BF Goodrich Tire Pressure

[Patrick Bajtka]

I recently purchased a set of BF Goodrich All/Terrains, size LT235/70R16. The tire pressure was set at 35 PSI when they were installed at a local Ford dealership. I drove the ST about 300 miles at that pressure even though the tires looked low.



I am heading back home tomorrow and would like to know that the tires are set at the right pressure. The sidewall says max pressure is 50 PSI.



So what do you fellow members think I should be using?

 

[Tom Schindler]

35 PSIU is what Ford reccommends and 50 PSI is what the tire is rated to handle, MAX.



Anything between the two is fine. The lower the pressure, the more gas you will burn, the softer the ride, and warmer the tire will run. Also, if the pressure is too low, the outside edges will wear sooner.



Too high a pressure, the harder the ride, the cooler the tire will run, you will burn less gas, and the center of the tire will wear down fast.



Use your own caution when de4ciding what pressure to use.





Tom

 

[Johnny O]

LT-rated tires are stiffer than P-rated tires, other things being equal they don't need as much air as a P-rated. I'd keep them at 35 for a while and see how they wear and adjust from there.

 

[Patrick Bajtka]

 

[Patrick Bajtka]

Let's try that again!



To Caymen and JohnnyO: I appreciate both of you responding to my plea for help in regard to the recommended PSI on my BF Goodrich tires. A range of 35 to 50 seems excessive to me. I would think the manufacturer would be a little more specific than that.



But at any rate, I ended up compromising somewhat. Instead of staying at 35, and rather than going up to 50, I set the pressure on all four tires at 42. I then drove from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Cleveland, Ohio, without changing the pressure. The truck rode great! And the tires no longer had that "going-flat" look.



So my plan is to leave the pressure at 42 PSI for a while and see what happens.



Again, thanks for your assistance on the matter. I definitely felt better about things after I had heard from both of you.

 

[Johnny O]

You're welcome. Like I said, just see how they wear. If the center of the tread seems to be wearing faster, let some air out, if the inner and outer edges are wearing faster then put some more air in.

 

[Tom Schindler]

hellhound94,



The pressures you are looking at are the pressure Ford has reccommended when they designed the vehicle. That takes into consideration the size of the tire, (larger tires need less pressure to hold weight) the type of tire it is, (P-series tires use less air pressure because they are designed to hold less weight than LT tires do) and the weight of a vehicle.



The max pressure on the side of the tire is what the tire manufacturer says the max weight the tire is rated for will be safely held by the max PSI.



In the end, it is two unrelated companies telling you what pressure you can use.





Tom

 

[James B 3]

Look on the drivers side door and u will find what pressure to run front and rear for your tires as recommended for your vehicle by the manufacturer. If I am remembering correct, my 01 sporttrac is 32 psi front and 33 psi rear or vice versa. I would have to run out and look.



thanks,

 

[Yardsale]

I have a '85 Toyota 4Runner with 10.5x31 and run 30 to 32. They look normal to me, but some may view the look as flatish, but they are radials and tend to have that look. The inner outer tread wear is excellent.



I have 265/65-17 (10.43x30.56) Revos on the Trac and run 31 up front and 30 at the back. Excellent inner outer tread wear.



You will have to experiment a bit.

 

[Adam Smith]

I just bought a set of BF Goodrich Trail A/T Tour's from Discount Tire ($626 out the door) I will get an alignment now, somewhere.... Before leaving their shop (San Diego Miramar), I asked them what pressure they filled them to, and they said, "35 psi all around". I asked them to please release some pressure from the fronts to 32 psi, as that is what the sticker on the inside of the gas cap cover states. I thought this was the last word on tire pressure you were supposed to go with. My '04 Trac (2WD) has an EE rear swaybar, and Rancho RSX shocks, and is otherwise stock, and rarely do I have significant loads. My original Goodyear OEM tires were cupping pretty badly - milked about 60K out of them before the inside fronts got scary. I'm planning on running 32 psi front, 35 psi rear. Any comments? Thanks for a great site.