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Old 04-24-2018, 10:02 PM   #72
CWtheMan
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Taylors, SC
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Tire load/Inflation Charts

Tire load and inflation standards are developed by three different organizations. North American, European, and Japanese.

Here I’m just going to be mentioning those from the North American Tire & Rim Association (TRA).

The charts are standardized. All tires of the same size and construction can use a chart from any manufacturer of that tire. For this discussion I’m just mentioning Special Trailer (ST) tires, Light Truck (LT) tires and Passenger (P) tires. All of those are highway tires and approved by the governing body (NHTSA) for trailer axle service, when approved for that fitment by the vehicle manufacturer. An approved tire size is like this; ST225/75R15 or LT235/85R16 or P175/50R15. A load range, load index, or speed letter in a tires suffix are not part of the basic size.

For our vehicles built under the guidance of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), the need to use any of the charts is minimal. The FMVSS instructs the vehicle manufacturers to set an appropriate recommended cold inflation pressure for all vehicles they build and certify. Those recommendations are the minimum standard and none in the tire industry will recommend using less than what the vehicle manufacturer has set and certified on the individual vehicle’s placards for the Original Equipment (OE) tires.

Tires on our motorized vehicles provide a percentage of load capacity reserves and their recommended cold inflation pressures are almost always less than what is required for the tires maximum load. In those conditions the difference in recommended inflation pressure and tire maximum load pressure is an optional area. Some vehicles, such as pick-up trucks may even have vehicle manufacturer recommendations for the use of higher inflation pressures when the vehicle is being used for towing another vehicle.

We often see forum posters recommending tire inflation for the load being carried. The major fault with that is two fold. It’s a no-no to use less inflation pressure than what has been recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. And, inflation to the load carried may need to be adjusted every time you use the vehicle. One PSI inflation pressure below the load carried is a loss of about 1.6% of its load capacity. Heat generation for being under inflated comes to mind.

In these forums, everyone posting about replacement tires seems to have a different idea of how it’s supposed to be done. The tire industry wide rule is to always use replacement tires that are the same size as the tires that came on the vehicle. It’s a very complex explanation as to why it’s a misapplication to use tires that do not match the design of the Original Equipment tires and I’m not going to try and explain it here. This is about tire inflation charts.

Plus sizing is a very popular option many seek when replacing their RV trailer tires. It’s where the tire inflation charts are most needed and part of their basic design is to assist the installer of plus sized tires. Here again, is another tire industry standard that applies to plus sizing your tires. They MUST provide a load capacity equal to the load capacity provided by the OE tires at the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended cold inflation pressure. What that means, when looking at your tire placard you will find the OE tires size and their recommended cold inflation pressure. Now it’s time to find a tire inflation chart for that particular tire. From the chart you can find the load capacity the tire is providing at the trailer manufacturer’s recommended PSI. Let’s say the tire size is ST205/75R14 and had a load range letter of D with a recommended 65 PSI. So, from the chart we find that it’s providing 2040# of load capacity. There is not a LRE in that tire size so you’ll have to ask the vehicle manufacturer about a larger tire for replacement. We all know their answer. If the larger tire was never offered as an option for that trailer they are going to tell you to use another tire just like the ones that came on the trailer. They fitted the OE tires and said they were an appropriate fitment for that trailer and are going to stand with that original decision. To do otherwise would put them in a situation of decision reversal, they’re not going to do that.

So, now you’re going to have to do some decision making. Normally a smallish tire dimensional size change can work on RV trailer axles. Even those closely spaced. A 10% increase in tire load capacity is a ballpark figure to look for. The ST215/75R14 is the best fit. It will fit the OE wheels. It’s just .6” taller & .5” wider. The owner would have to make sure there is sufficient wheel well clearances. At 65 PSI the 215 will provide 2200# of load capacity. Looking at the tire inflation chart for the 215 tire shows a load capacity of 2120# @ 60 PSI.

A normal step for the installer to perform, is to identify the different sized replacement tire. For that purpose, NHTSA approves the use of an auxiliary tire placard. On it, the installer can put the new tire size and from a tire inflation chart for that tire size, a recommended cold inflation pressure that insures the tire will provide as much load capacity as the OE tire did at the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation. The AUX placard can then be placed adjacent to the original tire placard. Then a notation should be made in the vehicle owner’s manual.

There really is no need to fool around with RV trailer tire inflation pressures. Only a very few owners travel enough to ever see their trailer tires wear out. They are age-out tires.

Our RV trailers have a very different center of gravity than our motorized vehicles. Trailers tend to fish-tail, bob and weave and travel in an unbalance condition most of the time. All tires are designed to safely operate at their maximum load capacity.

What many trailer owners do not consider is the load on their tires. (Probably the most damaging thing a new trailer owner does to their tires is over load them. Fill-up the water tank, get all the stuff in the basement and other storage areas and hit the road. POP - BANG). Trailers are built to minimum standards for their maximum allowed loads. The tires are not required to have any load capacity reserves. Even when you load your automotive vehicle to it’s limit it still has tire load capacity reserves. It’s part of the fitment differences between automotive and trailer tires.

You want full life expectancy from your trailer tires? Give them 10% - 15% in load capacity reserves.
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