Winter Tire Pressure

[kd3yt]

2011 Ranger XLT extended cab 79,000 miles

We live in the south central Pa mountains. We wondering what pressure I should put in
my tires for the upcoming cold weather. Temps next week are to be in the low to
mid 20's with low's in the teens.

The tire pressure warning light came on this am so planning on adding air but
what would a safe pressure to put
in.

Thanks,
Butch

 

[gaz]

@kd3yt ,
For full size cars and midsize trucks/SUV's I use 32 psi in all temperature climates from 0° F to 100°+. F

 

[bobbywalter]

i start with the tire manufacturer recommendations and actual known weights.

 

[86_FX4]

Default for majority vehicles is 32PSI. Be sure to check when during each season as the pressure will change.

However, it's always best to check manual or just google your make/model, especially if it has pressure sensors. The wife's car takes 36psi and will trip the sensors if I default to my normal 32.

 

[Curious Hound]

Should be a sticker on the driver side door jamb to tell you what pressures to run. I’d go with that. If you have to run in deep snow, drop it a few psi. But then put it back for normal driving.

 

[SenorNoob]

Pressure changes (slightly) with temperature. That's why vehicles with a sensitive TPMS use nitrogen fill (doesn't vary as much) or throw a light when it gets significantly colder.

That said I let the colder weather drop my pressure for me. I know it's not right, but I'm lazy and it works.

 

[sgtsandman]

I've always run with the tire pressure marked on the the door jam label for winter tires and they've run just fine. You could drop the pressure a little to lengthen the contact patch but one generally can travel at speeds that don't allow much of a pressure drop to make a difference and dropping to low will eventually damage the tire and cause a blow out.

 

[19Walt93]

2011 Ranger XLT extended cab 79,000 miles

We live in the south central Pa mountains. We wondering what pressure I should put in
my tires for the upcoming cold weather. Temps next week are to be in the low to
mid 20's with low's in the teens.

The tire pressure warning light came on this am so planning on adding air but
what would a safe pressure to put
in.

Thanks,
Butch

Set the pressure to the spec listed on the door- and check it ever 2-3 weeks during cold weather. We're having a mild winter, too. I've seen years when the temp never got up to zero during January, I didn't like it and would like it even less now.

 

[Danno1985]

I just run mine 35 year round and it seems to provide a good balance of wear, fuel economy and load capacity without making the ride unbearably stiff. I run dedicated snow tires in the winter, and the softer compound feels sloppy at 30. I also want to avoid outer edge wear. The extra pressure provides a bit of a buffer for the pressure to fluctuate without going below the factory sticker if there's a big differential between sunrise and midday temperatures.
Different schools of thought on the contact patch thing, but my understanding has always been that for really deep snow, dropping the pressure will help you "float", but for snow/slush on a paved surface, a narrower contact patch will slice through the snow to contact the pavement underneath. Best thing either way is to run a dedicated winter tire that will stay pliable in low temps. Used to always run Bridgestone Blizzaks on my Yotas, but even the Firestone Winterforces I have on my Ranger do a pretty amazing job. We've had a very mild winter here as well, with the exception of about 2 weeks last month, but even without the snow there have been several morning and evening commutes with various types of icy rain, fog condensing and freezing on the roadways, etc, where the winter tires have been lifesavers.

 

[JohnnyO]

Just run what the door sticker says.
That said, I've owned some Rangers that the sticker said 30F and 35R and I'd run 30 all-around year-round unless I had a heavy load in the back.