Tires: tire pressure, tire placard, z71 silverado

Question
what is the recommended pressure for Cooper Discover on a 2002 Z71 Silverado size 285 75R16?

Answer
David,

Here's my standard answer about inflation pressure.
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On every vehicle sold in the US - and I understand this is a worldwide practice as well - there is a sticker – commonly called the vehicle tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size.  The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.

BTW, it doesn't matter who makes the tire or what pressure is listed on the tire's sidewall, if the tire size is the same as the placard, then the pressure listed on placard is also appropriate.

One word of caution:  Some trucks use tires with the letters "LT" in front of the tire size - and some trucks use tires with the letter "P" in front of the tire size - and some trucks use tires with the letter "C" after the tire size.  You should not use "P"'s in place of "LT"'s and vice versa.

For this situation, you should be sure the pressure on the sidewall equals or exceeds that pressure on the placard.  If you do this the issue about the letter "C" in the sidewall will take care of itself (which is not true with "LT"'s vs "P"'s.)

If you are using a tire size that is different than what is listed on the placard, then the pressure has to be recalculated.  The calculation is not difficult, but it requires tire load tables which are not allowed to be published in the Internet because of copyright laws.  However, I have a copy and would be glad to do the calculation, but the starting point is the vehicle placard: Tire size and inflation pressure.  I will also need to know the new tire size.
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In your case, Tire Guides lists different versions of your truck and they have different tire sizes, you'll need to tell me what the vehicle tire placard says.

Also, I hope you are not using the stock wheels as they are 7" wide and an LT285/75R16 needs to have a minimum of a 7 1/2" rim.  Putting a tire on a rim that is too narrow tends to arch the tread face and that leads to center wear as well as a tendency to follow th ruts and grooves in the highway as well as a sensitivity to cross winds.