Proper Tire Pressure for washboard roads

[Shaun]

I found the article regarding proper tire pressure in general, but could not find the article about proper levels when going off road, especially wash board roads. I am brand new to truck camping, and living in Colorado at the moment run into wash board roads at just about every site I want to visit.

At the moment, I’m sticking with Ford recommended 55 front / 70 rear until I have time to research my specific tire manufacturer recommendations a bit more, and I’m looking for guidance on how much on avg to lower when going on wash board type roads.

Sorry if this was already addressed, but I skimmed a few pages back on the forum and tried a quick search, but did not come across anything

1990 Lance Squire 4000
2002 Ford F-250 7.3L

[Mello Mike]

Hi Shaun,
Welcome to TCA. Here are our recommended off-road tire pressures for SRW Load Range E (max. 80 psi) tires:

Firm dirt surfaces – 50 psi front/55 psi rear
Rough and rocky surfaces – 35 psi front/40 psi rear
Sand – 25 psi front/30 psi rear
Soft deep sand – 20 psi front/25 psi rear

Mike

[Shaun]

Thanks Mike! I probably got too specific with my search. I forget the exact terms I used, but it didn’t pull back any results. Given I work in Software Product Development, specifically on search engines, I should have known better lol.

I’ll check out the articles you referenced.

1990 Lance Squire 4000
2002 Ford F-250 7.3L

[John Perz]

There’s a retired tire engineer who runs a website devoted to RV tires and their issues. If you can’t find an article there on your specific subject, I’ve found him to very generous in replying to questions asked via email.

http://www.rvtiresafety.net/

Regards
John
I don't like to make plans. They cause the word "PREMEDITATED" to get used in court!
DON'T FEED THE VULTURES!
My Body is a Temple! Ancient, Crumbling, Probably Cursed . . .

[Shaun]

Thanks for sharing! I’ll check that out as well

1990 Lance Squire 4000
2002 Ford F-250 7.3L

[ardvark]

Although tire manufacturers have long had tables denoting tire pressure in relation to the weight they carry, I have never seen recommendations based on road conditions. Do those exist?

Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SC

[Mello Mike]

I’ve never seen one from tire manufacturers that specially addresses road conditions, but that would be hard to do since weight, speed, and road conditions can vary so much.

But there’s no denying that airing down greatly improves the ride of the truck camper rig in most off-road conditions.

Keep in mind, most truck camper owners when they air down are traveling at a much slower pace off-road than at highway speeds on pavement. I would never do that traveling at highway speeds. The heat build up would destroy the tires.

[ardvark]

Just was curious as to the source. 🙂

Steve and Andra
2012 F350 6.2 gasser SRW LB
Fab Fours front and rear in case we run into a rhino
2019 Northstar Laredo SC

[Author]

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