Will Tire Pressure and Temperature Increase a Lot When Driving Long Distances With 225/75-15 Tire

Question:

I started out on a trip with my trailer in Virginia. The temp was about 78 degrees. I inflated all 4 tires with a digital air pump to exactly 80 psi. I have a dual axle travel trailer with a set of st225/r15 load range E 10 p.r. tires. Maximum load: 2,830 lbs at 80 psi cold. The unloaded vehicle weight is 9096 lbs, the GVWR is 10995 lbs. I have a TPMS on the trailer and by the time I hit Atlanta, the ambient temp was around 97 degrees and the trailer tires had climbed to 95 psi and were reading tire temperatures in the 112 degree range. Is it normal and safe for the tire pressures to get that high while driving? Is there a maximum hot tire pressure rating for every tire?

asked by: Dan W

Expert Reply:

The psi and temperature are going to change based on the tire and the temperature outside for your ST225/75R15 tire like the Westlake # LHWL304.

So it is not surprising at all that the psi climbed based on your long trip as well as the significant rise in ambient temperature, as that is completely normal. The 112 degrees your tires were is absolutely safe and normal, as tire pressure monitoring systems don't signal alerts until they are much hotter, such as the 158 degrees of the TST TPMS for RVs # TST-507-RV-4-C or # TST-507-FT-4-C.

A lot of different things can lead to tire blowouts but so long as you are inflating them to the maximum cold psi, which I assume is 80 for your tires, and keeping them out of the sun with tire covers like the Adco Tyre Gard # 290-3923 your tires can last quite some time.

expert reply by: Kyle S