forest river 2014 Flagstaff - Tire Information and Safety; Tire Safety Basics; Finding Tire Pressure and Load Limits

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Tent Camper Owner’s Manual
Tires
Your camper tires play an important role in the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. To ensure good tire life, check
your tires oen. Inspect the general condition of the tire, as well as the air pressure. Always check the air pressure
when the tire is cold. Tires that are hot from traveling will show higher pressure. e correct tire pressure and the
load carrying capacity of the tire is imprinted on the side of each tire sidewall. Remember that the air pressure in
your camper tires will not be the same as the pressure in your tow vehicle tires. Always inate camper tires to the
correct pressure. Do not over or under inate. Under inated tires will run hot, shortening the tire’s life, and de-
creasing the camper’s safe load limit.
Tire safeTy
Use the following information to make tire safety a regular part of your vehicle maintenance routine.
safeTy firsT-basiC Tire mainTenanCe
Properly maintained tires improve steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your vehicle. Under
inated tires and overloaded vehicles are a major cause of tire failure. erefore, to avoid at tires and other types
of tire failures, you should maintain proper tire pressure, observe tire and vehicle load limits, avoid road hazards,
and regularly inspect your tires.
finding yOur VehiCLe’s reCOmmended Tire pressure and LOad LimiTs
e tire information and vehicle certication label contains information on tires and load limits. ese labels indi-
cate the vehicle manufacturer’s information including:
• Recommended tire size
• Recommended tire ination pressure
• Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR-the maximum occupant and cargo weight a vehicle is designed to carry)
• Front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR-the maximum weight the axle systems are designed to carry)
undersTanding Tire pressure and LOad LimiTs
Tire ination pressure is the level of the air in the tire that provides it with load-carrying capacity and aects the
overall performance of the vehicle. e tire ination pressure is a number that indicates the amount of air pressure,
measured in pounds per square inch (psi)-a tire requires to be properly inated. (is number is also expressed in
kilopascals (kPa) which is a metric measuring system used internationally).
Vehicle manufacturers determine this number based on the vehicles design load limit which is the greatest amount
of weight a vehicle can safely carry and the vehicle’s tire size. e proper tire pressure for your vehicle is referred to
as the ‘recommended cold ination pressure’.
Tire pressure should always be measured when the tire is ‘cold’ to get an accurate measurement. A cold tire is one
that hasn’t been driven on for at least 3 (three) hours. As you drive, your tires get warmer causing the air pressure
within the tire to increase. erefore, you cannot get an accurate measurement of tire pressure unless the tire is
cold.
CheCking Tire pressure
Because tires are designed to be used on more than one type of vehicle, tire manufacturers list the ‘maximum per-
missible ination pressure’ on the sidewall. e number is the greatest amount of air pressure that should ever be
put in the tire under normal driving conditions.
It is important to check your vehicle’s tire pressure at least once a month for the following reasons:
• Most tires naturally lose air pressure over time.
• Tires can lose air suddenly if you drive over a pothole or strike the curb when parking.
• With radial tires it is usually not possible to determine under ination by visual inspection.
For your convenience, purchase a tire pressure gauge to keep in your vehicle.