Flat towing tire pressure

[Rut Row]

Do any of you increase the tire pressure to reduce rolling resistance when flat towing? I have two long trips coming up where I'll be dragging my TJ and am looking to get better MPG on my truck. I'm getting 15 MPG towing the TJ with the tires at 26#. When I tow my box trailer at roughly the same weight, I get over 18.

 

[JustDandee]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained… It’s not going to hurt to air them up..wear pattern could be narrower if that matters. Take it for a test spin on one leg at 35psi and see if that moves the needle.

 

[bucky]

Yep experiment with different pressures and see if you notice any changes in economy. I would think higher pressure would only give you more tire load capacity. Lower pressures give a better ride and depending on the side wall stiffness a larger footprint.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I suspect you won't match the trailer since the trailer isn't spinning an entire 4x4 drivetrain, but as they say, the easiest way to lose a pound is to find 16 ways to lose an ounce, and I'm sure the tires would be one of those ounces.

 

[TurboTJ]

My truck camper (F350, diesel, long bed, Adventurer FB26) gets about 10.5 mpg. If I flat tow the TJ behind that it drops to about 10.0 mpg. I don’t think tire pressure will make any difference in my case.

 

[Rut Row]

My truck camper (F350, diesel, long bed, Adventurer FB26) gets about 10.5 mpg. If I flat tow the TJ behind that it drops to about 10.0 mpg. I don’t think tire pressure will make any difference in my case.

probably not! However you can probably tow 10,000# and still be 10.5. My RAM Ecodiesel gets 24 on the interstate and as I mentioned, 15 towing the TJ.