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Tire Pressure

Toytruck

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2020 1500 5.7, crew, short bed 20" tires with offroad package. My door sticker says 32/32 psi for tire pressure. That seems a bit low to me as my last Ram was 39/39. Are all the newer Rams this low on tire pressure or is it because of the offroad package? Im curious if I should bump the pressure up for hwy driving to maintain fuel economy and even tire wear.
 

Neurobit

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2020 1500 5.7, crew, short bed 20" tires with offroad package. My door sticker says 32/32 psi for tire pressure. That seems a bit low to me as my last Ram was 39/39. Are all the newer Rams this low on tire pressure or is it because of the offroad package? Im curious if I should bump the pressure up for hwy driving to maintain fuel economy and even tire wear.
I’d go with the door sticker. It’s there for a reason.

Cheers,
 

Konrad

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2020 1500 5.7, crew, short bed 20" tires with offroad package. My door sticker says 32/32 psi for tire pressure. That seems a bit low to me as my last Ram was 39/39. Are all the newer Rams this low on tire pressure or is it because of the offroad package? Im curious if I should bump the pressure up for hwy driving to maintain fuel economy and even tire wear.

So basically you're thinking the manufacturer purposefully gives you wrong information on your vehicle sticker, to lower your fuel economy and increase tire wear, right? Based on the fact that "your last RAM was 39/39". OMG. Just stick to your sticker (LOL) and you'll be fine.


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rorischak

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So basically you're thinking the manufacturer purposefully gives you wrong information on your vehicle sticker, to lower your fuel economy and increase tire wear, right? Based on the fact that "your last RAM was 39/39". OMG. Just stick to your sticker (LOL) and you'll be fine.


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Yes, I agree 32 is to low and even more so if you tow.

Also does Ford Explorer and FIrestone ring a bell? Ford was recommending 26psi and Firestone told them 30 is the appropriate tire pressure and suggested that the lower pressure was causing extream heat to build-up do to the low pressure.

Do I think that 32 is dangerous no but I would bet most people on here run >32psi
 

Konrad

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Yes, I agree 32 is to low and even more so if you tow.

Also does Ford Explorer and FIrestone ring a bell? Ford was recommending 26psi and Firestone told them 30 is the appropriate tire pressure and suggested that the lower pressure was causing extream heat to build-up do to the low pressure.

Do I think that 32 is dangerous no but I would bet most people on here run >32psi

And on what basis you're assuming that 32 is "too low" for RAM? Did you do any technical analysis, research and tests? Because I have a feeling that the manufacturer might have done that.

Or does it just "seem too low"? Sorry, but that's not a sufficient technical justification for me, and neither is "most people run >32". And neither is an isolated, unrelated case of a different car and tire manufacturer (if that's even true).

What else? Doesn't your engine oil feel too thick / not thick enough?

How I love these "I know better than the manufacturer" posts.


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ramhead

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And on what basis you're assuming that 32 is "too low" for RAM? Did you do any technical analysis, research and tests? Because I have a feeling that the manufacturer might have done that.

Or does it just "seem too low"? Sorry, but that's not a sufficient technical justification for me, and neither is "most people run >32". And neither is an isolated, unrelated case of a different car and tire manufacturer (if that's even true).

What else? Doesn't your engine oil feel too thick / not thick enough?

How I love these "I know better than the manufacturer" posts.


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You mean the same all knowing manufacturer who f'd up and couldn't design a properly functioning a/c system or an air suspension option without problems??? LOL

Not to be argumentative but you're coming off like a bit of a d*ck in your allegiance to "the man" - And, I believe the door plate states "RECOMMENDED" tire pressure not "MANDATORY". It's well known that manufacturers put out specs based on fuel efficiency, ride comfort/quality,etc. There's absolutely no issue going a bit higher in the psi although it would most likely result in a bouncier ride (which some like and refer to as "sporty"). One of the talking points about the new Ram was its ride smoothness and (as my salesman bragged) it "riding like a luxury car". I'm sure to meet this goal they went with a lower tire pressure to tamp down any "bumpiness" or stiffness in the ride and result in said smoother feeling - that doesn't mean someone can't alter the tire pressure slightly if they are willing & accept the changes in ride performance. Of course, by slightly I mean maybe 5 psi or so higher but never close to or higher than the TIRE max pressure stamped in the tire sidewall.
 

jimk hunt

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Wow, someone is looking for an argument. dude relax.

It was an opinion you gave yours, I supplied mine along with some data to back it up (BTW, its real the google is your friend and it caused 271 fatalities I know because I owned that vehicle at the time).

Sorry, you got triggered by my opinion.
A lot more to it than just tire pressure, but that was a factor. Back to the OP. Sticker is there for a reason, but running at 34 psi isn't going to have any big affect one way or the other. Every tire manufacturer publishes load and inflation tables. If you can't sleep one night, google away.
 

Konrad

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@rorischak @ramhead I'm not looking for argument and I'm not "triggered" whatever that means. And no, I don't consider the manufacturer all knowing. Chances are though that they're more knowledgeable and have determined proper specs for their products based on research and testing and not on "feels too low"

I'm looking for ARGUMENTATION. What makes the manufacturer recommended tire pressure "feel too low"? What makes the manufacturer recommended engine oil "feel too thick"? I'm looking for logical and systematical reasoning behind these statements.
 
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Rob5589

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Run pressures that provide proper wear and comfort. If 32 is providing poor/uneven wear, feel free to bump it up.
Mine calls for 39; I run them 39 frt, 36 rear, and have perfect wear. Loaded down, I run them at 42.
Don't get overly caught up on what the door says.
 

jimk hunt

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@rorischak @ramhead I'm not looking for argument and I'm not "triggered" whatever that means. And no, I don't consider the manufacturer all knowing. Chances are though that they're more knowledgeable and have determined proper specs for their products based on research and testing and not on "feels too low"

I'm looking for ARGUMENTATION. What makes the manufacturer recommended tire pressure "feel too low"? What makes the manufacturer recommended engine oil "feel too thick"? I'm looking for logical and systematical reasoning behind these statements.
I'm going to take a stab at this. I would guess most people think the bigger the tire, the more air pressure is needed. So if I have a truck on 20's it should take more pressure than my wife's Camry on 16's which also calls for 32 psi. Easy to assume. The air carries the load but the size of the chamber (and tire construction) is what matters when talking large vs small tires. So a 20 inch tire will carry more load than a 16 inch tire at the same air pressure. Off road tires, I'm talking like construction equipment; loaders and earth movers, hold tremendous loads but run pressures lower than your Ram tires.
 
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Rob5589

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I'm going to take a stab at this. I would guess most people think the bigger the tire, the more air pressure is needed. So if I have a truck on 20's it should take more pressure than my wife's Camry on 16's which also calls for 32 psi. Easy to assume. The air carries the load but the size of the chamber (and tire construction) is what matters when talking large vs small tires. So a 20 inch tire will carry more load than a 16 inch tire at the same air pressure. Off road tires, I'm talking like construction equipment; loaders and earth movers, hold tremendous loads but run pressures lower than your Ram tires.
Exactly. I worked for a guy that had a monster truck, those huge tires ran something like 6 psi. But that was a hell of a lot of square inches :D
 

ramhead

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@rorischak @ramhead I'm not looking for argument and I'm not "triggered" whatever that means. And no, I don't consider the manufacturer all knowing. Chances are though that they're more knowledgeable and have determined proper specs for their products based on research and testing and not on "feels too low"

I'm looking for ARGUMENTATION. What makes the manufacturer recommended tire pressure "feel too low"? What makes the manufacturer recommended engine oil "feel too thick"? I'm looking for logical and systematical reasoning behind these statements.

I already gave you my take, re: the tire pressures.....Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of vehicles/technology knows that altering tire pressure will affect the handling & ride quality. Too low a pressure then you will feel loose, spongy ride/handling while too high you will be bouncing over every bump & pothole and get a stiff ride. The manuf. aims for a midline handling setup that will please MOST drivers and/or be a great selling point to their vehicles (i.e; in this case "the smoothest riding pickup truck ever!!"). Yes, they do tests and then come out with a suggested or "RECOMMENDED" tire pressure - a level they feel is best for most riders and will substantiate their claims/advertising about having the best ride in a pickup truck and be a selling point. That doesn't mean everyone will like the ride at the suggested tire pressure the manf. arrived at - some (like me) like a sportier ride which I feel results in better handling, cornering, etc. My tires were at 39 psi each cold when I got my truck (the have the Nexen 20" Roadians which have a TIRE max pressure of 50 psi). After a few months & when the cold hit, they dropped to 33 psi cold - I could feel very well the difference in the ride & cornering - the ride felt spongy like I said above and going into curves the truck felt "floaty" - I increased the pressure to 40 psi each tire and it felt like it did when it was new and resulted in the ride quality I preferred.

Again, if it was a safety issue or a hazard to alter it they would not put it out as a recommendation but as a mandatory hazard/warning not to alter the pressure in any way. If the OP is not satisfied with the ride performance than there is absolutely no issue with him experimenting (obviously to a reasonable degree and never at or above the max tire pressure on tire) with the psi and increasing it slightly to where he likes it or feels it improves his truck's ride & handling.
 

Konrad

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@ramhead - Dude, of course. I understand and agree with all that you said above. That's not the point, though.

IF (and IF is the keyword here) your tires don't perform optimally for you, feel free to experiment (within reasonable boundaries of course). Hell, I do that myself a lot - went from OEM 36psi-recommended goodyears to same size 50psi-recommended KO2s recently. That felt too stiff so I went down and found a sweet spot at 46-47 and it works great for me - I guess I like it softer LOL. And that's perfectly fine and reasonable.

The point was DON'T ALTER YOUR RECOMMENDED PSI JUST BECAUSE YOUR PREVIOUS TRUCK WAS DIFFERENT, as considered by the OP. Following that logic - what if his previous vehicle had a recommended pressure of 26psi? Would his RAM's recommended 32psi "seem to high" then?
 

rlc2020

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I have the 20" duelers on mine. Truck says 36psi. I run mine at 39 Cold @50 degrees F. When the temp drops below 20 my tires are at 34 and when it rises to 60 degrees they are around 40-41. Seems to be the sweet spot for the crazy New England temperature swings I get living in CT. For anyone that is anal about tire pressure, it fluctuates wildly depending on air temp. Just pick something in the middle.

Running the sticker PSI would be under 30 when the temp drops and that's way too low in my opinion. I ran 36psi for the first 6000 miles or so and the edges of my tread did not like that.
 

SD Rebel

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I got to think it's based on the tires you have currently on the truck as it left the factory, these door stickers these days are very specific to the equipment they have and the spec/weight of the truck.

My Rebel comes with A/T tires, so the door sticker says 55F / 45R rear, which was eye opening from someone used to 35 lbs all around. I would keep to you sticker unless the dealer or you installed aftermarket tires.

But me personally, I won't lie, I have a old Lexus that recommended 32F all around, I run it at 35F.
 

Konrad

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I have the 20" duelers on mine. Truck says 36psi. I run mine at 39 Cold @50 degrees F. When the temp drops below 20 my tires are at 34 and when it rises to 60 degrees they are around 40-41. Seems to be the sweet spot for the crazy New England temperature swings I get living in CT. For anyone that is anal about tire pressure, it fluctuates wildly depending on air temp. Just pick something in the middle.

Running the sticker PSI would be under 30 when the temp drops and that's way too low in my opinion. I ran 36psi for the first 6000 miles or so and the edges of my tread did not like that.
Well, to keep your tire performance consistent you should maintain your pressure (either sticker / recommended or your preferred psi) at the same level regardless of the outside temperature. That means you may need to air up and down according to the weather. Note that manufacturer-recommended PSI is not given at any particular temperature - meaning it's supposed to be maintained the same whether it's hot or cold outside). Of course it's purely theoretical - nobody wants to check and correct their psi every morning and during the day.
 

ramhead

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Well, to keep your tire performance consistent you should maintain your pressure (either sticker / recommended or your preferred psi) at the same level regardless of the outside temperature. That means you may need to air up and down according to the weather. Note that manufacturer-recommended PSI is not given at any particular temperature - meaning it's supposed to be maintained the same whether it's hot or cold outside). Of course it's purely theoretical - nobody wants to check and correct their psi every morning and during the day.

The tire pressure is variable in several different ways and will change not only with outdoor temps but it can vary with just the sun shining on one side of the vehicle. I have proven this to myself by checking the cold pressures with on side of the truck facing the sun and the other in shade (after setting them all at the same psi) - the psi readings can vary by as much as 3 or 4 psi (shaded side vs sunny side) due to the heat/expansion from the sun exposure. Also, upon driving the veh., the psi goes up due to road friction & tire heat. You can easily check this by looking at your TPMS reading before driving and then checking after driving a bit. You'll see the psi in each tire has gone up.

@ramhead - Dude, of course. I understand and agree with all that you said above. That's not the point, though.

IF (and IF is the keyword here) your tires don't perform optimally for you, feel free to experiment (within reasonable boundaries of course). Hell, I do that myself a lot - went from OEM 36psi-recommended goodyears to same size 50psi-recommended KO2s recently. That felt too stiff so I went down and found a sweet spot at 46-47 and it works great for me - I guess I like it softer LOL. And that's perfectly fine and reasonable.

The point was DON'T ALTER YOUR RECOMMENDED PSI JUST BECAUSE YOUR PREVIOUS TRUCK WAS DIFFERENT, as considered by the OP. Following that logic - what if his previous vehicle had a recommended pressure of 26psi? Would his RAM's recommended 32psi "seem to high" then?

I went back and reread the OP's post and I agree with you that one shouldn't try to compare or make changes based on what another or previous veh. was set at. You're right about that .....convo got a bit off track to a more general discussion about tire pressures and altering same.
 
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Konrad

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The tire pressure is variable in several different ways and will change not only with outdoor temps but it can vary with just the sun shining on one side of the vehicle. I have proven this to myself by checking the cold pressures with on side of the truck facing the sun and the other in shade (after setting them all at the same psi) - the psi readings can vary by as much as 3 or 4 psi (shaded side vs sunny side) due to the heat/expansion from the sun exposure. Also, upon driving the veh., the psi goes up due to road friction & tire heat. You can easily check this by looking at your TPMS reading before driving and then checking after driving a bit. You'll see the psi in each tire has gone up.

That's exactly why I said it's purely theoretical.




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rlc2020

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I was trying to point out that finding a number somewhere in the middle is best, no point in arguing over 2 or 3 psi when the weather alone can change it more than that. I go higher and assume that it will average out. I agree that 32 would be too low though, I always go higher than posted. The gas mileage and tread wear benefits alone justify the slightly stiffer ride IMO
 

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