If you guys have a tire pyrometer you can get a pretty good idea of inflation and alignment issues. An infrared gun will work also, just not as good. If you use an infrared gun, try to get the temps in the centers of the grooves. You want the temp closest to the core, not the tread itself.
For those of you with Ford Twin I Beam suspensions, ride height is very important since the camber will change quite a bit with height. If you check your tire temps and one of the inside or outside edges are way hotter, that means the camber is off. If both the inside or outside edges are hotter, that means the pressure is off. Hotter in the centers means you're running too much tire pressure. Hotter on the edges means not enough pressure.
If your front end is sagging, you'll end up with temps on the inside of the front tires reading hotter. Get the front end up higher with airbags or shims and you should be able to get even temps across the entire tire. (Assuming the alignment has already been done and maximum caster has been dialed in.)
Soooo, for the OP, if you check your tire temps IMMEDIATELY after running on the freeway for awhile and the temps are even across the tire, 55psi is ok. If both the inside and outside edges are hotter than the center, then 55psi is too low.
Just a thought. Tire temps tell a LOT about how the vehicle is working. Checking them properly and getting consistent readings is the secret. If you learn how to do it right, all of this guesswork on what tire pressures to run can be done a little more accurately.
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