Airing down on bad roads?

[richardrocks]

It’s common for Jeeps and other smaller off road rigs to air down on bad roads. How about trucks? Any difference? What’s a safe PSI for A/T3Ws on an all stock XLT for washboarded roads? Also, does it put a lot of wear and tear on tires, generally?

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[Je1279]

For LT tires, I wouldn't go below 40psi (Falken lists load ratings down to 35psi). For passenger tires, I wouldn't go below 30psi. Always remember to air back up once you reach smooth roads. Many of the Jeeps that do technical trails and rock crawling can air down super low due to having beadlock wheels.

 

[Blue]

The only time we air down is when driving the sand dunes as you need flotation, so we air down to 10psi no matter what tire you are running and you dont need beadlock wheels. If your just driving rough dirt roads there is no need to air down

 

[Je1279]

The only time we air down is when driving the sand dunes as you need flotation, so we air down to 10psi no matter what tire you are running and you dont need beadlock wheels. If your just driving rough dirt roads there is no need to air down

Agreed if you are driving dunes at low speed.

 

[Calson]

It’s common for Jeeps and other smaller off road rigs to air down on bad roads. How about trucks? Any difference? What’s a safe PSI for A/T3Ws on an all stock XLT for washboarded roads? Also, does it put a lot of wear and tear on tires, generally?

It makes sense to drop the PSI of tires when heading out on sand for more floatation. On bad road the air pressure should not be lowered as it increases the risk of sidewall damage and a popped bead.

Sidewall damage is more of a concern with the newer tires that are sold as 10-ply "rated" which means they have fewer than 10 plys and so the tire sidewall is more easily damaged by rocks.

Just because people do something it does not mean that they are correct in doing it. Most people follow the crowd and seem unable to think for themselves.

 

[mxwrk]

Well, maybe I’m going with the crowd and not thinking for myself, but here it goes. Airing down is a night and day difference in comfort offroad. I have thousands of miles of off-road experience in many different vehicles and have always aired down. Currently I run a BFG Ko2 at 40 PSI on the road. I’ll drop it to 25-30psi offroad and it makes a world of difference in comfort as well as grip going over rocky terrain. My first trip in this truck I decided to not air down just to see how it handled. I made it about 3 miles before I stopped to drop the pressure. Be careful of your sidewalks (which you should do anyways), always try to drive over obstacles squarely on the tread of the tire rather than squeeze past them, and or course think for yourself

 

[mxwrk]

Also just a side note. There’s no such thing as 6, 8, 10 etc “ply” tires anymore. It’s still used as a descriptor but modern tires don’t actually use that same number of layers of material anymore due to modern tire tech. Instead tires use load ratings. C = “6 ply”, E = “10 ply” yada yada

 

[Captain Chaos]

I air down in sand all the time, just last weekend I was out in the sand dunes, stock 20" wheels and stock tires, aired down to 15 psi and drove everywhere without issue. Been doing it for 20+ years with every tuck I've owned. It worked much better with 15 or 17" wheels, the larger sidewall works better off road.
I would not go that low for rocky terrain, or anything at high speed. 25 psi would probably be fine, keep in mind the tire generates a lot of heat when aired down, due to the increased flex.

 

[ImChris]

Well, maybe I’m going with the crowd and not thinking for myself, but here it goes. Airing down is a night and day difference in comfort offroad. I have thousands of miles of off-road experience in many different vehicles and have always aired down. Currently I run a BFG Ko2 at 40 PSI on the road. I’ll drop it to 25-30psi offroad and it makes a world of difference in comfort as well as grip going over rocky terrain. My first trip in this truck I decided to not air down just to see how it handled. I made it about 3 miles before I stopped to drop the pressure. Be careful of your sidewalks (which you should do anyways), always try to drive over obstacles squarely on the tread of the tire rather than squeeze past them, and or course think for yourself

Absolutely night and day difference. Anytime I have more than an hour or so continuous on dirt roads, forest roads, or trails, I air down. Usually mid 20s to keep things safe, but sometimes low 30s depending on my current payload, terrain type, or speed.

 

[DHBPhoto]

Absolutely air down. I routinely air down to mid-20s for rocky and washboard roads... My Taco liked 25psi w/ BFG Ko2s. My F150 likes 22psi w/ Toyo AT2s. I've never popped a beed and have been running dirt roads like this for 20+ years.

 

[SteveP150]

Absent having beadlocks, I wouldn't go much below 20 for any kind of extended driving. The exception would be needing to get yourself out of deep sand.

 

[Calson]

Dropping tire pressure helps on sand, especially if you are running something with a square edge that tends to dig down in sand. On rocky roads I want the full PSI to protect the sidewalls of the tires.
On bad roads the best approach is to slow down which is easier on the truck and on your passengers.

That is the advantage to having a transmission with a Low-Range capability. I can crawl up a rocky trail with minimal tire slippage. If I do inadvertently hit a rock it is a much reduced impact that is far less likely to damage something. Same applies to crossing a creek where I cannot see what is below the surface of the water.

 

[turbospartan]

Bump. What type of compressors do ya'll have?

I have this Dewalt 20v 160psi compressor, but not sure if it is even worth it if I were to air down from 45+ PSI to 20 PSI for all 4 tires... would it take too long / get too hot?

 

[mxwrk]

Bump. What type of compressors do ya'll have?

I have this Dewalt 20v 160psi compressor, but not sure if it is even worth it if I were to air down from 45+ PSI to 20 PSI for all 4 tires... would it take too long / get too hot?

i use a Co2 Bottle. Air's up my tires from 25psi to 40 psi super quickly. I can support 6-7 trucks airing up per trip before I get it refilled.

 

[Jaylars]

I air down my Cooper AT3 XLTs to about 27-30 and they do fine in most terrain even with a payload. Zero issues with wear and tear. I typically run them at 38 when not towing. I use a Worx 20v portable pump and it lasts 3-4 air-ups per trip. Great thing about this pump, you can recharge the battery in the cab or in your bed for unlimited use. Takes 5-10 minutes max.

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