Originally Posted by
Jim Luttrall
The pressure on the tire is the maximum in order to get the weight rating capacity for the tire.
The truck maker takes into account the weight of the truck, etc. and specifies a recommended pressure for a fully loaded truck.
Proper tire inflation is more than just that.
The truck manufacturer posts the recommended tire inflation pressure, many times that recommend tire inflation pressure is based on *ride quality*, not a fully loaded truck.
To really know what to inflate tires to, weigh your truck at all four corners, take the highest weight at the front and the highest weight at the rear, look up the tire inflation pressure in the guide (typically available in the internet for the brand tire and the load rating of the tire), using the highest of the two front weights, inflate the tires to that weight, repeat for the rear.
As stated by others above, the tire inflation pressure on the tire is the maximum pressure recommended for that tire, and at that maximum inflation pressure is where that tire will read maximum load capacity, which is also stated on the tire.
Or just use the truck manufacturer's recommended tire inflation pressure - if you have the original size/type tire on the truck.
A example is our motor home has H rated tires, with a minimum (yes, minimum) tire pressure of 85 psi, the weight rating of the tires at 85 psi exceeds the weight of the motor home, meaning that I can inflate the tires to 85 psi and not worry about being overloaded. The tires go to 120 psi maximum pressure, but I'll never need to go there.
