Should Tire PSI be Filled to What is on the Sidewall

Question:

Brought tire to get mounted and balanced. When they filled it with air. I told them that the PSI is 90. They said that was to high. I told them its om the tire wall. They said its only when you are hauling the weight at the weight capacity. Is that correct or does the tine need to be at the PSI level recommended on the tire. Also the other question was what quality valve stem should be on the tire.. metal or rubber. They did not know it either. Does it matter what kind of stem valve is put on a 4,80 12inch tire

asked by: Hector C

Expert Reply:

You were correct and whoever was filling the tire with air was incorrect; the tire on the Kenda 4.80-12 Bias Trailer Tire with 12" White Wheel # AM30620 has a 90 psi on the sidewall and you always want to inflate the tire to the maximum psi listed on the sidewall when the tire is cold. Doing this will give you the best performance, allowing the tire to wear more slowly and give you optimum gas mileage.

The cut out I added is from our linked help article on trailer tires which you can take a look at.

In regards to the valve stem, you can use the one that comes with this tire and wheel; adding a different valve stem would only be needed if you need a higher tire pressure. For example the Americana Metal, Bolt-In Valve Stem # AM20906 has a max psi of 200, which is not something required for this wheel and tire.

expert reply by: Kyle S