Proper Inflation of a Trailer Tire

Question:

I contacted Sailun re:s637 and also Goodyear re: G614 Both companies who manufacture 14ply G rated trailer tires recommended to inflate the trailer tires based off their inflation table. Goodyear explained to me that over inflating the tires to their max PSI tolerance will not allow the treads to seat fully on the road which can lead to uneven tire wear and the rv could get side to side sway which could be dangerous. Your topic on etrailer web page is very misleading and is against what manufactures recommend. Thank you

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

It's possible that other manufacturers have different guidelines for their specific trailer tires, but all of our trailer tire manufacturers recommend always inflating their tires to the maximum psi as listed on the sidewall. The reason for this is that a trailer tire features a thicker, stronger sidewall that allows it to carry its specified maximum load. This load capacity is only reached when the tire is inflated to the maximum psi, while under-inflating the tire essentially reduces its capacity to an unknown number. This can potentially lead to overloading the tires to the point that they heat up and eventually fail.

We do not currently carry Goodyear or Sailun tires, so I am not too familiar with their particular guidelines and recommendations.

I have attached a couple additional articles on trailer tires that you might also find helpful.

expert reply by: Chris R