Nevermind TPMS and the light, what is the optimal psi for an unloaded PW?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

62Blazer

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2019
Posts
1,069
Reaction score
1,258
Location
Midwest
Ram Year
2016
Engine
6.4
The ideal pressure varies based on several different things. Driving style, typical loads, and the type of tire. The chalk test and some experimenting to see how the ride and handling are affected at different pressures are the best way to do it. I will say that you typically can get a better ride, better traction, and better tread wear from the optimal tire pressure, and on an empty truck that is typically lower values.

I haven't bothered to mess with the pressures on my PW that I just bought last month mainly because I have a set of 35's to go it next week, but on my last truck (Chevy 2500HD crew) running larger than stock tires with a max psi rating of 65 I found that about 50 psi front and 40 psi rear was a good combination for normal driving. The front tires have more weight on them plus more lateral strain from turning then the backs and why I went higher. Back tires have a good amount less weight on an empty truck, plus lower pressures helps the traction and ride especially on the back since the spring rates are designed to handle some sort of load. I ran two sets of the same tires on this truck and got very even wear and had a noticable difference in ride quality and traction as compared to running at max pressure. Never adjusted the front pressure, but would bump the rears up to the max 65 psi when towing heavy loads (near the max tow rating) for long distances on the freeway. If only towing for a short distance on back roads, or a smaller trailer, I didn't bother adjusting them.
Old thread but guess I can update my post from a year ago. I've been running 35x12.50R17 Falken Wildpeak MT's in the E load range (65 psi max) for close to a year now and maybe 7-8k miles. Currently running about 45 psi front and 35 psi rear. It's been on several 3-4 hour road trips on the freeway with some of them pulling a small-medium size trailer (up to 4,000 lbs.). I'm really happy with these pressures. Per the load inflation tables I could go lower but I like the current balance between ride, handling, and traction at these pressures.
 

TerrysWagon

Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2020
Posts
76
Reaction score
126
Location
Iowa
Ram Year
2020
Engine
6.4 Hemi
Old thread but guess I can update my post from a year ago. I've been running 35x12.50R17 Falken Wildpeak MT's in the E load range (65 psi max) for close to a year now and maybe 7-8k miles. Currently running about 45 psi front and 35 psi rear. It's been on several 3-4 hour road trips on the freeway with some of them pulling a small-medium size trailer (up to 4,000 lbs.). I'm really happy with these pressures. Per the load inflation tables I could go lower but I like the current balance between ride, handling, and traction at these pressures.


Thank you for this info. I have the same setup as you and have been running the factory pressure and am ready to try something else. I’ll give this pressure a try.
 
Top