Load E Tire - Pressure Question

[ewm98]

When I switched to E rated KO2s last year BFGoodrich said I was fine running anything between 32 and 38 PSI on the road. I found 34 front and 32 rear to be the best for me. I know it’s not the same tire but thought it might be a good reference for others. 60 PSI on a half ton is way to much for daily driving, doesn’t matter what load range your tire is.

 

[MEIRONMAN207]

Is it just Me ¿What’s wrong with the 44psi recommendation on the door jam? As a starting point.

BTW...yes, I’m sporting the OEM, BF Goodrich KO2 LT315 /70R17 121/118S load rating E...My $0.02s

 

[TXRaptor]

Yes 60 psi does give a stiff ride but the tires last longer. Definitely deflate them to mid upper 40s for off road. Then put back up for highway use. Otherwise buy a set of tires every 45 thousand miles

Are you talking about the factory BFGs? 60 psi seems really high! They aired my Toyo RTs up to 55 psi in the back when I had my truck dyno'd and I could hardly drive it home it was so stiff! I can't imagine driving around on 60 psi all the time...

 

[ewm98]

Is it just Me ¿What’s wrong with the 44psi recommendation on the door jam? As a starting point.

BTW...yes, I’m sporting the OEM, BF Goodrich KO2 LT315 /70R17 121/118S load rating E...My $0.02s

Im going to assume based off your profile picture that you have a Gen 1. The stock tire on a Gen 1 is load range D and your door sill recommendation is for a load range D. On Gen 2 the recommended tire pressure is 38 PSI on load range C tires. Since the load range E has a stiffer sidewall than the C less pressure is needed to support the weight of the truck and maintain a good contact patch.

 

[MEIRONMAN207]

Yes GEN 1, but newer KO2s...And yes Load Rating E. I was suggesting 44 PSI, as a starting point. I just got my truck and literally haven’t driven it to get a “feel” for the best ride / wear yet. Definitely going to try the chalk test, and after I fly down to pick up the truck will be doing a significant trip (Highway). So may lean on the higher pressures (will be loaded up and towing a small trailer.

 

[ewm98]

Yes GEN 1, but newer KO2s...And yes Load Rating E. I was suggesting 44 PSI, as a starting point. I just got my truck and literally haven’t driven it to get a “feel” for the best ride / wear yet. Definitely going to try the chalk test, and after I fly down to pick up the truck will be doing a significant trip (Highway). So may lean on the higher pressures (will be loaded up and towing a small trailer.

Well it sounds like you have it all figured out already and since you have a Gen 1 that you haven’t even driven yet I’m not entirely sure what you were looking for out of an answer. Have fun on your trip! When I picked mine up I drove it on a cross country road trip home and it was a blast!

 

[GCATX]

Yes 60 psi does give a stiff ride but the tires last longer. Definitely deflate them to mid upper 40s for off road. Then put back up for highway use. Otherwise buy a set of tires every 45 thousand miles

Wow. Please, go on..

 

[rtmozingo]

Old thread, I know, but since there is quite a bit of misinfo on here I figured I'd set the record straight. You should always use the door placard value as a starting point. Your tire has a max pressure (which corresponds to its load rating), but the placard pressure is for your vehicle, regardless of tire choice. Now, that said, the placard is assuming full load, and is also a bit high for better fuel economy considerations. Run 38psi unloaded and your tires will wear faster, being overinflated. In fact, even running at ~33ish I still got overinflated wear.

The lower you go the better the ride will be, and the higher you go the more you can carry. Fuel efficiency tends to increase with pressure, but I find running my new tires at 30psi all around gets better than I got with the stock tires at any psi (which is funny, given they are heavier and more aggressive).

Running too high or too low will result in premature, uneven wear.

 

[CigarPundit]

Yes 60 psi does give a stiff ride but the tires last longer. Definitely deflate them to mid upper 40s for off road. Then put back up for highway use. Otherwise buy a set of tires every 45 thousand miles

You can't be serious. 60 PSI? LOL. You are complaining about getting 45,000 miles out of a set of tires?? We live in different worlds.

 

[Loufish]

...uh....I've NEVER gotten 40,000 plus miles out of any off road truck tire...
I'm not quite sure why 1/2 ton truck owners buy "E" rated tires...They ride stiffer, and don't air down well at all compared to our "C" rated tires...
The OEM "C" tires have way more load rating then what any Raptor is going to weigh, if I remember correctly about 3,000+ lbs @44 psi and my truck "only" weighs 6300 lbs...so why do you need a "E" rated tire?
I've been driving trucks off road since 1979 (yeah...I know it makes me the old guy...) and never bought a tire higher then "D" and still ran them at lower pressures then the average guy feel comfortable with...
Normal street/freeway driving I run 34 frt/32 rear and gone thru about 1/2 tread depth with a nice even wear pattern...

Desert I run about 24 frt/20-22 rear...and those numbers are cold going up 2psi when warmed up...and in the dirt they do warm up and gain psi....