I just towed for the first time with the new E-Rated Nitto Terra Grapplers. Previous towing has been with the Michelin stock P rated tires. I have air bags also at 20 pounds.
55 psi in the rear, 45 psi in the front. Trailer listed dry weight is approx. 7500 pounds and I add about 1000 pounds at the max to the trailer, and no water in the holding tanks. Hitch weight is listed at 1,540 and only my wife and I in the truck with 3 little dogs at 15 pounds each.
The truck definitely handles the bumps much better over bridges. Side to side movement seems to be an issue, and the combined package seems to be more sensitive to the crosswinds compared to the P rated tires. I like the feeling of the P-rated tires better besides the bumps.
Do you think I have too much air in the tires? Will a sway bar help drastically? I don't want to lower the air pressure too much with the weight I'm pulling, and I know other guys are pulling with more air than me. Maybe 40 in the front and 45 in the rear. Let me know what you think.
What size Nitto's do you have? I'm running 285/65R20 BFG's on my truck adn I air them all the way up(80psi) and don't notice any sway more than normal. I would think when you are towing, I would increase the air in your tires and that should help with the sway.
What size Nitto's do you have? I'm running 285/65R20 BFG's on my truck adn I air them all the way up(80psi) and don't notice any sway more than normal. I would think when you are towing, I would increase the air in your tires and that should help with the sway.
I have the 285/65R18 E rated. When it's unloaded, and I have the tire pressure at 50 front 50 rear, the truck sways way too much for my comfort. That's why I thought maybe it's due to too much air. When I first had the tires installed, they had the pressure at 65 psi all around, and that was dangerous. When I went around a bend in the road (at the usual speed), my VCS kicked on and I felt out of control. This was the same feeling on the freeway changing lanes. Any other comments or suggestions are welcome.
I just towed for the first time with the new E-Rated Nitto Terra Grapplers. Previous towing has been with the Michelin stock P rated tires. I have air bags also at 20 pounds.
55 psi in the rear, 45 psi in the front. Trailer listed dry weight is approx. 7500 pounds and I add about 1000 pounds at the max to the trailer, and no water in the holding tanks. Hitch weight is listed at 1,540 and only my wife and I in the truck with 3 little dogs at 15 pounds each.
The truck definitely handles the bumps much better over bridges. Side to side movement seems to be an issue, and the combined package seems to be more sensitive to the crosswinds compared to the P rated tires. I like the feeling of the P-rated tires better besides the bumps.
Do you think I have too much air in the tires? Will a sway bar help drastically? I don't want to lower the air pressure too much with the weight I'm pulling, and I know other guys are pulling with more air than me. Maybe 40 in the front and 45 in the rear. Let me know what you think.
You're running pretty close to what i'm running while towing. I run 60 rear and 45-50 front with my E rated goodyear's. With my C rated cooper mudders, i run 50 all around, and i prefer the feel of the E rated tires while towing. Much more stable and secure than the mudders.
I would try running 55 all around while towing to see if that helps. I haven't heard too many good things about the grapplers, so i can't comment on their towing performance.
I would try that, and if that don't work i'd probably consider taking them back and swapping for a different brand.
No, i don't think you have too much air in them while towing. But i do think you do when empty. I run 40 front/32 rear empty, and it handles just fine.
The only thing i can think of that would be the difference is the fact you no longer have a pooch in the tire when loaded. Therefore, the new tires have less rolling resistance and the side to side motion you're feeling is your steering. Especially over bumps; if you're holding the steering wheel with your arm rested on the armrests it will cause you to steer slightly back and forth. The steering on these trucks is very sensitive this way. I particularly feel this motion more so when towing tandom though.
So, i don't know if that helped or not but..............this has been my experience.
I will try 55 PSI all around and see how that feels. Somehow, I don't think that's going to be the answer. The feeling is very similar when it's unloaded with higher tire PSI. 40 PSI all around when unloaded feels very similar to the former P rated tires, but as soon as I have 50psi unloaded the truck feels like it's swaying (fishtailing). The steering is more sensitive. Now with the 5er hooked up, I can feel when the big rigs pass more than witht he previous tires as well as the crosswinds. A little too much sway for my comfort. I will play with the air pressure a little bit, and if that doesn't work, I will try to swap out the tires. I can't believe this isn't more of a common problem. Maybe it's with the Nittos only.
I will try 55 PSI all around and see how that feels. Somehow, I don't think that's going to be the answer. The feeling is very similar when it's unloaded with higher tire PSI. 40 PSI all around when unloaded feels very similar to the former P rated tires, but as soon as I have 50psi unloaded the truck feels like it's swaying (fishtailing). The steering is more sensitive. Now with the 5er hooked up, I can feel when the big rigs pass more than witht he previous tires as well as the crosswinds. A little too much sway for my comfort. I will play with the air pressure a little bit, and if that doesn't work, I will try to swap out the tires. I can't believe this isn't more of a common problem. Maybe it's with the Nittos only.
I don't know if it is or not, but it's possible.
Like i said, i don't experience the swaying or fishtailing at all with my 5er. Mainly when i pull tandom, and i'm moving the steering wheel over bumps.
If you haven't seen a pic of my trailer, it's quite high off the ground and i can almost sit up straight while under it. I've since lifted it another inch, which was done after this shot was taken.
Last edited by Only Toyota for me; 05-27-2009 at 02:53 AM.
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I have the 285/65R18 E rated. When it's unloaded, and I have the tire pressure at 50 front 50 rear, the truck sways way too much for my comfort. That's why I thought maybe it's due to too much air. When I first had the tires installed, they had the pressure at 65 psi all around, and that was dangerous. When I went around a bend in the road (at the usual speed), my VCS kicked on and I felt out of control. This was the same feeling on the freeway changing lanes. Any other comments or suggestions are welcome.
I would have the same VCS issue when i first put my tires on and it was due to having 65lbs in the rear tires. I dropped it down to 55 and it was better, i do run 65 rear and 60 front when towing. I dont think i have any need for 80lbs as i will not come close to the tires load rating.
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I would have the same VCS issue when i first put my tires on and it was due to having 65lbs in the rear tires. I dropped it down to 55 and it was better, i do run 65 rear and 60 front when towing. I dont think i have any need for 80lbs as i will not come close to the tires load rating.
Do you have the Nitto Grapplers also? I think I figured out the unloaded part on the PSI, but the loaded is still a problem.
Like I mentioned, the side to side movement when towing is much more than what I had before the Nittos.
Like i said, i don't experience the swaying or fishtailing at all with my 5er. Mainly when i pull tandom, and i'm moving the steering wheel over bumps.
If you haven't seen a pic of my trailer, it's quite high off the ground and i can almost sit up straight while under it. I've since lifted it another inch, which was done after this shot was taken.
No problem. I'm just trying to figure this one out. A sway bar would probably help me out a lot also, and my trailer is a little unlevel, but it was that way with the old tires too. I'm sure it's a combination, but I will figure it out this weekend.
Toyo open country AT 275/65 18 E rated and they are much firmer than the previous C rated tires i had.
What pressure did you have when towing? Any E rated tire should be more stable than P unless you went with some mud tires then the blocks would cause an issue.
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old 2007 Tundra DC 8' bed 5.7 4x4
new 2008 ford f350 oil burner
I have the Hankook RF10 E load in stock 18 size and I had the same problem. Front end felt loose and wind had more effect than I expected. Took me a couple of weeks to figure it out. I ended up changing the pressures to 38 front 39 rear when unloaded and 39 front and 50 rear when the fifth wheel is in tow. My pin weight is lighter (1300#) than yours. When weighing the set up I found that only 40# was transfered to the front axle so I keep the front pressure about the same, maybe a pound or two more. Others have found that no weight is transfered to the front when the fifth wheel is loaded. Keeping the front pressures lower was the key for me to get about the same handling as the old Pmetric tires. Good luck.
I have the Hankook RF10 E load in stock 18 size and I had the same problem. Front end felt loose and wind had more effect than I expected. Took me a couple of weeks to figure it out. I ended up changing the pressures to 38 front 39 rear when unloaded and 39 front and 50 rear when the fifth wheel is in tow. My pin weight is lighter (1300#) than yours. When weighing the set up I found that only 40# was transfered to the front axle so I keep the front pressure about the same, maybe a pound or two more. Others have found that no weight is transfered to the front when the fifth wheel is loaded. Keeping the front pressures lower was the key for me to get about the same handling as the old Pmetric tires. Good luck.
I think you pretty much summed up what I wanted to hear. I have a long trip over the weekend and will adjust the air pressure to see if it helps.
Thanks for the confirmation. It looks like some tires are more subseptible to this problem than others.
Toyo open country AT 275/65 18 E rated and they are much firmer than the previous C rated tires i had.
What pressure did you have when towing? Any E rated tire should be more stable than P unless you went with some mud tires then the blocks would cause an issue.
My first post has all the air pressures loaded and unloaded. I noticed that you have the 8' box. Maybe that makes a difference also. If I ran your pressure when unloaded, I would still float everywhere on the highway. 40psi all around seems to staybilize things when unloaded.
I have the Hankook RF10 E load in stock 18 size and I had the same problem. Front end felt loose and wind had more effect than I expected. Took me a couple of weeks to figure it out. I ended up changing the pressures to 38 front 39 rear when unloaded and 39 front and 50 rear when the fifth wheel is in tow. My pin weight is lighter (1300#) than yours. When weighing the set up I found that only 40# was transfered to the front axle so I keep the front pressure about the same, maybe a pound or two more. Others have found that no weight is transfered to the front when the fifth wheel is loaded. Keeping the front pressures lower was the key for me to get about the same handling as the old Pmetric tires. Good luck.
Interesting...............Thanks for sharing.
I've always run the fronts higher when towing, but maybe next trip i'll try your approach.
Maybe I'm just ham-fisted, and don't feel what's going on, but the BFGs T/A KO's seem to not change much in terms of handling whether I'm running 40 or 55 PSI.
I keep changing a little bit by bit to see if there is a sweet spot, where it feels "perfect" and 40 front whether towing or not, 38 rear empty/ 50 towing seems to be about as good as it gets. The only time vsc and so on kicks in is if my foot develops a bit of lead in it, that can make the tail a bit squirrely, otherwise not so much.
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Radiant Red 2007 Double Cab Limited w/Graphite Leather Interior
Factory Nav, Sonar, and 10 spkr 440W JBL stereo with Sirius (sweet) Cold Weather Pkg and Block Heater. Brushed SS Stepboards,
Tires: BFG All Terrain T/A KO LT265 65 R 18, Diamondback Tonneau Cover.
Curt Front Receiver, custom 8" extension, & Warn 8000lb winch back/front mountable,
Tekonsha Prodigy Brake Controller DSP 16,000 lb 5th wheel hitch Firestone Ride Rite 2445 Air Bags
Nitto Terra E-Rated and Towing 5er
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