Pressure for New Tires

[robot225]

I finally broke down and got a new set of 285/70/17 BFG AT's yesterday. I'm pretty happy with the way the look, and even happier with the way they handle. Much sturdier stance and grip, and the "sloshy" ride of the OEM bridgestones is all but completely gone.

 

Questions about air pressure though....

I've got 50psi in the now, and max is 65psi. Given how expensive they are, I want to get as much life out of them as possible. What are you guys with 285s running? I'm thinking they could stand a few more pounds, because they seem a little low at 50.

 

 

 

[cincychev]

Just note that 65psi is the max. Unless you are putting maximum loads over the rear axle you don't need nearly that much.

A general rule of thumb is that the higher the pressure the rougher your ride will be, however you will get better gas milage and you will wear your tires less.

If you have lower tire pressures your tire is absorbing more of the bounce in the road and you will wear them more.

Does that make any sense?

I have 285/75/16's on my 02'. The max on mine is 65, but I run mine on about 45 and they seem to wear great.

Hope this helped!!!

[asilverblazer]

I ran about 50 PSI in my Dueler A/T's and wore the center out of the rear's. Lack of weight I suppose. Too much air pressure vs. load will cause the tire to push the center of the tread harder creating more wear on the center as compared to the sidewall. I eventually ran 50 PSI at the front due to the added weight of the engine, and 35 PSI in the rear. (Except when towing or hauling, then I ran 50 PSI all around.)

 

I read this and it made no sense...

[Shawn T]

I run 50 in the front (heavy DMax motor) and 40 in the rear. 65 psi is way too much, as silverblazer mentioned they will "hump up" and wear in the middle. Be careful though. If you run the BFG's too low, they will wear prematurely. They have a wide surface area and if underinflated, tend to heat up and wear out too fast. For a half-ton, I would keep 40-45 psi, all of the way around. Just stay on top of your rotations and watch for wear, and these tires get reasonable mileage results with good traction.

[robot225]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll give 50 all around a shot, then maybe air down the rears to 45 if they start wearing in the centers.

[Mighty HD]

I've been running 35 front/rear on the Mud terrains for about a year--wear is perfect.

[GLOCKM22]

I've been running 35 front/rear on the Mud terrains for about a year--wear is perfect.

 

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same here mighty HD. Always have ran 35. good all round results. You must be running 100 psi in the golf-cart. .

[Mighty HD]

lmao..bout 350

[RyanbabZ71]

I ran my 285 ATs at 52 psi all around. Have over 42K miles on them, I took them off for the summer they will go back on this winter. I run my 255 MTs at 50 all around so far have about 1K miles on them

[Elwood 2000]

I run 42-43 pounds in mine. Tread wear is even and looks to last a long time. If you have questions, do the "flour test". On your concrete drive, dust a little flour in front of the tire, then drive over it. See where on your tread it sticks. Won't do much good for underinflation, but it will show well if you are over inflated. These tires have a wide tread section as mentioned above. I have 27k miles on my current set and it looks like there is about 50% tread left.

 

 

BTW, great looking truck. You know your truck is clean when it makes your black dog look "dull"!

[bigdogxx]

Tires look great, i cant wait to do the same to my truck these bridgestones are absolutly the worst damm tires i have ever had on a vehical!They have 0 traction in the snow they are sloppy as all heck on the road, i can pretty much feel the sidewalls flex when going around corners man i wish i had the green to change them out, it just sucks though having to go out and spend 600 bucks for tires only because the ones that came with this truck are useless!

[leestuder]

I agree tires look great! I have 245 75 R16 firestones on my 04' Z71 Single cab. Can anyone advise as to what size tire I put on these wheels that will clear the wheel well.

 

I am think 265's but I am wondering if 285's will fit.

 

Thanks in advance,

[robot225]

BTW, great looking truck. You know your truck is clean when it makes your black dog look "dull"!

 

Thanks, and she's a chocolate not a black lab. I just now realized she was in the picture. There is a black lab somewhere else in the yard...probably chasing squirrels instead of posing for a photo.

 

bigdogxx,

 

I hear you, the sloppiness of the sidewalls was probably my biggest complaint with the oem bridgestones. The traction was bad too, but you could oversome that with autotrac at least. The new BFGs took away most of the lean going thru corners.

 

I am think 265's but I am wondering if 285's will fit.

 

My 285s fit on my '04 without any rubbing at all. Now I have 17 in wheels, but i don't think the specs of 285/75/16 are much different from my 285/70/17s. So i think you would be fine.

 

With respect to price.....yes these were the most expensive tires I've ever purchased, so I really hope I can get 50k (or even more) out of them. I ended up getting them from Discount Tire because I've always been happy with their service and there are a lot of stores in Texas, since I do most of my traveling around the state.

 

FYI, Discount has a promotion now for 12 months 0% interest if you get their credit card, and you get a $50 rebate. After the $20/tire they gave me for my stock tires (with 20k miles), I ended up getting out for $900. It makes me cringe to think about it, but that includes the lifetime rotation/balance and also the full free replacement warranty (which was $30/tire). All in all, with the financing, paying $75/month makes me not realize so much how expensive it really was.

[leestuder]

BTW, great looking truck. You know your truck is clean when it makes your black dog look "dull"!

 

Thanks, and she's a chocolate not a black lab. I just now realized she was in the picture. There is a black lab somewhere else in the yard...probably chasing squirrels instead of posing for a photo.

 

bigdogxx,

 

I hear you, the sloppiness of the sidewalls was probably my biggest complaint with the oem bridgestones. The traction was bad too, but you could oversome that with autotrac at least. The new BFGs took away most of the lean going thru corners.

 

I am think 265's but I am wondering if 285's will fit.

 

My 285s fit on my '04 without any rubbing at all. Now I have 17 in wheels, but i don't think the specs of 285/75/16 are much different from my 285/70/17s. So i think you would be fine.

 

With respect to price.....yes these were the most expensive tires I've ever purchased, so I really hope I can get 50k (or even more) out of them. I ended up getting them from Discount Tire because I've always been happy with their service and there are a lot of stores in Texas, since I do most of my traveling around the state.

 

FYI, Discount has a promotion now for 12 months 0% interest if you get their credit card, and you get a $50 rebate. After the $20/tire they gave me for my stock tires (with 20k miles), I ended up getting out for $900. It makes me cringe to think about it, but that includes the lifetime rotation/balance and also the full free replacement warranty (which was $30/tire). All in all, with the financing, paying $75/month makes me not realize so much how expensive it really was.

 

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thanks for the info. I am in Texas also, so I guess I will look into discount tire. you have to appreciate 0% financing.

 

Lee

[512silverado]

Just a heads up...BFG has a $50 rebate (set of 4) direct from them that you may also be able to take advantage of.

 

Go to http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/assets/pdf/...hredemption.pdf to print out the rebate. OFFER ENDS 8/10/05.

 

 

Stephen