GEN2 - TIRE PRESSURE & TPMS

[windguy]

I'm curious about the proper tire pressure and the TPMS system in the Gen 2 TC.

I found two threads (links below) that discuss this a little with some good input but need to know a little more.

TIRE PRESSURE

http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/897-how-improve-gas-mileage/page-2#entry8948

TPMS

http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2883-low-tire-pressure-light/#entry8444

I checked the tire pressure on the van for the first time. Normally a monthly check for me with cars but haven't bothered yet on the TC cause it was at the dealer a few times and figured the TPMS would let me know if the pressure dropped too low. I think that was a bad assumption.

I checked the work order from my last service (shown below), about 1,000 miles ago (2.5 months), and it shows the TP is supposed to be 44, which they set for all four tires. Also shows 44/48, which is what my door placard recommends for front and rear tire pressure. Without a heavy load in the van I'm okay with 44 front and back. When I checked the tires they were between 36-38 psi. I was shocked at how low they were. I aired them up to 44 and was wondering what others are doing. I carry a light load in the cargo area most of the time.

What's the tolerance for the TPMS sensor to go off and what is it based on, 44 front and 48 rear or an average for all tires, like 44?

I checked the manual for more info on how this works but didn't see anything specific, unless I overlooked it.

Thanks

[G B L]

The TPMS on mine trip the indicator at just below 38 Psi. I keep the pressure at 42 Psi.

anything higher and the ride suffers. I have 400 to 500 pounds of tools behind the

second seat. Mine being a wagon it is heavy from the start.

[windguy]

The TPMS on mine trip the indicator at just below 38 Psi. I keep the pressure at 42 Psi.

anything higher and the ride suffers. I have 400 to 500 pounds of tools behind the

second seat. Mine being a wagon it is heavy from the start.

thanks GBL.

how does the ride suffer?

[G B L]

The tires on the TC are fairly small for the load they carry. The way they carry the rated load is with

higher pressure. The higher the pressure the harder the tire. This tire is an extra load rated with a 40

to 42 lbs pressure rating. If the tires were sized to allow a Standerd load tire to be used it would have a

32-36 lbs pressure rating. The lower pressure would translate into a more comfortable ride.

The style trend has been going to Larger wheels and smaller sidewall hight. The ressult is Cooler

looking cars harder ride and less ability to handel road hazards.

As a side note if your console is running hot there is deffinity an air leak in your fron heater.

[windguy]

thanks GBL.

I'll continue with the 44 for a little while then try 42 next to compare.

regarding the heater, I'll copy this post to the other thread we had going on heater issues.

[G B L]

Sounds good, the load rating for 215 55 16 XL tires is 40-42 Lbs for the 1600 + rated load

so running them at 40Lbs will not hurt them

From the pictures of your van you are lightly loaded. So you will not hurt the tires

As long as the tire warning light is not on

[Osco]

I'm In the XLT LWB with the 2.5 engine 2015 Model

I took out the back third row seats and built a plywood flat box with 6" rails and tie downs, Bolted that to the seat bolt holes. I regularly load this with 500 to 900 pounds. Removing the 3rd seat allowed me to center my load In front of and over the rear axle point,, The rear cup holders are a great reference marker btw..

The Stock 'High Load' Conti tires work great and I get the best handling with 36 psi front and 41 psi rear. Max Tire pressures marked on the tires and the door jam does not apply as I do not load up with 1290 pounds.

The tire pressure listed on the door jam Is obviously for max vehicle loading and marked as such, Mine shows 41 psi front and 44 psi rear.

I do the math on the weight on each axle with me and a full fuel tank on board then I factor In my average cargo load and I have a tire pressure range working down from max loading and max psi.

Individual axle load can be determined simply by stopping In an Interstate weigh station and politely asking a D.O.T. Officer to let you drive onto his portable scale. The Other option Is to use the scale at the county solid waste disposal site, open to the public. I have never had a problem with either of these methods.

Accuracy of the big county scales are very good and you get a printed ticket to compare the GVW to the listed specification.

Go back with your loaded van and test that, a small fee may be charged,,,no problem..

I will rotate every 10k miles. I take my turns easy loaded and empty.

I'd say 70 to 80% of the miles I am at 500 to 600 pounds of cargo, 15% of the remaining miles I am at 800 to 900 and the last 5% I am empty.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Osco

[G B L]

Good post , The only thing I see is the Tpms on Mine tend to set the light between 35 and 36 LBS so the bottom pressure needs to be some where over that to keep the warning light off

[Osco]

Good post , The only thing I see is the Tpms on Mine tend to set the light between 35 and 36 LBS so the bottom pressure needs to be some where over that to keep the warning light off

Yeah that's a good low number, I upped the front to 38 psi, feels better, the rear is now at 42, more stable. I may try 44 out back.

I do use a tread depth gauge across all the tire grooves to make sure I am not under or over and log every oil change...

I will drive this Droid 60 to 80k a year, should be fun :D

[G B L]

Cool with that number of miles a good seat cushion would be a good option even in Florida

[Osco]

Funny the way things work out sometimes ~

I kept playing with the tire pressure for quite a while,,20k miles later This is where I am at....

My job has changed and now I carry much less weight,,

Kept my box and tie downs,, say 50 pounds, the two third row seats are still in the house,,they together had to be 120 pounds.

So after adding my equipment weight and tools I'd say my cargo loads now are always about 350 pounds all compactly loaded just forward of the rear axle.

My Conti's are the 51 max psi tires and on my door jam It says 41 psi front and 44 psi rear..

For the best handling and best dry or wet weather tracking and traction, the least road noise and even tread depth wear using a tread depth gauge

checking all water channels on all four tires My Gen 2 XLT LWB does best at,,,,,,wait for it,,,,,,

,, 41 psi front and 44 psi rear,,

Imagine that !

Edited June 12, 2016 by Osco

[G B L]

I guess Ford learned a lot about tires from the Firestone tire thing .

Great Post

[Fifty150]

 

Ah, yes, the Firestone on Explorer debacle.  Does anyone need the backstory on this?

Part of the problem with the Ford Explorers was ownership.  People simply didn't check their tire pressure, and tire pressures were already low to begin with.  From what I recall when I owned an Explorer, the door sticker said 26 PSI.  So if you can imagine, all of those Explorers out there with about 20 PSI, being driven by (at the time) everybody.  The explorer was probably one of the most popular SUV's ever sold.  

 

My dad used to say that manufacturers have different reasons for setting the number on the sticker.  In some cases, the number is where they find the most effective amount of tread surface for the tire to have optimal traction.  Doesn't anyone remember the old adage about letting a little air out when you're trying to get more traction?  In other instances, it creates for a smoother ride.  Obviously, the more inflated the tire, less tread surface makes contact with the road, you have less rolling resistance, and achieve better mileage.  You also get a much bumpier ride because just like a fully inflated ball, it's bouncier.  Another negative is decreased traction.  Do you really want less traction?

I have always tried to air up to whatever the tire manufacturer labels as the maximum psi.  The stock tires on my van say 51.  Why 51?  Why not 50 or 52?  I'm aired up to 50.  Noticeable difference from when I drove the car off the dealership lot.  

 

[Beta Don]

My tire pressure sticker is the same as yours, so far as the pressures go  -  41 front, 44 rear but since mine is a 5 passenger, SWB model, my max load is rated at 1106 pounds

If 41/44 is OK for the LWB model carrying  1264 pounds, I'm going with 38/40 for my van.  I seriously doubt I'll ever have it loaded to 1100 pounds very often  -  It's usually just my wife and I and some baggage.  We frequently travel with the rear seats removed and that alone makes the van quite a bit lighter

Max 51, why not 50 or 52?  The max pressure on any tire is the most it can safely handle without destroying itself.  When you hit a chuck hole at 70, the tire must either be able to 'defend' itself by flexing or it will very likely break it's belt.  IMO. it's never advisable to run the max pressure everyday *unless* you are loaded so heavily that the resulting tire flex is causing heat build-up  -  Heat is the #1 enemy of all tires . . . . but breaking the belts hitting holes in poor roads would be the #2 issue I think

We have two electric cars and 'range' is frequently the big issue with EV's  -  Nobody I know of runs their EV tires softer than the factory recommended pressure in order to get a better ride  -  In fact, many owners tend to go the other way . . . . overinflate them by 5, 10 or even 15% hoping to get slightly better range.  The TPMS on the EV is set for 32, the door sticker says 36/36 and I've been running 40/40, though the ride does suffer a bit with 40 psi all around.  The tires say max 51 and I know of at least one person who ran 55/55 on his first set of tires  -  Those did not last him all that long as he broke the belt in 3 of them and had to buy a new set.  He's now running exactly 51 psi all around and hoping for the best

I'm all for taking the vehicle manufacturers recommendations on pressure (especially after the Firestone/Explorer debacle) give or take 5 or 10% depending on how you use the vehicle and how you load it.  Running the max 51/51 is way more than 5 to  10% too hard, so you're throwing the recommended pressures completely out the window  -  Basically saying Ford doesn't know what's best and trusting that the '51 max' is a good idea every mile of every day no matter how lightly loaded you are, which I think is probably unwise.  If your loading is greater than the 1264 pounds and you feel you need a little more than 41/44, then adding 5 or 10% when you're overloaded  and reducing it when you're not is probably a good idea.  But running 51 every day regardless of loading doesn't make any sense to me . . . . plus you're right up against what the tire manufacturer says is safe and that's pushing things, IMO

I maintain my vehicles with my wife's safety primarily in mind.  New tires well before we get to the wear bars, pressure high enough to be safe for the load, but low enough for best traction in the wet and check the pressure frequently and inspect the tires for bulges or cracks . . . . or broken belts

As always, it's your van, you know how you use it and the 'correct' pressure for you is something you need to decide for yourself . . . . and what I think of your numbers doesn't matter in the slightest 

Don 

[mrtn]

On 9/24/2016 at 8:01 AM, Fifty150 said:

Part of the problem with the Ford Explorers was ownership.  People simply didn't check their tire pressure, and tire pressures were already low to begin with.  From what I recall when I owned an Explorer, the door sticker said 26 PSI.  So if you can imagine, all of those Explorers out there with about 20 PSI, being driven by (at the time) everybody.

I think a big part of the problem was Explorer's terrible handling. It drove like a cow on ice.

[G B L]

The other problem with the Firestone Explorer was that Ford used a tire designed to run much more pressure and pressed Firestone to endorse it .  The Safe solution was to have Firestone design and build a tire that gave the explorer the desired ride with ample safety.

I have seen several Cows do very well on Ice!

[Fifty150]

What I miss about those early Explorers was the ladder frame and rear leaf springs.  

 

But I get it.  The market has evolved.  Technology has changed the way cars are built.   We now depend upon impact sensors and air bags for safety.  It's no longer a game of the biggest, heaviest car wins in a crash.  

 

Times change.  People change.  I'm now in a little Transit Connect with more seating and an anemic engine.   

 

....................and running OEM tires @ 50 PSI.

[Osco]

Still Running 41 front and 44 rear, been at that for 30k plus miles, Getting perfectly even tire wear across the treads, plenty of wet and dry traction.

My Continentals perform great.

I am not loading any notable weight anymore, but If I run 38-39 psi front and go below 41 rear I get squirmy handling and tire noise.

IMHO these tires are designed for these pressures on this vehicle and perform best when Inflated correctly.

In the brutal heat of mid summer I drop to 40 front and 42 rear cold..

 

[G B L]

The  tires run  their best at the correct pressure.    They run the coolest at the right pressure no mater what the outside temp.  

[Beta Don]

Define what you mean by 'correct pressure'  -  Are you referring to the max pressure number stamped on the tire (that would be 51 psi for the Continentals that came on my TC) . . . . or the number the car manufacturer puts on the door sticker, a number which frequently is done without much if any input from the tire manufacturer, as was evident with the ultra-low number found on the door stickers on the old Explorers which led to tire overheating and a slew of accidents

The 'correct pressure' will vary according to vehicle loading.  The 10 ply tires used on most 3/4 ton pick-ups are rated for 80 psi and it's a very good idea to use 80 psi if you're loading the truck so the tire is near it's max capacity of around 3,500 pound per tire, but running 80 psi in them when the truck is empty will loosen your teeth pretty quickly  -  50 to 60 psi is more appropriate for an unloaded truck

The term 'correct pressure' covers a lot of ground and it's not a 'one size fits all' number.  As was proven with the old Explorers, even the number recommended by the vehicle manufacturer cannot be counted on to be 'correct' in all cases

Don

[G B L]

I suspect that Ford has learned its lesson after badgering Firestone into allowing the explorer tires to be run under inflated. It caused  Firestone to go Bankrupt.

The tire load rating on the 215-55-16  load range 97 tire on the TC is 1609 lbs at 51 lbs. At 42 lbs the load would be 1325 lbs or 5300 lbs. Right in line with your pick-up reference.   The hotter the temperature the more important maintaining the pressure is.

 

 

[Fifty150]

7 hours ago, Beta Don said:

 the max pressure number stamped on the tire (that would be 51 psi for the Continentals that came on my TC) . . . .

51 PSI.  Such an odd number.  Not 50.  Not 55.  I could see how some guys could spend a lot of time at the air pump with an electric gauge, letting air out and adding air, trying to get to the perfect number of 51.  Only to realize later that it's 51 PSI "cold".  Then they will have to drive back to the service station, park next to the air pump, leave the car overnight, and come back in the morning to get just the right pressure in their tires.

[G B L]

Hey its a TC just fold the seats and make an overnight camping trip out of it

[Fifty150]

I like the mental imagery of this guy walking 2 miles back to his apartment.

[Beta Don]

What's the procedure for resetting the TPMS when rotating tires?  Do you have to 'reassign' each tire to the new position on the van?  Easy to do??  Enquiring minds want to know! 

My only other TPMS experience was on a vehicle which didn't care where each tire was located because it didn't give you any indication of which tire was low . . . . just that one of the 4 was low enough to light the indicator on the dash

Don