Tire pressure 2500 Crew cab?

[Robinhood2500]

Hi,
New Ram 2020 2500 Crew cab, 6.4 hemi owner. Picked up the truck and the PSI for all tires was in the mid 80s range and felt like a rock on every bump and crack. I lowered the psi to 53 in front and 58 in rear <empty no weight> seems to be riding better. I dont care about the psi warning light, anyone have any thoughts on this??

 

[Travelin Ram]

Many drivers do the same, the recommended pressures on the door are for max GVWR. Most run lower pressure in the rear than the front if empty.

 

[Sandevino]

I keep mine at 58/62 and it rides very well. I just had the tires rotated at 6k and they’re wearing evenly.

 

[Robinhood2500]

Thanks I appreciate your help, have a nice Thanksgiving.

 

[RedneckHippy]

I keep em about the same as sandevino.

 

[olyelr]

Yes, the rear pressures can be considerably less than the front when not towing or hauling anything. I have my 35’s at 48 front 38 rear.

 

[MADDOG]

I keep mine about 55 psi cold all the way around which is just right for the 35x12.50R18 Nitto Ridge Grapplers.

I had the Transforce hockey pucks on both of my 2500s and they didn't last long. Less than a year on the 2014 Big Horn and less than 1 day on the CTD.

 

[bm02tj]

Chalk the tires and drive a short distance and adjust up or down as needed
if done warm add about 10% more than chalk shows

i ran 55 front 45 rear when empty and full load 80 rear 70 front

every truck is different

 

[JeffN]

it would be nice if Ram added a comfort setting to the TPMS that you could adjust the set point on.

 

[crash68]

it would be nice if Ram added a comfort setting to the TPMS that you could adjust the set point on.

There used to be option in the radio to allow running a lower tire pressure.

 

[Robinhood2500]

Thanks for all the help, yes it would be nice to set the gauge for our usage. I think I will try 53psi front and 50psi rear, I have the
LT285/60R20 tires.
Will update in a week.
Not towing anything for awhile just city stuff till summer

 

[JS4024]

Federal law says they must put the manufacturer recommended pressure on the door pillar. For 2019 6.4 with 18 inch wheels it is 80 rear 70 front. You must fill them to that amount to reset the TPMS then I would not drop it below 10 psi of recommended. 70 rear 60 front or you get the TPMS warnings. Additionally going too soft reduces gas mileage and could cause additional tire ware and handling issues.

 

[Fitz-0518]

Robin, I agree the Firestone Transforce tires with 80+ psi on a HD 3/4 ton coil spring truck is stupid harsh.
* Had my TPMS minimums reset by my tech at 30 front and 40 back.
* The Firestone tires were done at 25k miles. Center tread worn out because of high pressure.
* Replaced with correct DOT Michelin truck tires.
Now,,,,, it rides firm as you would expect for a HD towing truck,,,but not intolerable. BTW. As the suspension breaks in and takes a set, ride improves.
FCA foolishly set the tire pressure TPMS assuming that we would all be towing 8-12k lbs every day. (CAFE BS)
As Jeff said, the smart solution would have been a empty versus tow selection. Simply setting/writing the system code to adjust the tire pressure warning system when towing versus empty would have taken a code writer about 30 min.
Fitz

 

[Fake-Account27]

Will lowering the pressure help with traction in the rain? I have found that at very low speeds in parking lots traction in my Ram is really bad. I get a lot of wheel slippage.

Truck only has 15k miles so the tires are fine.

 

[2018 Hemi]

60 front and 80 rear as stated on door

 

[Overlander]

Ram gets one shot at putting a pressure on the door sticker, so it has to be worst case. They're willing to sacrifice traction and ride quality in avoidance of heating up an underinflated tire and having a blowout. Getting people to adjust pressure for the specific load is not something they can rely on. Everyone learned from the Ford Exploder tire saga.

For those of you who want to tailor your pressure to your specific load, simply look it up on a chart. This example is from Toyo, but other brands have the charts as well. Keep in mind that trailers will load up the tires greater than just the GVWR of the truck itself. So if you're pulling a considerable load I'd definitely err on the side of the sticker. But for daily uses or light loads you can greatly improve both ride and traction circle by adjusting pressures down. Around here, many rural weigh stations leave their scales on even when they're closed. Just roll the scale and see what your axle weights are.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/3729/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf

 

[Ed Pauly]

after going thru the cat weight scale with full tank and wife and me I had 5300 front 3500 rear with those numbers where should my daily driving air pressure be? LT275/70R18 Firestone are the tires I'm runing. door states 80/80

 

[Overlander]

after going thru the cat weight scale with full tank and wife and me I had 5300 front 3500 rear with those numbers where should my daily driving air pressure be? LT275/70R18 Firestone are the tires I'm runing. door states 80/80

You'd need to look up a chart for your specific tire, but, in general yes. It shows the minimum pressure required to achieve a specific weight rating. But even at that, keep in mind it's a guideline not to maximize performance but to minimize court appearances. In other words, if you follow those pressures the tire manufacturer can produce supporting data to show that the tire will perform as advertised.

I would advise two additional verification points for your specific application: 1) chalk test. Draw heavy chalk across the tread and drive straight for a short distance. The chalk wear should be even across the tread. 2) check for heat. On a temperate day, drive at highway speeds for 30 minutes. Stop and check the tire temperature. Flex causes heat. Heat breaks down sidewalls. Broken sidewalls cause blowouts. At the end of the day, that's the biggest risk to avoid.

You can achieve better mileage with high pressures, but you sacrifice ride and traction (accel, turn, and brake). So while you may take your risk of blowout very low at 80, you've also compromised traction and therefore limited your ability to avoid an accident. There is no one-size-fits-all pressure. Its finding the right pressure for the mission. For offroad or snow/ice you'll want to come way, way down in pressure. A general rule is to use a piece of 1" tube steel. Place it on the ground across the tread. Roll on top and deflate to where the tire can touch either side. You'll probably be in the 15-20 PSIG range. I wouldn't go below 15 except in extreme conditions. If you're not used to aggressive airing down in the snow, you'll be amazed at what your truck can do.

Keep in mind, the 80/80 is for max load, max trailer so you'll need to have the ability to air up to support loads other than your measured situation. Stopping by Home Depot on the way home to pick up 1,500 lbs of concrete sacks? Those pressures will need to be adjusted. And also keep in mind all stated pressures are for cold tires. You'll need to add 3-5 PSI for tires that have been in use, depending upon the temperature of the day and speed of travel.

 

[Ed Pauly]

so if the chart shows 3500 pounds at 40 psi is that the total axel waight? or do u divided in half? max is 80 psi for this tire and 3680 pounds so I think it can be loaded up to 7360.

 

[Overlander]

so if the chart shows 3500 pounds at 40 psi is that the total axle weight? or do u divided in half? max is 80 psi for this tire and 3680 pounds so I think it can be loaded up to 7360.

It's the capacity of each tire. Keep in mind, from an engineering standpoint FCA is looking at worst-case total loading of the tire. So that's a hot day, max load in truck, max load in trailer, repeated max performance maneuvers. Plus safety factor.