Ride Quality

tone357 · April 27, 2008

I recently bought a 01 2500hd. On the ride home, about 200 miles, the ride wasn't bad at all. But after I got home, and checked the tire pressure, it was about 15 pounds low. So, I pumped them up to 60 pounds of pressure, (the sidewall calls for 65). Now the ride is pretty rough, even on relatively smooth pavement. The truck is a 4x4 with 285's. Should the ride be pretty rough with this setup?

plowking · April 27, 2008

You probably want to recheck them in the morning. Tire pressure should be checked when cold. The pressure would be off because you had ran them before checking pressure. Get a good tire gauge,cheap one could be inaccurate. plowking

dewfpo · April 27, 2008

Also, ignore what it says on the tire. That is the MAX safe pressure. What does the tire pressure label say on your door jamb? or the manual if you have one?

Why do you say it was 15 lbs low?

DEWFPO

Zembonez · April 27, 2008

45 pounds is more than I have ever run in mine. Right now they are at 37. I'd run 30 in them if the darn TMPS didn't trigger a light.

60 is just out of the question unless you are carrying a very full load.

carneyman · April 27, 2008

Can't you change the pressure they alert you at?

tone357 · April 27, 2008

Also, ignore what it says on the tire. That is the MAX safe pressure. What does the tire pressure label say on your door jamb? or the manual if you have one?

Why do you say it was 15 lbs low?

DEWFPO

I was going by the max pressure on stated on the tire. I have always heard that this is best for the tire in the long run, and also offers the best gas mileage. So, will gas mileage suffer if the tires are not inflated to the max? What should the pressure be on 285's? Isn't the pressure label on the door jamb meant for stock tires? Sorry for all the questions, I just need to know.

dewfpo · April 27, 2008

Also, ignore what it says on the tire. That is the MAX safe pressure. What does the tire pressure label say on your door jamb? or the manual if you have one?

Why do you say it was 15 lbs low?

DEWFPO

I was going by the max pressure on stated on the tire. I have always heard that this is best for the tire in the long run, and also offers the best gas mileage. So, will gas mileage suffer if the tires are not inflated to the max? What should the pressure be on 285's? Isn't the pressure label on the door jamb meant for stock tires? Sorry for all the questions, I just need to know.

The MAX safe tire pressure is just that. The MAX. It's not the best to run a tire at. Depending on how much weight you are running on that tire you may be only causing the center of the tire to contact the road. That will cause the tire to wear out faster and cause terrible handling and ride characteristics. Braking will take longer and traction will be compromised.

I always start at where the manufacturer suggests and then adjust for my use. So empty I run my 265's at 45 front and 40 rear and that gives me a good flat contact patch with the road. When hauling a load or towing heavy I air up.

My 2 cents.

DEWFPO

ATMINF · April 28, 2008

In trucks that I had in the past that were Load range D in a 285 I ran about 45-50psi. When I was towing/loaded up heavy they would be inflated to 60 psi. Hope this helps.

ZZ327 · April 28, 2008

Theres a sticker on the Drivers side door jamb that tells the tire pressure you need. If you ride is still too rough for you then lower it.

My dad bought a 02 2500HD a couple years ago and the ride was bad, the tire pressure was at 80PSI, but they were E rated 10 ply tires. We lowered it back down to 60-65, For better ride and still haul some fairly heavy loads.

tone357 · April 28, 2008

Theres a sticker on the Drivers side door jamb that tells the tire pressure you need. If you ride is still too rough for you then lower it.
My dad bought a 02 2500HD a couple years ago and the ride was bad, the tire pressure was at 80PSI, but they were E rated 10 ply tires. We lowered it back down to 60-65, For better ride and still haul some fairly heavy loads.

I checked the sticker and it advised 55 front, 80 rear if I'm reading it correctly. But this was for 245's, not 285's which are what I have. Should I still use those numbers as a starting point?

dewfpo · April 28, 2008

Theres a sticker on the Drivers side door jamb that tells the tire pressure you need. If you ride is still too rough for you then lower it.
My dad bought a 02 2500HD a couple years ago and the ride was bad, the tire pressure was at 80PSI, but they were E rated 10 ply tires. We lowered it back down to 60-65, For better ride and still haul some fairly heavy loads.

I checked the sticker and it advised 55 front, 80 rear if I'm reading it correctly. But this was for 245's, not 285's which are what I have. Should I still use those numbers as a starting point?

I found those numbers to be for max payload and max towing. If I'm not doing that, I cut them way back for a easier ride on my back and better empty treadwear.

DEWFPO