255/85 R16 Owners Experience

Max inflation pressure is on the tire sidewall. You would be foolish to exceed it. Since this thread is about 255/85 tires and many of them are load range D or E they are rated for heavy trucks with loads thus higher pressure. Your 265-50 x 20 are are likely a load rance C tire with lowere pressure rating, read the tire...

 

Thanks for the infos, I wonder how much this sweet sport varies between tires, trucks, and altitudes? I don't have room to perform the chalk test and my tires are safe to say very different than the majority here

Thanks for the tip, but I know how to read the tire, I don't recall saying I didn't know how to find out my recommended and max PSI.

 

Okay didn't know that, thank you. I am too cautious to go to max PSI, so that probably won't be a problem.

Why do wheels have a max? Does a high PSI cause higher chance of bent rims?

 

Never in my life have I ever seen a wheel have a max pressure rating. A mass load rating yes but not max pressure.

 

I didn't read all the pages so I don't know if anyone has mentioned the Cordovan Trailcutters!!!

 

I got some tire put on a silverado a few years back. The dumb tech at the shop out in the Max psi of 80 psi. All the way home I felt like I was driving on marbles.

 

Oh I know him. I filed a complaint because he put my PSI about 1~2 PSI too low. He must have taken it to heart.

 

Lol if you wanna have some fun. Remove sway bar and fill the tires to above max and run 80 down the interstate.

 

Sounds like a rollercoaster, is that a good guess???

 

I could only imagine. Those two mixed together would be a disaster.

 

What is a sway bars function on flat surface? I thought it was for bumps?

 

Limits body roll

 

I did that on my 1st trip to Moab. haha Got my 255/85R16 KM2's put on a couple weeks before and Big O's put them to 80 psi. Never realized it until I went to air down on the 1st trail... I run 50 in them on the pavement normally.

 

Why do you choose 50?

 

Better rolling resistance (ie better mpg) and center tire wear. I do so much offroading that my alignment is always hammered so I have a lot of side wear on my tires. When I put it up to 50 after getting the alignment back on it gets me riding on the center of the tires again where I have the most tread left.

My fronts got hammered in Moab last week though... Jacked up my toe pretty bad and it ate my tires up pretty good in about 150 miles...

 

What if your alignment is correct and you don't offroad, would you still recommend 50?

 

Better rolling resistance which will improve mileage. You wil notice it rides rougher and you may have uneven tire wear. I am so heavy that I don't really have an issue with those last 2 though.

 

Off road you don't want to run anywhere near 50 that would be a really rough ride. For dd somewhere in the neighborhood of 32-50 depending on tire size and vehicle weight. For off road just depends on the terrain. I'll run 20 or less

 

Yeah I only run 50 on road. Offroad I run 20 or 25 psi. 25 psi is a little rougher but I keep eating tires are 20 psi due to my weight...

 

I think someone was talking about tires, not wheels, having a max pressure rating. I've always seen it described as 3500lbs @ 50psi or something to that effect.

To all the other comments about pressures on and off-road. I stick with near OEM (slightly over inflated) pressures. I'm at 40 all around right now. I haven't been offroad with these tires but I'd probably bring it down to near 15psi. I've always run between 10 and 15 on regular (non beadlock) wheels and had great luck. I've never slipped a bead yet.

In the past couple years though I've been wheeling a frankenstein buggy which has beadlocks so I'm usually in the 4 - 8psi range. I've been down to 3 but there's too much flex in 38.5x11 tires when they're that low so I usually keep it barely north of 5psi for anything other than super slow rock crawls and sand.