Trailer tire inflation

What PSI do you folks use to trailer your boats? I understand that it should be based upon the total weight of the trailer and load. In my case it is a 16 with standard gear (incl toy box and beach wheels) on a Trailex with 8" wheels. Any thoughts?

I tow at the recommended pressure listed on my trailer tires. For the little 8" wheels that I've got, it's something like 90 psi.

The pressure inside the tire doesn't change when you put weight on it unless the tire physically deforms, which only happens if you grossly overload the trailer or underinflate them.

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1984 H16 - #80541

Ummm... A big part of tire longevity has to do with setting your tires to the proper pressure for the load. It's not always better to set the pressure high - and I have the mangled fenders to prove it.

Figure out what the trailer weighs. That information should be on the plate with the trailer ID #. Then look up the weight of the boat you're hauling. Add those numbers. Then add whatever else you throw on the trailer to that number.

Now if you look on the sidewall of the trailer, the max PSI is for max load. If you take that max load number times two (for the two tires), I'm willing to bet that it's probably twice the number from the previous paragraph.

Do the math. Overinflation is almost as hard on a tire as underinflation. Trailer tires have softer sidewalls and are designed to flex more. An overinflated tire makes for a rough ride for your boat.

But your best way to figure it out is with your hand. Feel the tire after driving a ways. Is it hot?

We spend all this time tweaking our sail craft, but not nearly enough time tweaking the tow gear.

Brian C

I agree fully. On my first set of H-16 trailer tires (8x4.80?), I ran them at the max. pressure (65 psi, I think), and they prematurely wore out down the center. Have since run them around 50 psi....much better.

Jerome Vaughan
Clinton, Mississippi

an other thing to consider in this day of high prices is the gas consumption. Depending on what car you tow with (size of engine) the tire pressure can have a fair effect of gas mileage. So maybe higher pressure and lower gas consumption may offset the cost of tires wearing out in the centre. I tow my H18 with a small 4 cylinder engine and can tell when I forgot to check the tire pressure on the trailer by how fast I go through gas. Just a thought.