tire pressure

What pressure are most people running? I have BFG KM2's 32x11.5x15 all the way around. Just curious if more pressure contributes to a wobbling or less pressure...
Thanks,
Paul

 

update..just checked tire pressures and they are all over the place.. both the rears are 34, the driver front is 48, and the passenger front is 35. The tire gives a max load at 50 psi cold. Does that mean the pressure should be 50 psi? I noticed most people run lower, especially during off road (which makes sense). SInce most of my driving is on road, would 32-ish suffice or do I need to run 50 psi all the time?
Thanks,
Paul

 

No best trick to figure out what pressure you need is to go to a flat piece of asphalt and draw a line of chalk across the treat of the tire. Drive a few feet forward so you go over the chalk and see where the tire is touching. Adjust the pressure so the whole tread hits the surface. 50PSI I would expect only the middle of the tire to make contact with the ground and cause it to wear really fast.

Are you sure the tires are ballanced? Generally that causes wobble, not tire pressure.

 

Are you sure the tires are ballanced? Generally that causes wobble, not tire pressure.[/QUOTE]

Tires are balanced with that new thing (new?), where they mount them up and test them under pressure, road force balancing. Not exactly a death wobble, but a little wobble seems like side to side. I don't see any writing on the tire itself stating normal pressure, only max load at cold 50psi.

 

There are as many different opinions as there are members of this board.



I’m guessing the reason your one tire has 55 psi in it is because that’s about what the tire shop needs to hit it with when mounting to ensure the bead bundle fully seats in the wheel. Unless you’re running load range D or E tires you don’t need that much air.

 

This is exactly what I did to come up with tire pressures of 25 psi in the front tires and 15 psi in the rear.
Some here feel that is dangerous, that the tires should be run around 30-35 psi and just deal with the accelerated wear in the middle of the tread. That’s their opinion, I respect it and if I ever slip a bead on road I may even wish I had listened to them but I’ve gotten great wear out of my tires this way without creating any serious handling issues. Of course I don’t drive it around like it’s a Ferrari either, which I’m sure helps with the safety thing.

 

Tires are balanced with that new thing (new?), where they mount them up and test them under pressure, road force balancing. Not exactly a death wobble, but a little wobble seems like side to side. I don't see any writing on the tire itself stating normal pressure, only max load at cold 50psi.[/QUOTE]

Are you sure it is the tire wobbling and not something like worn ball joints? Just thinking outloud here. They don't put a normal pressure because every vehicle is different with what pressure it needs. It all depends on the weight of the vehicle and where the weight sits.

 

I run my KM2's at about 36. I get a very slight wobble at about 70mph.

 

Talked with BFG tech support. You are right, the tech person could not say what pressure to run. All new front end and tight. Jeep has less than 800 miles on it (complete rebuild, off frame). I will try adjusting the tire pressure.

 

Adjust tire pressure as suggested. Might also check caster as well. Too much or too little caster can cause instability. I like between 5 and 7 degrees positive, especially with oversize tires

 

I adjusted the fronts to 35 and the rears were already at 34. Was planning on taking a ride, only the battery is deceased now...I think I may have a dying battery, can't keep a charge with just a little acc usage.

 

Count me in the lower pressure camp. I'm running 22 psi in my Cooper STT's 31x10.5x15. I've tried up to 32 psi & it rides rougher but doesn't seem to drive any differently.

 

+1 on pressure around 20 psi. Has always worked well for me.

My opinion - the main adverse effect of low tire pressure is higher heat on the highway due to excess sidewall flexing. The tires are designed for full contact of the tread with the pavement. If you lower the pressure to the point that you get full contact, then the sidewall is flexing as much as it was meant to. The pressure where you get full contact depends on the weight on the tire - you can even run less pressure in the back than the front, as mentioned above.

 

Yeah but take pics or I won't believe it