Is It Normal For Trailer Tires To Increase In PSI While Towing

Question:

I just put on some 205/75/14 Carlisle Road range D tires on my travel trailer. Max PSI is 65. I inflated them to 65 psi before my trip. Tires were cool when I brought them to their max PSI before my trip but noticed with my tire pressure monitor that they can fluctuate as much as 8 PSI when driving. Should I deflate them to compensate for the tires heating up so that they do not exceed the max PSI of 65? Do you happen to know how much tires can fluctuate between their max? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Hey John,

It's totally normal for trailer tires to heat up and increase in PSI while towing and that's why the tires have a max cold psi rating listed. The max cold psi rating takes into account how much psi will be gained from the tire heating up so you would not need to lower the psi, doing so would lower the overall weight capacity of the tires and you could end up with a blow out or uneven tire wear. For every 10 degrees the tire heats up you would gain 1 psi and vice versa if it starts to cool down. This why during winter when the temperature drops a bunch you'd see your tires look a bit deflated.

Trailer tires will typically heat up to about 158 degrees with 167 degrees being the breaking point where you likely have some sort of issue. A system like the TireMinder i10 TPMS # TM89FR can help you monitor both the psi and temperature of the tires so that you safely pull over and address any issues before they become a bigger problem.

expert reply by: Kevin C

John

6/27/2024

Very thorough response. That’s exactly the information I was hoping to get! Thank you so much. The tire pressure monitor is built into my 2020 ram truck so I don’t think that there is any way to adjust it other than the instant PSI read. When inflated to 65 psi when the tires are cold, what psi should I either slow down or pull over to let the tires cool? 70 PSI , 75 PSI?