• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Tire Pressure?

S

soonerfan

GUEST
I have had my 2004 Sport Red AV WBH for a couple of weeks now and love it.

I noticed the tires pressure was 40psi front and back, but according to the door panel sticker, the pressure should be 30psi. What should the tire pressure be? Almost all of my driving is on highway with no towing.

Thanks,

Darrell
 
I have had my av for about 6 weeks now, and my door sticker says 35 psi. My thought is @ the dealer maybey some tech or lot guy saw the tires and thought they were low so fiiled 'em up w/o checking? I have thought that 35 even looks a tad low... but I do what the man/sticker says, y'know.
 
Funny you should write this today. My av is < 2 months old. I decided to check the tire pressures just this morning . I found about 38 in each tire. The door sticker says 30 for 17 in wheels, 35 (I think) for 16 in wheels.

I let out the air and am now at 30. Next time I see the dealer I need to say something - I've been breaking in new tires in an overinflation situation - probably not all that good. :8:
 
I personally run 35psi in my Z66. The sticker calls for 30, but I've always felt that to be too low. Bumping it up to 35 gives a firmer ride, yet stays within the max psi even at temperature buildup thru high speed, and climate conditions. I'm down in South Florida, so heat can be a problem with under/over inflated tires. Just my preference, but be careful not to overinflate.... a tire at speed can increase psi 1 to 3 %.
 
I agree with Ghost...my sticker says 30 for my 17s but that seemed too mushy...set them to 35 and like the ride much better. Tried 40 and thought that was too stiff. Spoke with the dealer about it and was told anywhere from 30-40 was OK and shouldn't create any unusual tire wear. In that range, it's personal preference.


my .02 ;D

BBlueAV
 
Try the other threadsin here about air presure....many interesting opinions....

Welcome to the club too
 
I have an 02 Z71 and I run 30psi most of the time except when towing, then I run 40. I have over 45k on my original tires and still going. The tires do look low with the 30psi but it gives a much better ride. I say go with the sticker.
 
30 psi seemed a little soft for my 17s, so I keep them a bit firmer. I haven't invested in a remote tire pressure monitor (yet), but have use valve stem caps that indicate inflation level on my last couple of cars. The simply screw on in place of the standard valve cover cap and indicate tire pressure level with green/yellow/red collars for okay, low, very low levels.

So you can see what I am talking about, I've posted a picture of one of the valves and of the package they came in. (Caution, these are hi-res, so a bit large -- 360K -- if you are on a slow connection)

--VM
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Think I will try them at 35 and see how the ride is.
 
keep my tires at 40...the lower inflation levels = more trips to the tire dealer...so i think my poor self will keep my tires inflated alittle bit more...i noticed when i bought my Av the tires were at 30 but i think that's for test driving purposes to make the ride smoother at the sacrafice of tires....until gm buys my tires...i push the pressure up

Patrick
 
I went by my friend's tire shop yesterday and asked him. He looked in a notebook and told me 40psi is recomended. When I was at Valvoline instant oil change, they recomended 40 psi also, so I've been running 40 psi. It seems to improve the handling some.
 
Vehicle manufacturers set these pressures by balancing the tire manufacturers specifications and the quality of ride, and the minimum tire pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Just remember, the lower the pressure on the tire, the more heat it will develope, granted, you will have a nice ride.
If you look at the Ford/Firestone mess a few years ago, take a look at where the failures occurred. Mostly in warmer climates across the US. So a combination of the lowered tire pressure and the high temps in the area, combined with driving at high speed combined to cause the tires to fail.
For me, I will go with the tire manufacturers recommendations over the vehicles recommendations. I will look at the vehicle manufacturers recs as the low end, or the minimum tire pressure.

My .02
-7-
 
Well I checked the preasure in my 2500 a month after I got it and found 50 in the front and 80 :eek: in the rear.
That is what GM says for towing and hauling. Well I let the rears down to 50 because I wasn't doing any towing or hauling anything at the time and what a difference :love:

Now with my 34" Terra Grapplers, I run 40 in the front and 38 in the rear.

And yes the 8.1 with 4.10s will still break them loose >:D

Terry
 
I was going to post a poll, but found this thread instead. I put my new Goodyears at about 39 psi the day I got it, where I used to keep my Silverado Firestone tires. The Firestones were smoooooth and quiet tires, unfortunately these Goodyears are much harsher over small bumps. My door also says 30 psi for my 17" tire/wheel combo. I'm going to split the difference and try 35 for a while, try to soften the ride. I won't go down to 30, but will go as low as 32 if I have to.
 
I think it's funny reading about all the varying opinions of tire pressure, from 30 - 40 psi, when mine calls for 80! (At least in the rear). So, if you have a 2500, make sure you aren't caught up in this thread and lower yours down to 30 or even 40!

I've always heard it's best to go by the pressure recommended by the manufacturer as listed on the tag on the vehicle, but the comments above have made me rethink that maybe. At the very least, I would think that going over, within reason, is far better than being low.
 
Airwolf: Don't forget that the 80 your sticker calls for assumes that you have a load in your truck or are towing with the approprate tongue weight...Without a load (or not towing), there is no reason you can't lower the rear air pressure. On my 3/4 tons, we usually drop the rear to the level of the fronts when there is no work (other than commuting) being done by the vehicle in question. Our drivers know to raise the pressure in the rears the minute they will be putting their trucks to work. IMHO, the ride is nicer at the lower pressure while shuttling the trucks back and forth without carrying a load.

My .02
 
Hi, I'm new to this forum. I've found some great info around here, so hopefully I can give some back. I just purchased a used 2002 2500 4WD and love it. I will be pulling a 35 foot Sonic.

Tire pressure will vary depending on use and expectations. The extremes are easier to understand. Low pressures anywhere from 5 - 20 psi is used for off roading at low speeds. It offers a more comfortable ride and the really low pressures allow the tires to form around objects for better traction.

High pressures that approach max tire rating are used for heavy hauling.

There's a certain pressure for running sand dunes, but I've never done it and don't know the pressure range.

The in between pressures are going to be for personal preference IMO. You can't go wrong with what's recommended on the door sticker. If you want to run a different pressure you must ask yourself:

- Do I want better gas milage? If so, run a higher pressure, but you will get uneven tire wear. The center treads will wear quicker.
- Do I want a softer ride? If so, run a lower pressure, but your will get uneven tire wear and decreased mpg. The outside tread will wear before the inners. (probably not recommended in high temp environments at high speeds)
- Do I want even tire wear? If so, use the sticker recommendation. If you want to be more precise then you can determine that magical pressure yourself. First, use a piece of chalk and draw a straight line across the front tire tread. Run over that line. If the whole line is smudged or removed then that is the correct pressure. If the line is intact on the outside of the tread, then remove some air and try again. If the line wasn't touched in the center of the tread, then add some air and try again. Once you finish the front tires ...move to the rear tires.

Sorry for any bad english. I don't have spell check yet >:D
 
Lovemachines35- That is a really good idea, using the chalk to determine contact with road. Going to try it today. I have found over the years, that the manufacturers data is pretty good for most applications. Check your door sticker for the recommended PSI for your tires. Usually I run about 2 PSI over the recommended pressure and get good tire mileage,handling, and ride quality. Herb
 
lovemachine35,
be aware that that test, while very useful, is only valid on new (or evenly worn tires). If someone had been running overinflated (say at 35psi) for 25,000 miles, the tires would already be much more heavily worn in the center and doing the chalk test at that point would tend to give an even pattern, falsely convincing them that they are getting good results from over-inflation.
The chalk test is good, but only reliable on new tires.
HTH.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top