When NOT to air down?

[dcmdon]

Speed is another factor. If you are off-roading and expect to sustain substantial speeds with tight cornering you do not want to be running 15psi.

This is why trophy trucks are typically around the 28-35 psi range.

If you have a reliable way to air back up and you will be navigating slow rock gardens or slippery surfaces I would say airing down is almost always an advantage. Especially in the comfort aspects.

@TwelveGaugeSage this 100% we need more skinny tire options. I am running the 35x10.5 Kenda’s and love them.

This. Plus one other point.

If you are running tires without a very tall sidewall you can't air down as much for fear of pinching the sidewall.

TFL did a review of the Range Rover Defender with its 60 series tires. In one trail they popped 2 tires by pinching the tire between a rock and the rim. They were aired down too low for the tires they had.

The same could be said of someone who dared to take a High Altitude off road with its 20" wheels and 55 series tires.

As a point of comparison the Hi Altitude's tires are 275/55s. Which means that the sidewall is
275 mm x .55 = 151 tall.

In contrast, a Jeep with 315/70s has a sidewall that is (315 x .70) = 220 mm tall.

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[Jefe1018]

FWIW, I've only ever aired down once in the mountains around my parts and that was because of snow with ice beneath it. Otherwise, even before the Rubicon with all the lockers and doo-dads I never really felt the need. My kidneys would have likely thanked me then, but otherwise never been stuck.

The only situation where I would likely air down are in sand dunes, which I don't end up in on purpose ever anyways.

I've also never had an air compressor worth a darn, so there's that too.

 

[DocMike]

Yep. Ever see a Drag tire at launch?

NHRA Drag Race Tire Wrinkle in Slow Motion | Top Fuel and ...YouTube · Goodyear · Jul 10, 20201:02


I air down when I go off road. But I have an ARB twin so airing up is cake.

Coming from a track background even "race cars" air down before events, compared to daily driving pressures. (Not nearly as much as offroad youtube videos have me believing)

 

[FitfulGoat]

Speed is another factor. If you are off-roading and expect to sustain substantial speeds with tight cornering you do not want to be running 15psi.

This is why trophy trucks are typically around the 28-35 psi range.

If you have a reliable way to air back up and you will be navigation slow rock gardens or slippery surfaces I would say airing down is almost always an advantage. Especially in the comfort aspects.

@TwelveGaugeSage this 100% we need more skinny tire options. I am running the 35x10.5 Kenda’s and love them.

I'm so torn on those. I like the look, I'm just not sure how I feel about going to a 34" R/T as opposed to a 35" M/T.

I was considering the same things but most major brands are closer to 34” than a true 35”. My Kendas measure an 8th inch taller than a Buddy’s new KM3 MTs.

the MT vs RT for me made sense as I’m not in true mud nearly enough to need the extra lug spacing.

 

[NC_Overland]

I never thought about airing down for snow. I never did it once in CO or in the NC mtns. I do air down almost every time I drive on the beach.

 

[TwelveGaugeSage]

I was considering the same things but most major brands are closer to 34” than a true 35”. My Kendas measure an 8th inch taller than a Buddy’s new KM3 MTs.

the MT vs RT for me made sense as I’m not in true mud nearly enough to need the extra lug spacing.

How do you think they would do rock crawling?

 

[Jefe1018]

I never thought about airing down for snow. I never did it once in CO or in the NC mtns. I do air down almost every time I drive on the beach.

Not sure if you were referring to my post, but here is some reference for the only time I’ve done it. Fresh powder with ice beneath it. We were moving a few feet at a time.

 

[NC_Overland]

Not sure if you were referring to my post, but here is some reference for the only time I’ve done it. Fresh powder with ice beneath it. We were moving a few feet at a time.

I don’t remember who’s post it was, but I like your Xterra. I had a Silver 2010 several years ago. It was a really good vehicle for me and I like that rear bumper. I didn’t do a lot of snow wheeling. I had a super scary experience on a shelf road when I ran into an unexpected snow storm and I was done. I wasn’t sure if we were going to make it off the mountain that day.

 

[JT Thomas]

If I’m going out for a day of wheeling, I air down every time. It smooths out the washboards, cushions the bumps and provides a lot more traction.

If it’s a short trip down a dirt road or just playing around for a bit I probably won’t, only because it’s a hassle for a short trip.

I’m really surprised after all these years that CTIS (Central Tire Inflation System) hasn’t been an option, at least on the Rubicon. We had it in some of our Army trucks in the 90’s and it was awesome to air down, and up, with the push of a button.

This!

 

[sass JT]

Well I don’t like to “air down aka toot” while on a dance floor… it really clears the laides out and everyone frowns… oh wait… your telling me this is not pertinent to the thread… oh okay… just don’t air down while driving… the wheel spinning makes it really hard to tell via the air gauge.

 

[FitfulGoat]

How do you think they would do rock crawling?

I’ve used them aired down to 15 psi on the Alpine loop including some of the red rated trails but everyone’s definition of rock crawling varies. They performed well with no group issues. Another big plus was I didn’t have any chunking in the rubber.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I never thought about airing down for snow. I never did it once in CO or in the NC mtns. I do air down almost every time I drive on the beach.

Don't. All experts - real experts, know that skinny tires do best in snow. There's a lot of tire articles out there that talk of this. Tall and skinny are much better than wide tires in snow (that is if all else is equal)

Do for sand and a lot of irregular rocky surfaces as the tire will walk over the rocks better like you gripping with a hand, the tire will sort of "wrap" smaller rocks and go right over them.
But for snow - you'll never find an expert talking of lower pressure or wider tires being better for snow.

 

[TwelveGaugeSage]

Do for sand and a lot of irregular rocky surfaces as the tire will walk over the rocks better like you gripping with a hand, the tire will sort of "wrap" smaller rocks and go right over them.

This is why skinny tires tend to be better on rocks too. Same weight over a smaller contact patch causes the tire deform more around the rock surface. Lowering the pressure in the tire enhances this because even though you are increasing he size of the contact, the lower pressure allows for even more deformation. My old 33x10.5 KM2s were amazing in the Arizona and Colorado rocks at 5-10 PSI.

 

[Fouts]

Don't. All experts - real experts, know that skinny tires do best in snow. There's a lot of tire articles out there that talk of this. Tall and skinny are much better than wide tires in snow (that is if all else is equal)

Do for sand and a lot of irregular rocky surfaces as the tire will walk over the rocks better like you gripping with a hand, the tire will sort of "wrap" smaller rocks and go right over them.
But for snow - you'll never find an expert talking of lower pressure or wider tires being better for snow.

Thats not entirely accurate. Not sure what experts you are talking about but if you are off roading in the snow, wider is better. I am not an expert and apparently neither are you but when up in the snow the guy with the biggest, widest tires aired down to 5lbs pressure is in the lead. Have you noticed the contact patch on a snow cat.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Deep snow wheeling, we air down. This is in Michigan. You have to or you will be stuck.

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