van tire pressure.. stock or modify??

[LDB]

My van came with 50/80 front rear and that's what's marked on the door post. I was thinking of going to 62/82 Nitrogen pressure with it as soon as I can find a shop to do it. The only problem with that is Discount Tire doesn't have nitrogen so in rotation the pressure would be off front/back. I could go 82/82 with them but thought being that high pressure on the front might make it squirmy. I was surprised when I weighed it yesterday it was 3260/2600 f/r with me not in it so it would be even heavier on the steers with me and my other stuff that will be up front but isn't installed yet. I know some of you van guys run same pressure all around and given the 55/45 front bias that sounds more sensible than it did yesterday morning.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

too much pressure in the front the steering starts to bounce very brittle riding....too soft and it gets squirmy...I go about 70F 80R...it is all personal preference really...

 

[LDB]

It was pretty windy yesterday and I noticed the front seemed to want to wander some but the rear seemed firmly planted. Maybe that's the too soft front issue you mentioned. I think I'll run for a little while on plain air so I can play with pressures and when I find the right one then I can decide whether to go Nitrogen or not. The only problem I see with running Nitrogen is if the pressures aren't equal that messes up tire rotations.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

It was pretty windy yesterday and I noticed the front seemed to want to wander some but the rear seemed firmly planted. Maybe that's the too soft front issue you mentioned. I think I'll run for a little while on plain air so I can play with pressures and when I find the right one then I can decide whether to go Nitrogen or not. The only problem I see with running Nitrogen is if the pressures aren't equal that messes up tire rotations.

the old adage..find what works for you and your comfort level..
Safety....comfort...economy....there is a mix...

 

[Turtle]

My first set of tires I ran according to the door, 55/80. Second set I went 80/80. But the 80 up front actually changed the steering and road mating characteristics of the tires, which caused slightly excessive wear on the inner and outer edges of the tire. Next set I went back to 55/80, just like the manufacturer says.

When I was 80/80 it wasn't a problem rotating the tires anywhere I wanted, obviously. At 55/80 you do have to find some place that has nitrogen, but it turns out it wasn't all that difficult. (NitroFill Dealer Locator)

 

[fastman_1]

Mine changed with whatever my load was, the heavier the load the more air went in, I start with 80f/100r. which seemed to handle it for most loads, never went over 100 on the rear. and the front would go to 90 max, and always have gotten over 100,000 miles out of the tires

 

[flattop40]

60f 80r, no nitro, rotate every oil change, 200k miles perset.

Show me how anything else will get me better mileage and I will listen but until then don't fix whats not broken.

BTW, handles like a dream.

 

[piper1]

70 front/80 rear, no nitro. Check my air pressures weekly (usually bang on) with a good quality dial type gauge (those stem type ones get out of whack to easily, drop em once and they are out). I rotate when there is 3/32 difference between any tire. Running Michelins I will get 200,000 no problem. Current set of LTX M/S have worn 2-3/32 in 45,000 miles.

I noticed Leo you said your van came with the Bridgestone as stock (I believe they are model R265's in a 245/75/16 size). I ran a set of those as steers on my pickup before I bought the Sprinter (got them cheap) and they ran really well, put 60,000 miles on them and they were only a third gone, rode and handled nice, very quiet too.

 

[ebsprintin]

I go 70 psi all the way around. Nitrogen. Manufacturer calls for something like 70 rear and 55 steers. 55 is too sloppy for me. --eb

 

[LDB]

It came with Bridgestone V-Steel LT245/75-16. For a $50 annual fee I can get nitrogen in all 5 tires and it includes a AAA type program with roadside, lockout, towing, tire repair/replacement, and a few other benefits. According to their website (nitrofill.com) the savings annually of fuel and tire expenses combined for 60k miles per year usage is almost $900 or about 1.5 cpm. Even if the savings is only 1/10 that amount it still is more than the cost of having the fill.

 

[Turtle]

Nitrofill is a more expensive nitrogen than most nitrogen. It has a higher concentration 99%-plus, versus 93-95% for most places), and usually comes in bottles, instead of the nitrogen generating machine that most places have. At places with regular nitrogen, $5 a tire is about the most you should pay. With Nitrofill $10 a tire isn't out of line. So $50 a year is really good.