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Old 08-19-2012, 10:51 AM   #1
bennydog
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Tire rant sort of with questions

We've just returned from our 3000 mile trip thru Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado and back. Fantastic time, some family, some really hot and some at 10,500 feet on the Grand Mesa not so hot. Wound up needing to replace the right front tire on the trailer as it had a small puncture in the side wall just at the tread line. I really thing I dodged a bullet with that one as I lost count of the number of trailers off to the side of the road with one or two blown tires. I really don't understand why when the outside temp is north of 100 degrees you would drive 75 MPH towing a trailer. Not all were travel trailers, some boat some utility. Followed one guy with a large 5th wheel up out of La Grande OR doing 75 with the left rear obviously low ( and no way for me to let him know) and not 50 miles down the road he's off to the side with that tire in shreds.

Now to my questions:
1. Can anyone recommend an accurate tire pressure gauge?
I have 2 plus the TPS system for the truck and none of them agree.
2. Does anyone have any recommendations on TPS systems for the trailer
Good or bad experience.
3. I'm sure I could find this another way but how great is the effect of altitude? Being above 10,000 feet for part of the trip and with 3 disagreeing pressure gauges I was really never sure if the tires were inflated correctly.
4. If the tires should be at 65psi what is an acceptable "range" if I have no way to top them off? Is 60 to low?
5. If I have to drive with them low to get to someplace to fill them up they are no longer cold. How do you know what to fill them to?

Harbor Freight has a 100psi pancake compressor on sale for $40 and as I also travel with a generator I'm thinking of picking one up just to have it.

With all the rubber snakes (that's what we call all the tire tread) we see on the road I may be getting a little paranoid but better save then sorry. My DW after 5 years with the trailer finely announced that she would like to try driving for a little while but with the tire not holding air for the first part of the trip we put it off until the next time. Would have hated to have her first drive end with a blow out.

Last question...when I purchased the new tire I only had the tire and rim that came off the trailer. It is now a different brand of tire with the same ratings. Should I swap the spare and the new tire so that the tires on the trailer are all the same?

Thanks

Bob
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Old 08-19-2012, 01:05 PM   #2
Halibutman214
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Probably 100+ threads on here that will answer every question you asked except perhaps the last one. If the new tire is the same size as the others you will notice no difference nor should the tire wear any different.
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Old 08-19-2012, 05:38 PM   #3
hankpage
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Bob, I'm sure you can find good tire gauges at any truck stop. Geno's Garage has one similar to what you should be looking for. Since you already have three I would air it up with the lowest one as long as there isn't more than a 10% spread from high to low reading until you get a good one. ...... and yes you want one that reads to 160psi. , Hank
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Old 08-25-2012, 11:20 PM   #4
Jimbeau
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Dont waste your money on that cheap 39 dollar Harbor Freight 100 psi pancake. I had a BRAND NEW one and it died after only getting my spare up to 61 psi before I heard a pop and would not put out any air. I had a blowout and really needed the thing to work!! Tried to return it and the Mgr said you can only return after 30 days if you had purchased the "extended Warranty" for like 15-20 dollars extra! It's nothing you'd want to have to depend on in the middle of nowhere like I was!! Bite the bullet and get a small Husky 150psi 4 gal from Home depot. I just got one for $159 and it should last longer than the RV!! oh, and make sure whrn your checking those tires that they are cold, or you'll get an incorrect reading that could result in BIG problems. Also, Auto zone sells a nice gage with a rubberextension hose to the (up to 160 psi) gage for about $15. The flexible hose makes it very easy to check with one hand while reding the gage with the other.
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Old 08-26-2012, 07:55 AM   #5
Johnnyfry
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Tires

I, certainly, have many of the same questions, some of them yet unanswered.

I too, have 2tire gauges (stick type) and a TPMS (Hawhshead) on the trailer tires only. Guess what? None of them agree. The stick gauges are very close but when I inflate the tires all to exactly 80 PSI with the stick gauge, all 4 TPMS sensors are different (from 80.5 to 91! ) some tire shops use a 4 inch dial type gauge which is probably the best --- unless you drop it or get it out of cal. They are also quite expensive ($80-$100) for a first rate one. Forget the electronic digital gauges too. I have tried them and they are worse than the stick type.

As to the cheap Harbor Freight compressor, I have one and it works well. It is pretty low capacity so it takes forever to inflate , but it is a lot faster than the 12 volt junk from NAPA or Auto Zone. I have also heard reports of the units being unreliable but mine has been fine. Guess what, made in Chins by the lowest bidder = poor quality control.

I have heard 10% allowable tolerance for tire pressure measuring cold.
Cold to Hot variation depends, I believe, on the water vapor content of the air in the tire. That is probably part of the deal with using dry Nitrogen instead of air.

I don't think that mixing tire brands matters much as long as they match in load rating and inflation pressure. Personally I don't think it is a good idea to have wildly different tread designs either.

My OEM Towmax tires lasted almost 25K miles tncluding the Alasks highway. I bent an Axle and had to change two of them in Whitehorse because of uneven wear pattern, but, all in all, they did pretty well by me. I did have a blow out and tread loss on one of the remaining tires after returning from Alaska, tire was pretty worn by that time. I was going about 55 and did not suffer any significant damage to tne trailer when it threw the belt off the tire. The TPMS sounded as I felt a little waiver in the steering so I stopped immediately.

I hope that sheds a little light on the subject. It is, however, IMHO.

John
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Old 08-26-2012, 09:06 AM   #6
Ruffus
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Post Tires

Hi Bob
The rest of the guys are right when saying don't waste your money on a cheap compressor. I bought a double tank compressor from lowes for $80 or $90 dollars and it even came with a nail gun, big mistake. It would nail okay but wouldn't fill the tires on my truck to 80 PSI. Took it back and bought a double tank Husky for $140 from home depot. It pumps up to 160 PSI before shutting off and handles trailer and truck tires with no problem. It has a collapsable handle like a airport suitcase and fits in the front battery comparment on my 5ver. I did buy a hose from harbor freight. My fill nozzle has a gauge built in and I have a cheap digital hand gauge that one of my daughters bought me years ago. I checked them both with a mechanics gauge and they were with in 2 pounds so thats close enough for me. I have a generator to run the compressor if needed.
I always check my tires the day before a long trip while they are cold. If camped for a few days I check them the day before I leave. Last trip to Colorado I found a low tire and it turned out to be a cracked rim I-40 through Oklahoma ot Arkansas I suspect.
Tires also need to be rotated from time to time. The rear axle on your trailer always gets the most uneven ware from all the turning, the front axle seams to get the most puncture and pot hole abuse from my experiance.
As far as different tires, I personnaly like to keep two of the same brand on the same axle because different treads react differently to roads as far as heat build up. Just my 2 cents worth.
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