Tom

Tom,

Q I have a 2001 Chevy K2500HD pickup truck. The tire sidewalls say to

inflate from 45 psi up to 80 psi. Why such a wide inflation range? It’s my
understanding that running underinflated tires is dangerous, so why would I
run them at 45 psi when they can be inflated up to 80 psi?

Richard—Butte,  Montana

Richard,

A Inflation rates are wide and vary with the weight of the load being hauled

on truck tires. If you are using load range “E” tires and are hauling a full
truckload regularly, then 60/80 psi (depending on how heavy the load) would
be the correct inflation level. If you drive most of the time with the truck
empty, then 45/45 psi would be just fine. At 45/45 psi, you just won’t get the
max load-carrying capability and the tires will flatten with a full truckload. If
you carry a lot of weight all the time, then I would set the psi at the max
recommended levels (60/80). Hope this clears things up for you.