Tires & safety
Air your tires cold, and watch their age
Most trailer blowouts are preventable, and the two things that prevent them are correct cold pressure and not running tires past their years. Underinflation flexes the sidewall until it overheats and lets go, usually on a hot interstate with a loaded trailer behind you.
Check it cold
- Before you drive, not after Set and check pressure first thing in the morning, before the tires have rolled a mile or sat in the sun. A tire warmed by an hour of highway reads high and tricks you into letting out air you need.
- Run the number on the sticker Inflate to the cold PSI on the trailer placard, not the lower figure molded into the tire. Trailer tires generally want their rated max cold pressure unless you have weighed each wheel position.
Two upgrades worth the money
- A tire pressure monitor A TPMS with a sensor on each trailer wheel (plus a signal repeater for the run back to the truck) warns you of a slow leak or a heat spike before the sidewall fails. Set a low alert around 10 to 15 percent under, and a temperature alert near 160 F.
- Read the date code Trailer tires age out from sitting more than from miles. Find the four-digit DOT date code (week and year) on the sidewall and plan to replace at around five to six years regardless of tread (some makers say three). Sun and time crack the rubber from the inside, long before the tread wears out.
Helps to have on board
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