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zzark
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3/29/2006
21:47:21

Subject: tire air pressure
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Another post said gas mileage could be improved with the proper tire pressure.
So, what is the correct air pressure?
For a tire that says max 35 psi, what pressure do you guys use?


zzark



Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2006
21:54:40

RE: tire air pressure
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Every shop I've dealt with for tires has said 30-32.

- Dan M



ck98daksport
Dodge Dakota
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3/29/2006
23:39:39

RE: tire air pressure
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I run mine at 35 in the winter and 40-45 with a 50 psi max tire



crow318
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2006
07:59:04

RE: tire air pressure
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The pressure recomended by the tire manufaturer is what you should run at for optimal fuel mileage and wear.

Don't listen to the guys that tell you to use the pressure that your vehicle manufaturer recomends, that number is for stock tires only.

Each tire is different, there is no one pressure that is best for all tires.

Max pressure is not necessarily the pressure you want to use. If you give us the tire name, someone should be able to get you the best pressure. I am sure a quick search on google will get you the numbers you need.

If you are only looking for good mileage and dont care about wear, some people will tell you to slightly increase pressure to decrease the contact patch of the tire. Of course, you should never inflate over the max pressure on the tire for safety reasons. I know a few guys here at work do that. But there is no way of really telling if it helps.



zzark
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3/30/2006
08:16:02

RE: tire air pressure
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I agree about not using the vehicle mfg recommendation. Part of the Firestone/Ford Explorer tire problem was that Ford said to use 26 psi.
And that's way to low.


zzark



Jeremy
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2006
10:08:48

RE: tire air pressure
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the max pressure on the side of the tire is for when you have the max weight they can handle on them. i recomend about 32-34 psi in all tires.



choochoo
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2006
17:42:43

RE: tire air pressure
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From experience with pick-up tires for years I find that using 85% of the max inflation pressure on the sidewall is a reasonable rule of thumb running empty. Any higher is too rough and hard on the shocks, etc. The tires wear pretty evenly and gas mileage is good.

2004 Dak QC 4x4 4.7 5spd auto, Leer cap, K&N,
Champion copper,
38 psi in 44 psi 16's,
max 21 mpgUS / 24 Imp hiway trip 60 - 70 mph



Forseti
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2006
18:18:44

RE: tire air pressure
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I believe tire pressure is going to be based on the weight of the car/truck. I you have a 155/60/15 on a VW bug that is only about 1000 pounds(guess) and you have the same tire on a full size truck 1600 pounds (guess) required tire pressure is going to change. I stay away from the max listed on the tire. I look at my tire from the rear and see if there is a small buldge at the bottom that way all of the tread is riding on the street which is about 30 PSI dead cold tire (digi-gauge)



WhatsamattaU
Dodge Dakota
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3/30/2006
19:53:01

RE: tire air pressure
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Vehicle manufacturer tire pressures are NOT for maximum tire wear or fuel mileage. Those numbers are usually low so the vehicle will have a nice cushy ride and appeal to all those UID's out there (Uninvolved, Inattentive Drivers) to buy it, making bucks for the manufacturer. As stated above, Ford made a major mistake, which they have yet to admit, by recommending too low a pressure on their Exploders, which overheated the tires and caused them to fail.
Finding the optimum tire pressure requires knowing how much vehicle weight is on each tire, and adjusting the pressure to give the maximum contact patch. I found (but have since lost) the formulas in one of those car or truck mags. It's based on tire size, max load and maximum pressure as stated on the sidewall. After testing and adjusting, my rear pressure ended up 30psi right and 32 psi left, and the fronts were exactly 10psi higher with 40psi right and 42psi left. It's a pickup, remember, and is much heavier in front, and, at least in mine, gas tank and driver on the same side.
That's how I keep them. Front and back and left and right now have the same rolling diameter so going into and out of 4WD is a breeze. Tested on a 3/4 mile strait stretch of dry pavement - no drivetrain binding, no wandereing, no pulling to one side or the other.





zzark
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3/31/2006
00:06:38

RE: tire air pressure
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Thanks for the good answers.

WhatsamattaU,
That's interesting - 2 lbs more on one side. I've never heard of that, but it makes since.
I'll have to think about it.

I found the Chrysler tire inflation pressure paper that came with my 94 Dakota. Interesting reading.
LT tires are very different than P tires.
And 4WD pressures are higher than 2WD.
For the Dakota with P215/75R15, Chrysler states 30 front and 35 rear for both light and full load.
Rams are also included
If anyone has a specific model and tire they want from the Chrysler paper, just ask.


zzark



Dan M
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2006
04:12:55

RE: tire air pressure
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Interesting concept there WhatsamattaU. Next time I see a DMV cop, I'm going to ask him to weigh your truck at each wheel.

Going by what WhatsamattaU says, I should have about 10 psi more on the drivers side. Why? skid plates are off center towards the drivers side, 24 gallon gas tank on driver side and my fat @$$ on the drivers side. HA HA.

I think I'm off setting that a little with the majority of the weight in my tool box being on the passengers side.

here's a link I just found...
http://www.betiresmart.ca/inflation/proper.asp?loc1=inflation&loc2=proper

I'll have to do more research.

- Dan M



crow318
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2006
08:28:02

RE: tire air pressure
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If you are constantly loading and unloading your truck, the method of calculating tire presure that WhatsamattaU can be thrown out to door. (no offence)

You'd also need to change tire pressure every every time you have a passenger.

My truck tracks strait and goes into 4x4 with no problems and I run = pressure in all 4 tires.






WhatsamattaU
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2006
13:55:43

RE: tire air pressure
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My tire pressure settings are based on a vehicle load that averages how I run most of the time.
No passenger, 3/4 full gas tank, and a fairly light load in the bed. I used sand bags to put about 150lbs evenly distributed between the wheel wells.
The pressures I stated above are how I run all the time.
Works for me. Tire wear is even and balance has held for 24,000 miles. When I rotate the tires, I merely swap them front to back on the same side and readjust the pressures. The spare is not included in the rotation, because it is mounted on one of those cheapass stamped steel rims.





kevin
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2006
14:11:51

RE: tire air pressure
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zzark I have good year wrangler rt/s p235 75r15

The sticker inside my door calls for 35 psi up front and 41 psi in the back. This never made any sense to me since the back is so much lighter than the front. Does the chrysler paper say anything about that size?
Thanks

99 3.9 mt 4x2



zzark
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3/31/2006
20:34:46

RE: tire air pressure
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That tire size is listed under Dakota 4x4, and 35/41 is correct for FULL load. Light load is 35/35.
The load range for P235/75R15 is XL, whatever that means. The other P tires are load range STD.

zzark



Kevin
Dodge Dakota
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3/31/2006
22:39:44

RE: tire air pressure
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Thanks for the info. I rarelly have any more than 100 pounds in the back, so I will drop my psi to 35.



01Motorsport
Dodge Dakota
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4/03/2006
15:29:23

RE: tire air pressure
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I run a set of 17x9 R/T wheels on my '01 4.7 2wd RC 5-spd 3:92LSD. The tires are Michelin LTX Pilot 255/55/17 run at 36psi, checked every 2 weeks, and rotated every 5K miles. 69,500 miles on the last set (136K on the odo).



Davester8022
Dodge Dakota
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4/05/2006
03:24:29

RE: tire air pressure
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I work at a tire shop. Usually on the drivers door jam there will be a white sticker where it will tell you what the recommended air pressure is for the front and the rear for the tire size that originally came on the vehicle. If you don't haul anything then usually the rear will be the same as the front. However, depending on how you drive, you can adjust the air pressure to ensure proper wear. Also the max pressure on the side of a tire does not mean that is what you run it at, it simply means that is what the max pressure is to support the max load rating of the tire. You can put a 10 ply tire (max 80psi) on a little dodge dakota for off roading and such but you won't put it up to 80psi because the dakota cant even haul that much weight that a 10 ply tire maxed out can support. Hope that help everyone.



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