Airing Down
- Thread starter 05 Blue Unlimited
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KennethS
TJ Addict
I run my 32x11.50 Wrangler MTRs at 25-28 on the road. I have aired up to 24 after a trail and drove home at 70 MPH with no issues.
MAX means if you have a 3/4 ton pickup with a bed full of steel scrap, you might need to go that high. On a light TJ where Chrysler said 29 PSI with 30" tires, you should go to lower pressure as you move to bigger tires.
To hijack this thread (sorta), what is the wisdom on driving on aired-down tires on asphalt? We were in the Huron Nat'l Forest last fall and aired down to 18 to help with traction and ride on the washboarded, sandy trails. Since no one had on-board air, we drove about 5 miles into town to air up at the gas station. If we had gone down to 10-12, how far would you be comfortable road driving to get to an air compressor?
I wouldn't sweat 5 miles at 10-12 unless you were screamin down the freeway at 70
... been there, done that. at 18, no worries at all. I've driven 15 miles on the road at 10psi before, 35-40 mph... I mean Not much different than driving on a dirt road at that psi except you have to remember you'll have more wear / tear on the edges of the tread.
I wouldn't sweat 5 miles at 10-12 unless you were screamin down the freeway at 70
We were piddling along at 40, mainly because we could (no traffic), and we were a bit worried about the tires. We're headed to the Silver Lake Sand Dunes area this summer, and they are more set up for this up there. Multiple places to air up within a mile or two from the park entrance.
I do suggest you buy a compressor to take with you though... never know when you might need one when fixing a tire etc. Personally I wouldn't wheel without one.
Mobusaki
TJ Enthusiast
Nice! You can go pretty dang low. It will depend a bit on tire size, I think, but on 31's and now 32's I go down to 10 psi every time I wheel. Never had an issue, just a smooth ride and lots of grip. I think you can go down to 8 psi before you have to start worrying but I'll let others chime in about that. But from personal experience: down to 10 psi should be fine!
20 psi is not really even airing down, you need to be at least below 15 for it to really help. I had a guy on a medium-difficult trail in a shiny nearly new Rubicon and he was having a hell of a time, enough that he was holding up the entire group of 15+ Jeeps, a club I was in at the time. I hopped out to spot him (again) and noticed all his tires were slipping and spinning, he was obviously not aired down enough because none of the rest of us was having that problem. I went up to his window to ask him what his air pressure was... he had to roll it down because he and his wife were wheeling in air conditioned comfort.... it was a hot day. He rolled it down only a few inches, which I thought was odd, and asked him what PSI he had aired down to. He was clearly angered by my question and snapped back "enough" and rolled his window back up. This went on another time or two until I finally got 20 psi out of him. Not even close to being aired down. It took 3 or 4 of us to convince him that his tires would not unseat if he would just air down to 12 psi. He finally (angrily) did and from that point forward he had no problems. And we never saw him again in another club run. It was clear he did not enjoy what we were doing lol.
The moral of that story is airing down enough is important and trust us when we say that you're not going to lose a tire bead by being at 10-12 psi, though even 15 psi will help both traction and comfort on easier trails. And added traction is the main benefit to lower tire pressures, added ride comfort is just a side benefit.
Love your stories Jerry.
Assuming all the recommended pressures <12psi are on non-beadlock wheels?
Off to my first shot at Moab mid-March with some local pals and an 80-something guide who lives there. 2 days only but intend on Hell's Revenge at minimum and take it from there. Same recommendation for the rocks at Moab <12? Cooper Evos 35 x 12.5 x 15 on Vision wheels.
Oh yeah, what's the good stuff to re-bead a tire? Carb Cleaner or such lit on fire or what? Just in case, we all have spares and compressors.
Off to YT.
jack the tire off the ground, pull outwards on the tire to seal the bead to the wheel, add air. all you need. Just keep adding air till it pops into place.
lol "have to break the bead to spray this in there"... if you have to break the bead to do it, why not just air it up?
What size tires do you have? And what Load Range are yours, C, D, or E? And don't forget when I tire manufacturer gives a maximum recommended air pressure, that PSI rating is only valid for when the tire is forced to carry its maximum safe weight, something it won't even be close to when supporting a Wrangler TJ. The correct air pressure for any tire depends on the weight it's carrying.
That is rarely needed and rarely even close to being a good idea. Most think reseating a tire is difficult, it's easier than most think it is and rarely is that technique used by those who know what they're doing offroad.
Most off road tires go back on the bead pretty easy. Usually the most it takes is a strap around the tire. Sand paddle tires can be a pain to get back on the bead.
I have been told starting fluid works well. Don’t use half a can and stand in front of it.
First trip to Moab have fun. Some trails I enjoy. Fins and things, top of the world, poison spyder.
33x12.50r15LT I usually run them at 35lbs. But after this conversation, Im going to run them at 30, maybe even 28
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