Air down tires ?

[Tinman454]

Noobie question about airing down your tires for driving in soft sand and snow? I have installed 35’’
B.F Goodrich KO2s and was wondering if there are rules and guidelines for what pressure to run in the tires or is it just something you learn over time trying different pressures also i know you can run bead locks for real low pressure but what’s safe for low pressure with out them on ? I have seen a few vids but no one gives a Gide line on what works best.

 

[LeesEvoX]

as you said, the risk of airing down tires is popping the bead. But if just driving on snow or sand, you shouldnt be too worried about that. its more of rock crawling where the tire gets pinched.

the other thing you have to be careful of is the weight of the truck.

On my old power wagon i used to air down to 30R, 35F. this worked for just about everything. i see some people airing down to like 20Psi. but i never tried it. the truck felt way to squishy because of all the weight.

 

[GTyankee]

While driving out in the soft desert sand, air down & drive slow
Let the steering wheel & tires tell you the story
Beach sand is more compacted than desert sand usually

When i lived where it snowed, we ran a fully inflated narrow tire with a tall sidewall

Dialing in Off Road Tire Pressure

A comprehensive guide to off road tire pressures, including the pros and cons to airing down off road, a guide for dialing in the perfect tire pressures for ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Dean2]

Air down in sand, do not air down in deep snow, you won't get floatation or a larger contact patch. It will help though on icy trails. We air tires down to 20 lbs in sand or mud. If there is much rock we don't go under 25. As said above, your vehicle weight has a big bearing as does the fexibilty of your side walls. A Jeep YJ is far lighter than a 3/4 ton so can be aired down more. If you want real low air pressure or run low air for long distances run bead lockers.

 

[wobly]

Rolling around the Colorado Rockies, I usually air down to 20 psi in all 4 tires. That could be anything from trails to rocks to mud, etc. It's a compromise for me of flex, grip and support of the truck. When I go hunting next week on dirt roads that are usually just washboarded, I will probably just air down to 30-35 so I can still drive around town and not have to adjust my tire pressure every day. When towing the travel trailer, I am running 50 psi in all 4 tires.

 

[Keith67]

I run an E load Cooper ST Maxx and air down to 20psi on all 4 tires in sand…and really any other time I want a more comfortable ride off road. Just went up Tincup pass in Colorado (very rocky) and had no issues. Airing down helps float in sand obviously, but also helps prevents punctures from rocks and other stuff.

 

[Daw14]

Don’t be afraid to add weight , it can do wonders for traction on any surface .

 

[Grand Mesa]

Living within the Colorado Rockies I rarely run a higher tire pressure than 37 PSI in my 35's on the Power Wagon. Our high mountain road altitudes increases the tire PSI by 2 to 3 pounds for each 5,000 feet gained, whereas, the temperature changes at higher altitudes impacts the PSI by approximately 1 pound for each 10 degree Fahrenheit change. Some of our local dirt mountain roads are quite rough, narrow, steep, and rocky. The lower pressure is needed to prevent a rock puncture through the 3 ply Load Range E tire carcass. I don't change my tire PSI to adjust for the different road conditions or for the major changes in elevation and temperature.

 

[62Blazer]

You kinda' need to get a feel for your exact application..........driving style, trail conditions, etc.... Other factors include how much time you want to spend airing down and back up, and how low you really need to go to get the job done. A lot of times in sand if you start struggling you can drop the pressure lower and get going again, as long as you haven't sat there spinning the tires and burying the truck to the frame. In regards to deep snow airing down helps in overall traction and flotation also.
Some of the factors I take into account when airing down. Is it mainly for comfort or do I need it for traction purposes. For example cruising down back roads that are just bumpy and rocky, but you may not even need 4wd. Dropping the tires down to 25 psi helps a lot in ride comfort, and I don't have any concern hitting the paved backroads at that pressure when are driving at slower speeds (I'm talking periodic jaunts up to 50-55 mph and not pushing it hard around corners). I'll do that on a weekend get-away around a national park or something where it's a little bit of easy cruising and periodically jumping on some back roads or easier trails. If I do get into anything more serious I can go to 20 psi front and 15 psi rear with no real concerns. I like keeping a little more air in the fronts because of more weight and more lateral stress. I also have a heavily modified K5 Blazer with 40" tires and typically run 8-9 psi in the front and down to 5 psi in the rear tires in all conditions.
If anybody doesn't believe that lower tire pressure helps out traction they need to go experiment some. Go find some sort of steeper hill (grass, dirt, gravel, etc...) with max pressure in the rear tires, and stop in the middle of the hill and try to get going again in 2wd. Then start lowering the air pressure and try it again. I've done that for a few people over the years. With 65 psi in the rear tires there is a grass hill if you stop in the middle of it you cannot get going again, either trying to feather the gas or flooring it the tires will just spin. I'll then drop the rear tire pressure down to 20 psi and you can get going again without even spinning a tire.

 

[HW285PW]

Start with 35 in the rear and 40 in the front so you can comfortably drive on main roads if you don’t have on board air. Work down from there and get a feel for the pressures/ride quality if you do have onboard air or some sort of source.
I run forest roads every day in Colorado for work and I typically run 30 in the rear and 35 in the front on Toyo MT 35/12.5’s which makes for an exceptional ride and I never worry about rolling a bead.

 

[Maligator]

Hwy my tire pressures are 43F 38R
Rock crawling and Sand: 20psi All around
Mild trails: 35F 30R
This is on my 37x13.5 coopers STT pros
Never popped a bead

 

[UTAHPWRWGN]

Don’t be afraid to add weight , it can do wonders for traction on any surface .

LOL...spoken like someone that's never driven in soft sand.

 

[olyelr]

LOL...spoken like someone that's never driven in soft sand.

Or never driven a full size truck that already tips the scales at 8k pounds.

 

[grimmecm]

I was in Carova NC last week and ran 45lbs front and 40lbs rear with no issues. I'm on BFG AT's 37x12.5 (36.4" in real life). That sand is pretty heavily driven on and pack down though.

 

[Maligator]

I was in Carova NC last week and ran 45lbs front and 40lbs rear with no issues. I'm on BFG AT's 37x12.5 (36.4" in real life). That sand is pretty heavily driven on and pack down though.

You really should air down a bit further. It helps to keep the beach from getting all chopped up. If you ever driven up near the dune and it's feels like a washboard and your teeth feel like there gonna rattle out of you head. Well that's from people not airing down far enough and chopping thru the sand.

 

[LugsLeadOut84]

Beaches around me that we're allowed to drive on consist mainly of soft, deep sand (not compacted except near the surf). I would air-down my E-rated BFG's to 25 lbs (I normally ran at 45 lbs) and it did the job. Its really a feel you get for the conditions and type of tires you have. I haven't driven on the beach since I got my new truck because the limited amount of areas permissible to drive on was reduced so it got more crowded, plus the ridiculous fees and constraints for the permit just isn't worth it anymore.

 

[Grand Mesa]

For the Medano Pass road in Colorado the National Park Service in the Great Sand Dunes recommends a tire pressure of 20 psi for the sand.

 

[62Blazer]

Or never driven a full size truck that already tips the scales at 8k pounds.

No kidding. Weight can help when pulling loads on solid surfaces, or on flat icy roads, but that is it. For any other off-road conditions (mud, sand, snow) and climbing hills the lighter the weight the better. I have a friend with a barebones fiberglass body 6 cylinder older Jeep CJ-7 that weighs less than half as much as my Powerwagon. With the same 35" tires and lockers front and rear that Jeep will run circles around the PW in 9 of 10 off-road conditions.

 

[Snacktime]

2-3psi to float on snow.
10-20psi for sand, as low as you can go and not spin the tire on the rim.
15-25psi for off road, slower you go the lower the pressure.
25psi for negative temperature and ice.

My cj secret is 15" wheels and 35s. More sidewall the better. My ram 20 inch wheels are definitely a limiting factor. If you have never popped a bead on a tire you have to much pressure.

 

[olyelr]

2-3psi to float on snow.
10-20psi for sand, as low as you can go and not spin the tire on the rim.
15-25psi for off road, slower you go the lower the pressure.
25psi for negative temperature and ice.

My cj secret is 15" wheels and 35s. More sidewall the better. My ram 20 inch wheels are definitely a limiting factor. If you have never popped a bead on a tire you have to much pressure.

2-3 psi….HAAAAAAAA. I would love to see that with a full size pickup with “normal” wheels and tires. You would be fawked on the first turn or first obstacle.

Just because you havnt popped a bead dosnt mean you run too much pressure. Thats nonsense. More like if you popped a bead you apparently were not running with enough pressure.

Thats my opinion though. I guess we all have a$sholes….