QuestionI just bought a 2008 1500 Silverado with a 4" lift and Cooper tires: DISCOVER SST M+S 35X12.50R 18LT. There is no information in the truck on these tires. Is it possible for you to give me a proper pressure from this information? Also they look like re-treads. They do not look like solid tires. It looks like the tread has been cut off and new tread glued on. Thank you.
AnswerErik Paul,
On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the 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.
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 copywrite 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.
