What is More Concerning With RV Tires- Tire Pressure or Tire Temperature?

Question:

I have Westlake G tires on my RV and set to 108 PSI. My tire pressure monitor I should set the max PSI to what? It is running 120-126 running threw the canyons. I cant find anyone saying the danger zone is X psi.

asked by: Dave R

Helpful Expert Reply:

I can understand how you might be alarmed at the increase in pressure, but the increase in pressure is to be expected and there isn't a danger zone in pressure as much as there should be concern about the heat buildup on the tires. Excessive heat is the worst enemy of tires and heat buildup can be caused by overloading of your RV or under-inflation of the tires.

Westlake tires with a load range rating of G, like the # LHWL410 are designed to be inflated to 110 PSI when cold (you'll want to check the side wall of your tire to determine what the max cold PSI inflation on your specific tires is-but it should be 110 psi). You should absolutely be inflating them to the full capacity since any less could be creating a situation where the tires are making more contact with the pavement than they should be-thus generating more heat.

You may want to consider upgrading your tire pressure monitoring system that also checks the tires' temperatures like the TireMinder i10 TPMS for RVs # TM29FR, which sends updates on pressure and temperature every 6 seconds and will work on a number of different configurations such as RVs, trucks with 5th wheels, RVs towing trailers, etc..

In the mean time, if you have an infrared thermometer like the # PTW89722 , that may be a handy tool to keep in your RV and will allow you to keep tabs on your tire temperature manually- if you start seeing temperatures over around 155 F, you'll want to let your tires cool down before starting back on the road.

expert reply by: Erik B