Tire pressure

[NewbieZ71]

What do you guys keep your tire pressure at???I still have the Firestone Wilderness AT's 265's that were on the truck when I bought it and i SWEAR the fronts look too low......

[gmcblu]

Yeah, I have to restrain myself from adding to my fronts, and constantly prove it to myself with a tire gauge that I don't need to.  I have 10-ply tires all around and you can still see quite a bit more squat in the front

But if you consider how much more weight is on the front, then it makes sense that there should be more squat.  And even more so with a 4wd.  My '92 is the first 4wd that I've owned and I can tell a bigger difference between front & back with the same pressures.

Oh, and my pressures for the set of 245/75/16 10-plys that I run  is 45 psi empty.  Some say I should run 50 and even 60 empty but I think this is good.  (If you have 4 or 6 ply tires you shouldn't run that much.)

Good luck!

[MountaineerTom]

NewbieZ71,

I have the same tires, and keep mine at 35 psi.  The fronts do seem to look little low with all the weight on it.

When you gonna post some pics of your truck since you added all the accessories?

[76BBSub]

Here's a hint...tire pressure on the placard on the door is for a loaded truck.  If you are rolling around with just yourself and maybe the dog, wife, friends, whatever, air-down a few psi in the back.  Your rear tires will squeal less going around corners, and wear better, lasting longer.  The reason your fronts look so squat is because they are aired up correctly even when you are unloaded...the rears are actually over-inflated if you have nothing in the bed.  Try about 35-36 front and 30-32 rear.

Jeff

[NewbieZ71]

Thanks for the info guys.  Tom, I will post some new pix this weekend.  Gonna try the Zaino I ordered (couldnt help myself) assuming it gets here in time for the weekend.  My real challenge will be prying myself away from all of the "honey-do" projects long enough to do it!  

[Shaners]

Newbie,

Keep in mind that the stock Firestones that came on your truck are a "p" rated tire.  They cannot handle much more air than what is inside the drivers door on the placard.  If you look at them on the top they look like they are over inflated!!!  (the tread actually is higher in the center than on the edges of the tire).

GM was out of their mind when they issued those tires for a "truck".  Their theory is that a "p" rated tire is quieter and rides smoother than a "LT" (light truck) tire.  That is great for the people that buy a truck to replace a car, but if you want to do some decent towing or load carrying, then those 4-plys won't cut it!!!

I actually took my firestones to a firestone dealer and under their "customer satisfaction" warranty I was credited for the purchase of some LT tires.  The only tires they would allow credit towards were the Bridgestone Dualer AT.  This is a more aggressive tread, and a higher load rating (more plys).  Draw backs are more tire noise, and a rougher ride...

Shane

[RyanbabZ71]

LT285 BFG's i keep em at 55psi all around

on my old fstone 265's i kept them at 35psi all around.  I hated that tire buldge at the bottom.  No more with the LT's

Ryan

[Kansas Kid]

With my Coopers, I keep them at 45psi all the way around.  No bulging at all, nor should any be expected with load range E 10plys on a 1/2 ton.  LOL

I couldn't agree more with Shaners.  Ditch the "p" rated tires whenever possible and get some "LT" rated tires.  If you go load range C the ride shouldn't change much.