E450 Tires--blowout prevention

[DirtRider]

DISCLAIMER--I tried to bump an old thread about this, but the forum wouldn't let me. So I hope I'm not beating a dead horse, but couldn't find much info on heavy-rated 16" tires.



I have a 26' Winnebago Class C. It's on an E-450 frame (14,500 GVWR).

Fully loaded with the trailer hooked up, I have 8200# on the rear axle (GAWR of 9,600 lbs), and 3950# on the front axle (5000 GAWR). It has Hankook Load Range E tires on it. I can't find Hankook pressure/load charts for this tire, but a Michelin table from a similar tire shows that I should be ~55 psi on the front, and 65 psi on the rear. I can't remember offhand what the sticker on the RV says to inflate to, but they're generic ones (maybe 70 front 80 rear).


So, that's the background info. I have a few questions on this. Should I run these tires at the 55/65 psi setting and call it good? Or am I begging for a blowout? To prevent said blowout, am I better simply running LRE tires at a bone-jarring pressure, or upgrading to a stouter tire and running them at the 55/65 mark? I really don't want to deal with the either the damage of a blowout, or the discomfort of overly-inflated tires. What's the right compromise here?

You few guys that have gone to the heavier tire route--Are you still confident it's the right decision? Do you run at pressures according to scale tickets and load charts, or run at much higher ones?

I'm sure I'm overthinking all of this. It just freaks me out that my 8000 lb pickup has the same tire load rating as my much heavier RV.

Thanks!

[twinboat]

My old E450 had a sticker that recommended 65 in front and 80 in rear if fully loaded.

My new E450 says 75 in the front and 80 in the rear if fully loaded.

65 psi the rear sounds real low to me.

Haven't been to a scale but I'll stick with what they recommend.

[coachmanjay]

Have basically the same loads, run 65front and 85 rear. When you check the tire tables, note there are different ratings for dual tire use. These are 5lbs over the load chart pressures.

[Charles L]

I have been using 72 front and 76 rear while towing a dolly. 225-75-16 LRE. Between 60 - 70 psi rear air bags. 75 psi on the 145-12 LRE dolly tires. My weights are slightly more than you have.

[JONWisconsin]

Welcome to the forum! Mine door sticker states 75/80

[avfordguy]

2007 31ft Fleetwood tioga 31M Door sticker said 65 ft and 80 rear, cat scale said I was nose heavy, Michelin chart said 75 front and 75 rear, I run 75 front and 80 rear, the difference from 65 to 75 front made a world of difference, better control and semi's no longer bother me at all.

[DirtRider]

Appreciate the input, everyone. So, no one is really recommending going to a higher load-range tire just for blowout prevention?

[Mich F]

The tires you have now are rated to carry more weight than your axles are rated for. The best blowout protection is to inflate the tires to the proper inflation for the load being carried with a safety cushion above the minimum weight. The weight of your MH will vary over time. At 55# in the front tires and 65# in the rear tires, I believe that's too close to the minimum required for your weight.

I first weighed my MH about 6 months after buying it. I thought I was fully loaded for trips/camping. I weighed it a few months ago ( 5 years or so after the first time) and it was over 1,100# heavier.

[baraff]

I run our 2005 Winnie Aspect 26A at 65/front, 80/rear, per the door sticker. I had this same dilemma when I had it weighed years ago, The Michelin charts said I could go lower, but I'm real leery of doing that.
That said, I had belt separation problems with my BF Goodrich Commercial T/A tires. The rears all went bad between 26-30,000 miles. The fronts were ok, but I changed them out last year for Michelins because I didn't trust them. They were E rated tires, but I don't think they were beefy enough. Either that or they were defective. The replacements have been fine so far. (covered under warranty)
So it's a crap shoot. I don't think you can go wrong following the door sticker recommendations.
One thing to consider is transitioning from cold to warm climes. If you're traveling from say, Minnesota to South Florida for example you WILL need to adjust your pressures. Same in the reverse.

[avfordguy]

Originally Posted by DirtRider

Appreciate the input, everyone. So, no one is really recommending going to a higher load-range tire just for blowout prevention?

No. Cat scale is your friend for 10 bucks or so, take travel weights and compare to load inflation chart for your tires, it opened my eyes!

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by avfordguy

No. Cat scale is your friend for 10 bucks or so, take travel weights and compare to load inflation chart for your tires, it opened my eyes!

Thanks! I've done that, though, and everyone told me the pressures are too low. My current plan is just to add 10psi to what the chart says, then check temps with an ir gun. If that's nice and cool, I guess I'm not risking too much.

[avfordguy]

What are the weights front and rezr?

[Mich F]

Originally Posted by avfordguy

What are the weights front and rezr?

This is from his first post in this thread.

"Fully loaded with the trailer hooked up, I have 8200# on the rear axle (GAWR of 9,600 lbs), and 3950# on the front axle (5000 GAWR)."

[avfordguy]

rear? Chart says 65 front and 70 rear