Tire temperatures

[Rob&Deryl]

What is a safe range of temperatures on trailer tires.

I have one of those point & read thermal readers. It has a laser on it so you kInda know where you point it. I usually point it first at a sidewall, then at the wheel parts and finally the hub. Takes a couple of seconds per tire. Yesterday, 3 tires were 108 and one at 120. I am guessing it might have a lower pressure. I intend to check tomorrow. Today, after an hour or so of 60mph running on the interstate, all 4 read in the mid 90s.

I have a tpms to install but first I need steel valve stems which I can’t see doing without replacing the tires with 15k miles on them.

 

[steveblonde]

Honestly in 30 years of towing i have never ever checked temperatures. But as i rider of motorbikes im a stickler for pressures on both the truck and the trailer

 

[Isaac-1]

You need to be aware that those IR temperature guns do not read actual temperature, they read the emissivity of the item they are pointed at.

see this video, it is demonstrating using an IR thermal camera, which works much the same way as your IR thermometer (you can think of your IR thermometer sort of as a camera with one big blurry pixel

 

[DonTom]

I have a tpms to install but first I need steel valve stems which I can’t see doing without replacing the tires with 15k miles on them.

If they are small light sensors, they should be fine on rubber stems at least until your tire change. I even use them on my motorcycles that have rubber stems. But I always get them changed to metal stems at the first tire change.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[phil-t]

What is a safe range of temperatures on trailer tires.

I have one of those point & read thermal readers.

I use a ir temp gun on all my tow and towed tires and wheels at every stop - a 2 or 3 minute walk around is all it takes. If you do it a few times, and you know your tire pressures are good, that gun can tell a lot. Low pressure on a tire, brakes dragging, etc. You will come to know what the "normal" temp is for your individual setup. Lots of variables and you need to get a base number to go by. Sunny side of the setup will raise temps, rainy weather will lower temps, just get to know your particular normal range.

 

[SpencerPJ]

phil-t is spot on. The IR gun is great for repeatability, it actually is my wife's job at stops. Gives her something important to do. If everything is within ranges, nothing to worry or be concerned with. OP: I would say you are within my typical ranges, depends on outside temps.

 

[Robert K]

If I had a tpms I would install it. (l do have one) TST that replaced a tire minder.
Just watched this last night .


the chanel is You Me and the Rv

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There is no absolute temperature or IR reading that is "safe". What you do is take a reading at some spot (same one on every wheel, every time) and watch for significant changes, either from previous readings or vs the other wheels. You have to be consistent to get meaningful readings. If one wheel is notably different than others or different from its usual temperature range, you should be suspicious and investigate further. It's not automatically a bad thing, but it's a suspicious clue. An unusually high reading may indicate possible bad bearings, dragging brake, or soft tire (you have a TPMS, right?). Or maybe just an unusually hot road surface or more than the usual sideways pressure while driving (e.g. crosswinds). There are moremal but infrequent conditions that can cause higher temperatures.

You should expect higher readings on very hot days or in full sun vs shade. You should also expect differences related to time, e.g. if you take the reading immediately after a stop vs 30-45 minutes later.

 

[MtnGoat]

I have a TPMS system with steel stems. I also use a IR temp gun and my hand when we stop for a general check. My "system" is to watch the TPMS for relative changes. That is when a tire starts to rise or drop in temp or pressure, I make a stop to check the tire temp with the gun and my hand. I'll use the same procedure on each tire. If one is out of order from the others it becomes necessary to further my inspection. I had a problem with the rear axle tires when the TPMS was first installed. The pressure of those tires was always 5-8 psi above the front axle tires. Even though the cold pressure check was even on all four. There was a notable wear pattern developing on the rear tires that lead to both 4 new tires and axle alignment. Turned out the rear axle was toed out with some negative camber causing the heat and pressure build up as we traveled.

 

[DonTom]

The pressure of those tires was always 5-8 psi above the front axle tires.

The rear always has more PSI after a few freeway miles on RWD vehicles. Even on all ten of my motorcycles. That is because those are the driven wheels.

Same with RWD cars and everything else, AFAIK.

Every vehicle I own (many) has TPMS. FWD vehicles are the opposite.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[scottydl]

I don't think you can dictate a "safe" tire temperature. Road temperature, ambient temperature, and whether the tire is sitting in the shade or sun will all vary the tire's surface temp.

The reason to measure tire temps via IR gun is to see if any one tire is WAY hotter than the others. A hotter tire could mean it's lower PSI and at risk for failure. It's just a quicker way to check them than actually bending down with an air pressure gauge at every stop.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

"Safe" is probably somewhere north of 160 F and maybe much higher. It's mostly not something you will care about. If you choose to measure tire temperature, pick a spot and use it religiously so that your are always getting the same kind of reading to compare. Establish what is "normal" for your tire in various ambient road & temperature conditions and watch for a tire whose reading is markedly different than the others or different than typical for the those temp & road conditions. The purpose of the temp measurement is to spot performance anomalies, not a pass/fail test. If one tire starts running hotter than usual, you need to investigate why. That means you have to establish a baseline before you can begin to make judgments based on temperature.

 

[MtnGoat]

I'm referring to the rear axle on the trailer.
But I see your point.

The rear always has more PSI after a few freeway miles on RWD vehicles. Even on all ten of my motorcycles. That is because those are the driven wheels.

Same with RWD cars and everything else, AFAIK.

Every vehicle I own (many) has TPMS. FWD vehicles are the opposite.

-Don- Reno, NV