Tire Pressure - Off Road, Low or High?

[SMoaB]

Highway:
60psi front
65psi rear

Offroad:
35psi all round

[Zeta]

Originally Posted by SMoaB

Highway:
60psi front
65psi rear

Offroad:
35psi all round

Ditto


http://www.tomsinclair.net

[daveb]

Used to drop to 35 until the deaver spring packs were installed... now I can go 45 and it is still a softer ride. If I really need traction in sand I'd go further down but for rock 45 is good. My van is over 11K lbs though. It's also nice to air up a little quicker.

[woodbee]

Originally Posted by daveb

Used to drop to 35 until the deaver spring packs were installed... now I can go 45 and it is still a softer ride. If I really need traction in sand I'd go further down but for rock 45 is good. My van is over 11K lbs though. It's also nice to air up a little quicker.

When I air down I usually do it when the tires are hot so if I check my pressures cold it would probably be 45 psi front and 50 psi rear. close to what daveb runs. My rig is just below 11k when fully loaded.

Woody

[Tapatio]

I bought some Trailhead tire deflators and adjusted them to 28 pounds. Their guide says I can safely go down to 20lbs (285-75r 16 E rated @ 10,000lbs). Here is what my BFG tires look like at 28lbs and 65lbs for comparison. I was surprised how little the sidewalls flex.

----------28lbs-----------------------65lbs-----------

[rob_gendreau]

I saw an article recently testing Toyos, BFG AT/KOs and the Hankook RF10. Interestingly, the BFG's sidewall didn't decrease in size at lower pressures as much as the others. Being rather more avid offroaders, this was not seen as a good thing.

Since SMBs are heavy the load range of the tires makes a difference. As does size; in general, bigger is better and you might not have to air down as much as someone in a Jeep. But it's still a good idea; allowing the tires to conform to objects means more traction and less pressure per sq in. Both good. Your sidewalls may be fractionally more vulnerable, but the other factors more than make up for that.

Where I see people with problems is when they air down and then drive like they have street air. That means more tire flex, wearing out the tires, and of course more force on the side if you turn sharp.

And most of us are using tires designed to air down.

Rob