (1800 lbs empty). I have checked around on several web sites and only became confused. Most people were talking about tires which have a max pressure of 35-40 psi. I have the Dunlops which have a max pressure of 51 psi.

Also, since I have the four wheel drive V8 would I need to increase the front tire pressure as well?

 

[aj884runner]

If the trailer is loaded properly there should only be about 100 pounds max on the tongue of the trailer and therefore you will be able to run the recommended tire pressure as stated on the door. If you have alot of tongue weight you should run all the tires up to max pressure. That is just my opinion and others may say differently.

 

[Brewster]

The tongue weight should usually be between 10% and 15% of the loaded trailer weight. The 4Runner manual recommends 10%. This shouldn't overload the tires at the standard recommended pressure. However, I added about 2 to 3 pounds all around when I towed recently. With a 51 psi max you have plenty of headroom.

 

[RaymondHat]

ðšñ‚ð¿ 25,ðšñ‚ð¿ 40,ðšñ‚ð¿ 63,ðšñ‚ð¿ 100,ðšñ‚ð¿ 160

Ктпн 630 (Ктпн 630ква)

 

[Ascole]

where are you towing? If it’s gonna be hot, tire pressure will increase a decent amount of psi as you go. I’ve lost truck and trailer tires due to over inflation and heat soak from the highway and actually tend to deflate my rear truck tires and trailer tires slightly when driving in the southwest.

My 4runner tires are set at 36 psi @ 60 degrees so When the tire reaches 100 degrees they’ll be close to 40 psi. Pretty sure my D rated Duratrac max psi is 60lb but there’s no way I’d want to be close to that. I tow a smaller teardrop with a weight of about 2200lbs and I don’t adjust my tire pressure, mainly because the tongue weight is only around 200 lbs and weight is properly balanced. Probably wouldn’t change that even if my trailer was heavier.

 

[JLTD]

My standard load tires felt squirmy while towing, until I put them at their 44psi max. That made them feel more normal. Brought the fronts up to 44 also, since under braking they are subjected to a higher load.

Yours are max at 51? You may have to play around to find the best psi for your specific situation; but I'd start somewhere above 40.

 

[Ripper238]

Is it a good idea to increase rear tire pressure when towing a heavy load? In my case, I will be towing a fully loaded U-haul 6' x 12' trailer (1800 lbs empty). I have checked around on several web sites and only became confused. Most people were talking about tires which have a max pressure of 35-40 psi. I have the Dunlops which have a max pressure of 51 psi.

Also, since I have the four wheel drive V8 would I need to increase the front tire pressure as well?

With truck tires its not so cut and dry.

What's your tire rated at? C i would guess? What is your load index?

This is what i did to make sure i met the important points.

I went with C 112Q rated Duratracs.

4R RGAWR (rear) = 3439 lbs /2 = 1720 lbs (no load) per tire and since 112 load index = 2469ea at 50psi i can run the C 112Q rated Duratracs at ~38+ psi and exceed the actual no load RGAWR still. If i need additional weight capacity i just bump up the air pressure and get up to the full 2469 at max capacity of each tire exceeding the stock required load index. Though i wouldn't want to go to max PSI for high temps or really long trips.

So far ~38-41 PSI (front and rear) has been fine with the 4R loaded up on my C rated with a 112 load index Duratracs.