Tire Pressure for Blizzak 265’s 2002 AC???

Hey fellers, hoping someone else out there runs blizzaks this time of year and can help me sort out the best tire pressure. Model: W965 265/75/16 load range E — Max pressure listed says 80 psi, and most websites just list that number.... some forums say in the 32-35 psi range?? Currently I’m at 35psi & I am dealing with a little bit of a “mushy” wandering feeling in the ass of the truck when the roads are sloppy... I was thinking my pressure was too low for such a heavy beast of a truck.... any opinions out there on a good pressure to run??

Thanks!

 

These trucks are actually on the light side for a load range "E" tire. I think you are actually overinflated and might be feeling the tire slipping a little from loss of traction than sidewall flex. I don't run Blizzacks but I do run load range "E" tires on my 2004 DC 4x4. I run 30 PSI in the rear and 35 in the front on my Goodyear Ultaterrains by comparison I ran 43 PSI in the rear and 75 PSI in the front of my 2003 F350 CC diesel 4x4 when I wasn't carrying any weight.

 

Roads are crappy again today, i’ll let a little out of the back and report back what results I get, thnx!

 

Have you ever tried or heard about the tire pressure chalk test

 

@Mustanley I did see quite a bit mentioned about the Chalk test in my search — initially I was wanting to see for those who Blizz to get a sense of a general pressure range etc. I only notice this mushiness when there is slop / slush / crap on the road.... it’s it’s hard pack or dry pavement i don’t notice the same driving characteristics.... thanks for the link!

 

Pressure is determined by the weight that's placed on the tire. Always go by the door sticker.

 

Not true. Trucks can have varing weight in the bed. You need to adjust pressure to the load. Going by the sticker or max pressure rating on the tire will have you overinflated when empty especially with a non stock size tire.

 

uuuuhh, so @Aerindel I don't think that's my sign.... it looks a little more like this:

 

Correct...

Only correct if your tires are the same size/load range as stock. Change the size/load range and that sticker's recommendations go out the window... he's running E rated tires...they will be underinflated going with the stock sticker recommendations...

https://www.4wheelparts.com/a/tire-wheel-package-guide-tire-pressure-checker

 

Thats not necessarily true. The sticker in the door is basically only good for the model of tire that came OEM on the truck. Anything else will be different due to differences in sidewall thickness and stiffness, compound, etc.

If I ran my current tires (same load rating as stock) at window sticker pressure, they’d squat so bad I’d have people honking at me.

 

To be fair, he said same size AND load rating as stock. Your tires (265/75r16) are NOT the stock size listed on the door sticker. As long as you run the same size AND load rating as the factory, then you can use the door jamb sticker for guidance. Brand of tire doesn't matter; in fact many vehicle manufacturers (I know Ford has done this) source different brands for the same vehicle, same size, same load rating - whoever is the cheapest tire supplier that year, I suspect.

I could see this thread devolving as quickly as an oil viscosity thread...glad I could contribute...

@coyote , e-rated tires are overkill for these trucks IMO unless you are doing heavy hauling / towing routinely. You might have to do the chalk test as mentioned above to get the right pressure for your tires. E-rated is a different ball-game.

 

Thanks @Dog were they not given to me to replace some crap tires I would probably run something different... pretty long & intense winters where I live, 5-6 months at least... they are better than what i had — just trying to sort out the nuances.

 

I use the door sticker recommendations, but.....because I have 2 wheel drive when it snows, fronts go down to 20psi, and back 15psi. I live on an island and dont go far and it's not like it's NY here. Highway travel 35psi. If I'm goin far, like home to NY. Do keep in mind, lower pressure, better traction in the snow. Bigger footprint. I also have just a little more higher of a tire and slightly smaller on the width. 2 wheel drive guys have to use all the tricks we can. weight in the back of course.

 

I was thinking about this this morning & I’m looking to steer this discussion back to Blizzaks if anyone is running them on their tundra. The reason being, never in my life have I paid this much attention to tire pressure — I have BFG AT’s on my Tacoma and it doesn’t drive even close to the same way, I think those are at 35psi all the way around and C load if IIRC. Those who have mentioned E load tires are peaking my interest on the fact that maybe this tire I have just sucks on a tundra regardless of the tire pressure? I really was just hoping to find someone on here who had an experience good or bad with blizzaks on the gen one tundra and what if any tweaks to tire pressure they made. The idea being yes, we all have more or less the same truck haha. Thanks!!

 

Sheesh dude, they are Blizzaks, not magic. You feel a "mushy wandering" feeling when the road is slushy because......the road is mushy...your tire pressure has nothing to do with it. There is nothing to discuss. Throw a few hundred pounds in the back, keep it in 4wd, and just accept that driving on slush is not like driving on pavement or hard frozen snow. Full sized trucks Suck in the snow. They have a long wheel base, are heavy, and have bad weight distribution.

 

I clearly don't have the exact set-up to directly answer your question. I only run P-rated 4-ply tires on my Tundra and Tahoe (Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus in 265/70r17...love them, BTW...almost as good as my Blizzaks in snow so far). I run Blizzaks on two of our 3 Audi Q5s, again in P-rated sizes.

Here is something you may be experiencing, however: The Blizzaks can get a little squirrelly on certain pavement, especially if the pavement is grooved in any way. You can feel the tires shimmy just a little bit at highway speeds. Enough so that my wife told me there was something wrong with her car, but after I drove it, that is what she was feeling. The tread pattern of the Blizzaks have a lot of "give" in the tread blocks. Could that be what you are experiencing?

 

Nah -- I live in a town that gets hella inches of snow on average annually and I know what driving on winter roads is like. We just got this truck about a year ago and haven't driven it much until this winter -- simply put, maybe it IS the truck, maybe it IS the tires, MAYBE it's both. I'm just asking others who actually have these tires on these trucks to chime in -- since you don't have the tires, maybe just find another thread to troll?

 

"Here is something you may be experiencing, however: The Blizzaks can get a little squirrelly on certain pavement, especially if the pavement is grooved in any way. You can feel the tires shimmy just a little bit at highway speeds. Enough so that my wife told me there was something wrong with her car, but after I drove it, that is what she was feeling. The tread pattern of the Blizzaks have a lot of "give" in the tread blocks. Could that be what you are experiencing?"

Funny you should say that because my wife also had the bajeezus scared out of her by a similar scenario ( although some snow not dry pavement ) driving to work in this thing, so I wonder if it IS that tread pattern....... Thank you for that info.

 

Just trying to help you. You want to waste your time playing with tire pressure, have fun.

(I have blizzakes, just not on a Tundra, wife's subaru.

 

I agree, the tire pressure scenario seems to be leading nowhere special, starting to think its a combo of truck & tire. I do value your input. I even made a special sign graphic for ya in post #9!!!

 

I like to take my truck up to that speed limiter, do some rocket launches, ect.....but one time I drive slow, is when it snows. Leave earlier, enjoy the view.

 

I just bought my first set of E-rated tires and researched the hell out of tire pressure...long story short, you are supposed run much higher air pressure (as in 50+%) in E-rated tires compared to it's P rated counterpart (which is what our door jam is for). I don't know if this will fix your problem or not, but just thought you would like to see this. If I was you I'd e-mail Bridgestone and ask them what tire pressures you should be running them at.

I e-mailed Falken and here is our exchange, last e-mail at the top, so read from the bottom up...



Hello Speedtre,



For the new tire size, your adjusted pressure is 40 PSI front, 43 PSI rear.



Sincerely,



Robert E. | QA Admin | Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc.

Phone: 800-723-2553 Option 2 @ Main Menu (M-F 8-5 PST)

E-fax: 909-244-1617

technical@falkentire.com

www.falkentire.com




From: BP <speedtrifecta@yahoo.com>


Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 2:33 PM
To: technical <technical@falkentire.com>
Subject: Re: Form submission from: Contact Falken Tire




CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the SRNA organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Please contact the SRNA helpdesk if you have any questions



Hi Robert,

OEM tire size is P265/70r16 Front Tire 26 PSI, rear tire 29 PSI

Thanks,


Speedtre


On Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 05:10:40 PM EST, technical <technical@falkentire.com> wrote:



Hello Speedtre,


Thank you for reaching out to us. Please provide your OEM tire size and pressure so we can get a baseline for your case.


Sincerely,


Robert E. | QA Admin | Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc.

Phone: 800-723-2553 Option 2 @ Main Menu (M-F 8-5 PST)

E-fax: 909-244-1617

technical@falkentire.com

www.falkentire.com



-----Original Message-----

From: NewsLetter < Info@falkentire.com>

Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 1:43 PM

To: technical < technical@falkentire.com>

Subject: Form submission from: Contact Falken Tire


Submitted on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 - 13:43 Submitted by anonymous user: [198.143.47.81] Submitted values are:




Inquiry Type: Tire Maintenance, Wear, Fitment, & Warranty Question or Comment?

I just bought a set of of these


Falken WILDPEAK A/T3W All- Terrain Radial Tire-LT255/80R17/ 118S


I am running them in a 2006 Toyota Tundra Double Cab. What tire pressure do you recommend for normal unloaded daily driving for these tires on my truck.

It weighs about 5500 lbs with me and a full tank of gas. Thanks.

 

Good info. I’ve experimented with my E-Rated Michelin Defenders.

Tried 60 PSI because I could. Way too stiff.

40 PSI was too much stiffness still.

32 psi the ride was plush but felt like pushing bricks.

36 PSI seems like a nice spot.

Different tires I know, but hope it helps.

 

And this is our last interaction...again, read from top to bottom...


Hello,



We take the OEM tire size and convert the OEM air pressure to load support in pounds. Once we have this, we take the new tire size and load range and try to match it to the closest PSI. This requires a combination of the Tire Guide book and Tire and Rim associate inflation chart.



Sincerely,



Robert E. | QA Admin | Sumitomo Rubber North America, Inc.

Phone: 800-723-2553 Option 2 @ Main Menu (M-F 8-5 PST)

E-fax: 909-244-1617

technical@falkentire.com

www.falkentire.com




From:
Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 5:27 PM
To: technical <technical@falkentire.com>
Subject: RE: Form submission from: Contact Falken Tire



CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the SRNA organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Please contact the SRNA helpdesk if you have any questions



Thanks Robert! Is there a formula to use to figure this out?



Thanks!

 

Thank you @speedtre for the info!