Elite 1 Tire Pressures, POLL FOR CURRENT MODEL ELITE 1 ONLY WITH LT TIRES

[DavePhelps]

This is off Toyo's website. Scroll down to page 23 to start LT metric tires for pressure/load ratings.

https://www.toyotires.com/media/pxcjubjs/application_of_load_inflation_tables_20200723.pdf

Dave

 

 

[SeaDawg]

We use 55 to 60 on our older 2008, with st tires. Irrelevant for all the new trailers. Elite 1. Since mine is an older trailer sporting st tires, I won't be responding to the poll.

[DavePhelps]

Yep, I've been setting my air pressure to 60psi in my Elite1 (stock LT tires) for highway driving with no ill effect.
After reading all this, I may air down to 50-55psi for wash-boarded gravel roads where my speed is much slower, maybe even lower?
I think ultimate tire pressure used is a decision one makes based on vehicle weight, speed, and road conditions. Certainly, all the pressures listed in the charts are for normal highway driving and that is a safe and reasonable starting point.

Dave

[Ron and Phyllis]

On deliver day for my Elite I, they told me the pressure was set at 70psi.  I checked and it is.  I'm still determining what I need and want to carry and getting organized after a few trips.  Will camp this week at Mt Pisgah and be without hookups for the first time.  Then I plan to go weigh and reevaluate all this info.  

[SeaDawg]

Split from Elite 2 Tire pressures thread.

[Ron and Phyllis]

Sorry if I'm still on the wrong thread.  I'll eventually figure it out. Elite I's now, to me, seem to be somewhat of a stepchild now of this forum, as it is set up. Please don't take offense, as I've learned a lot from this group, but I've also found, quite a bit, doesn't apply or I've had to modify or adapt to the Elite I.   I called Service today.  I told them that my pressure (Elite I) was set on 11 August delivery at 70 psi.  They told me that they recommended 55-65 psi for " a smoother ride" but that 70 psi would cause no problem.  I was setting up my pressure monitoring system.  I think I will lower to 60-65 based on my weight tomorrow when I plan to weigh for our trip to Mt Pisgah for the next couple of cold nights.

[Mike and Carol]

4 minutes ago, Ron and Phyllis said:

Elite I's now, to me, seem to be somewhat of a stepchild now of this forum, as it is set up. Please don't take offense, as I've learned a lot from this group, but I've also found, quite a bit, doesn't apply or I've had to modify or adapt to the Elite I.

Not really.  Yes, there are more Elite II’s so the conversation trends that way.  Elite I’s are just as important, though fewer in number.  There are differences between the two, but there is a lot of commonality. Don’t feel slighted, continue to contribute as an Elite I owner.  Our senior members @SeaDawg, @bugeyedriver and @ScubaRx all are/were Elite I owners.  You won’t find more knowledge and insight than you will get from them and other Elite I owners here on this forum.  Mike

[Ron and Phyllis]

Thank you, Mike.   I just reached out to SeaDawg about our first trip tomorrow without hookups and it's going to be a cold 29 degree night.   

[Ron and Phyllis]

Thank you, Mike.   I just reached out to SeaDawg about our first trip tomorrow without hookups and it's going to be a cold 29 degree night.   

ScubaRx seems to be an Elite II owner now and bugeydriver a 2008.  Sure would be good to somehow get the newer Legacy Elite owners to comment on this forum, not to imply that we can't learn from the older models, because I am personally "an older model" and know how it is.  

[Mike and Carol]

I agree, it would be good if more new Elite I owners contributed.  Steve (Scubarx) was an original Elite I owner.  He stays in close contact with the factory and is very knowledgeable about all Oliver models.  You should be fine at 29 degrees with the furnace.  Lots of other Oliver boondockers rely on their furnace overnight without issues.  Good luck!  Mike

[Ron and Phyllis]

54 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

I agree, it would be good if more new Elite I owners contributed.  Steve (Scubarx) was an original Elite I owner.  He stays in close contact with the factory and is very knowledgeable about all Oliver models.  You should be fine at 29 degrees with the furnace.  Lots of other Oliver boondockers rely on their furnace overnight without issues.  Good luck!  Mike

👍

[DavePhelps]

So I've had time to consider this a little more, and make a correction to my earlier post.

The Elite 1 has a GVWR of 5000 lbs.
The OEM tires it came with are BF Goodrich Commercial LT225/75-16.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but tire pressure/load ratings seem to be the same between different manufacturers for the same size and type of tire.
So, for the LT225/75-16, its load rating at 70 psi is 2440 lbs. (off the Toyo chart I referenced earlier in this link). This gives a combined load rating of 4880lbs. This is the pressure I have been running these tires with no issue. I misspoke earlier when I said I ran them at 60psi, I do use 70psi, brain fade I guess....

I have not scaled my loaded, ready to travel Oliver, but think that 70psi is a reasonable and safe starting point for highway travel for the Elite 1. I can see why OTT sets them up this way. Once off road, on gravel and traveling at reduced speeds for extended periods, I might lower it down to 60psi. My 2 cents.

Dave

 

 

[ScubaRx]

On 10/3/2022 at 8:49 PM, Ron and Phyllis said:

They told me that they recommended 55-65 psi for " a smoother ride" but that 70 psi would cause no problem.  I was setting up my pressure monitoring system.  I think I will lower to 60-65 based on my weight tomorrow when I plan to weigh for our trip to Mt Pisgah for the next couple of cold nights.

We towed our 2008 Elite 60-70K miles. We always ran our tires at 80 psi because that’s what  Jim Oliver told me to do. 
 

I now know a hell of a lot more about towing. The tires on our Elite II are 12 ply all steel belted and have a maximum tire inflation rating of 95 psi to 110 psi and that would be fine if our Oliver weighed 12,000 pounds. Fortunately, despite the fact that she’s a big ole gal, at “only” about 7000 pounds I can safely run them at 60-65psi, which I do. 
 

Now, that’s for highway use. Only. If you head up something like a rough forest service road or, heaven forbid, decide to drive the 70 miles of washboard into Chaco Canyon or the 27 miles of very bad road out to the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley then please stop and air down. Obviously, you’ll need the ability to re-inflate when you get back to the pavement, so a good compressor and tire gauge is imperative.  If you are unable or unwilling to do this, then just don’t go. 
 

Ignore this at your own peril. If you do, you’ll be tightening, repairing and replacing plumbing, electrical and mechanical stuff for a while. And some of this will be before you even get home. I’ll leave it to your imagination to figure out why I mention these things. 

[John E Davies]

Steve, why did you choose 12 ply tires? That is a head scratcher for me. I have actually considered downsizing to Load D (50 psi max) 15 inch. *For my LE2!* Sorry for the thread drift.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[ScubaRx]

46 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Steve, why did you choose 12 ply tires? That is a head scratcher for me. I have actually considered downsizing to Load D (50 psi max) 15 inch. *For my LE2!* Sorry for the thread drift.

John Davies

Spokane WA

They were the closest thing to the Michelin RIB’s that originally came installed on our Oliver. 

[SeaDawg]

And, as we all know, Steve likes overkill and extra capacity.

No problem with thread drift. 

We haven't had any elite 1 responses, anyway, for lt tires, since I split the topic.

We're still running st tires on our elite. With modern st tires, higher speed rating, haven't had the urge to change out to lt tires.

[leo]

I have LT tires on our Elite I, and run at 70psi.  I've got no deep knowledge on the tires, I run at 70psi based on past info from this forum. 
We've only owned ours for 1 1/2 years so we're running on the tires put on by the previous owner (Michelin LTX).  We've had no problems at 
all, but no rough road traveling (lots of back highways if possible).  And we're still weekend only unfortunately, looking forward to some longer trips.

Might consider the ST tires when we have to change, but that'll be another year or more I think.

And @Ron and Phyllis, glad to have some other Elite I owners around.

[topgun2]

48 minutes ago, leo said:

(Michelin LTX)

Nice tires!

[bugeyedriver]

I currently have Michelin Defender LTX M/S 225/75/16 tires on the ground and an old Goodyear ST 225/75/15 (because 16" tires don't fit well under the 2008 Elite spare tire cover)   The Wonder Egg already sits up high, due to its spring over axle arrangement and 16" tires puts it even higher.  This week, I will be getting 3 new LT 225/75/15s for the trailer.  It will lower the center of gravity just a bit and all tires will be new with a compatible spare on the back.  

With a single axle trailer I don't have the sidewall strain when doing a tight, slow speed hard turns, so beefed up ST sidewall is not required.  Although my highway speed is in the 60-65 MPH range, there was a time where I needed to push it hard for three days at 75MPH in order to make it to a rally on time.  I prefer using LT tires when going that fast and hard.

The Wonder Egg, loaded for travel, tips the scale at 3900 pounds.  I plan to run 60psi cold tire pressure and monitor them with a TPMS system going down the road.  They will usually increase pressure about 5psi during travel.

[Ron and Phyllis]

5 hours ago, leo said:

I have LT tires on our Elite I, and run at 70psi.  I've got no deep knowledge on the tires, I run at 70psi based on past info from this forum. 
We've only owned ours for 1 1/2 years so we're running on the tires put on by the previous owner (Michelin LTX).  We've had no problems at 
all, but no rough road traveling (lots of back highways if possible).  And we're still weekend only unfortunately, looking forward to some longer trips.

Might consider the ST tires when we have to change, but that'll be another year or more I think.

And @Ron and Phyllis, glad to have some other Elite I owners around.

👍

[bugeyedriver]

Well, after more investigation, I've settled on Maxxis M8008 Plus ST205/75/15 radials, with a load carrying capacity of 2150 lbs at 65psi and 2040 lbs at 60psi.  They have a deep aggressive tread which, according to "Tire Hungry",  will "allow sipping and gripping on all weather conditions, including icy, hot/dry, and warm".   It tended to better a competitor with a shallower tread configuration.  I plan to run them at 60psi, cold temp.

They have a speed rating of "N" which is 87mph, although I will still plan for 65mph or less.

Not meaning to hijack a thread about LT tires, but from recent extensive research, it seems that between 2005 and 2008 a lot of ST rated tires, predominantly from China, were experiencing a large number of failures.  This is why I chose to go to LT tires in 2009.   After 2010, "ST" tire manufacturers appeared to get their act together and current ST tires have a much better dependability from their earlier models. 

Having a 2008 Elite, my spare tire cover is not as spacious as the later Elites, so I chose a thinner 205mm tire to ensure fitting well under the cover without rubbing against the fiberglass.

[ScubaRx]

On 10/9/2022 at 7:55 PM, SeaDawg said:

And, as we all know, Steve likes overkill and extra capacity.

Yep, the only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

[DunnYet]

On 10/4/2022 at 7:23 AM, Mike and Carol said:

I agree, it would be good if more new Elite I owners contributed.  Steve (Scubarx) was an original Elite I owner.  He stays in close contact with the factory and is very knowledgeable about all Oliver models.  You should be fine at 29 degrees with the furnace.  Lots of other Oliver boondockers rely on their furnace overnight without issues.  Good luck!  Mike

I promise to post more in-depth stuff about Hull 1030 LE I 🙂

Seriously, working on modifying the excellent Gas Stop post for the LE I shorter propane surround. Will try to contribute to this tire thread with measurements on our trip to the mother ship in a couple of weeks from the Dallas area.

[ADKCamper]

Our late 2018 LE came with LT rated tires - Cooper Discoverer HT3 235/65R16C M+S, Load Range E, max load single axle 3195 lb at 85psi, 28.03" diameter.

When inflated at delivery to 70 psi, we had issues with window shades popping off their clips, cabinet drawers and the bathroom door flying open, and cushions and other loose gear migrating around during travel.

We've settled on 60 psi (cold) for "smooth" travel, and 50-55 psi for slower speed rough terrain travel when needed. Sadly, even the interstates are not necessarily smooth in some locations any more, and upon occasion we've had to slow down below the speed limit to accommodate 😞

Not sure yet whether we'll replace with LT or ST tires when the time comes. We do have newer ST tires (2022 Goodyear Endurance) on our dual-axle boat trailer, which seem to be greatly improved over earlier ST offerings.

[SeaDawg]

On 10/3/2022 at 9:22 PM, Ron and Phyllis said:

Thank you, Mike.   I just reached out to SeaDawg about our first trip tomorrow without hookups and it's going to be a cold 29 degree night.   

ScubaRx seems to be an Elite II owner now and bugeydriver a 2008.  Sure would be good to somehow get the newer Legacy Elite owners to comment on this forum, not to imply that we can't learn from the older models, because I am personally "an older model" and know how it is.  

@Ron and Phyllis, i just saw this, looking at some old posts.

I apologize, but last October I was on Chile and Antarctica.  I missed some pms, I think.

Our older Elite has been fine, with furnace running, bath door propped open, and a bottom drawer and/or hatchbopen, into the teens, at night, if temps get above freezing during the day . Dipping to 29 at night, with furnace on, hasn't been a big deal. With above caveats, and good blankets. 

Again, my apologies.