What's the deal with tire pressure? I had my lift and tires put on a few months ago (3", 35" Mickey T MTZ's) and from the shop they were running them at 50 psi--that's whats on the sidewall. Pretty harsh ride, and after reading about tire pressures on here, I lowered them to 45... Which softened up the ride a bit...

Question-- Can running the tires at high pressure cause any problems? Are folks just lowering the pressure for ride quality and traction reasons?

Thanks.

 

Certainly you should come down to 25-35 with those tires. I run 25 with similar setup but i prefer traction and ride quality and give up some mpg and tire wear. Go closer to 35 if mpg is your key driver.

 

You're running your tire pressure too high. At that pressure, they're over-inflated and you're only making contact with the center of the tire. Running them at that pressure will cause you to wear out the centers prematurely.

There are numerous threads on this subject, but a general rule of thumb for 35" tires is around 28-32lbs of pressure. I ran my 35 BFG's at 28 for a good contact patch and ride (depending on the wheel width and weight of the vehicle). On the dirt they were let down 12-15lbs.

In order to get the best contact patch, you should run the “chalk test” This is where you draw a line on your tread, inside to outside, go for a ride and see what part of the line has been scrubbed off. That will tell you if you’re over or under inflated. I’m sure that if you did that test, with the pressure you’re not running, the chalk line will be missing in the middle of the tread, and will remain on the edges.

On a side note, I just had 37's mounted and the shop aired them up to 41 psi. They're now at 28, but I believe I can go even lower for a better ride/contact.

 

That's just plain malpractice.

 

I've had a few issues in the few months I've had the lift and tires. I had a steering stabilizer break, and then a DW episode... The stabilizer was replaced... But could running tires that high pressure lead to component problems or steering shimmy or even DW?

I appreciate the responses.

 

Hey Jae Suite, what's the best off road shop in CT???