AIRING DOWN ?

[Stevel Knievel]

Hello
I am a novice Jeepster and wanted some guidance for "Airing Down" my tires for off road adventures

Any insight is appreciated...

What is a good and recommended PSI range to air down to for the best off road performance ?

Is there a "Too Low" PSI value ?

I've been airing down to: 25 rear / 23 front

My Jeep:
JL Rubicon 4xe
33" x 12" BFG A/T KO2 36394 tires
with 17x8.5 Method 305NV wheels

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[Reinen]

You're not bad where you're airing down to. It's a very safe PSI. Softer but unlikely to break the bead. It's not a bad place to be. If that works for you, keep on doing it.

Some will tell you to go lower, which is fine until you pop a bead or bang the wheel on a sharp rock and you'll need the means to fix that. But IMO, if it ain't broke don't fix it. If you're happy at that PSI, it's the right thing to do.

 

[wibornz]

It depends on the terrain and how you drive. My rule of thumb is with a normal wheel, 12 psi is the lowest I will typically go. This is for slow rock crawling or sand. On sand I may even go down to 10 psi. 15 psi is a pretty safe all around pressure. Give a great ride off the road on rougher terrain. Still keeps the side wall a little stiffer if you do click along.

 

[dchemphill1]

I run between 15-20 on non beadlocks. 15 is for sand. You will find the right comfort level.

 

[rcadden]

I go to 17, personally. 33" KO2s on the 17" Rubicon wheels.

 

[Matanzas]

19, 17, 17, 18 - I can never get all 4 tires exactly the same

 

[americonium]

19, 17, 17, 18 - I can never get all 4 tires exactly the same

I believe you're looking for something like this.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

Staun deflators and run the 35 KO2S on stock wheels at 15 when offroading.

We are on an offroading trip right now and I forgot the Stauns so having to air down 1 tire at a time, with the ARB guage, like a peasant.

 

[MerPinXEss]

Definitely get the deflators…on a c tire I started at 20, but didn’t really feel like I got the rock crawling benefits(sidewall flex/traction) till I tried 15. Still unsure about being below that.

 

[Mos.Jeep]

Just ran several hundred miles in Moab and San Rafael swell area at 16.5. As the days heated up they would settle in around 18 or 19. Had no issues from sand to rocks and severe washboards. I chose 16.5 to start as this is what my stain deflators came calibrated at.

 

[Ratbert]

I'm fairly sure your Method wheels are explicitly designed to let you run at near-beadlock pressures.

With my stock Rubicon (33s) I'd lower to about 15 on challenging trails. Now I'm usually going down to 12 or 13 with my 37s on tougher trails.

Risks of going too low:

• Tire comes off the bead. Re-bead it or put on your spare.
• You're going too fast into an obstacle and damage the wheel.

Benefits of lowering pressure:

• Significantly more traction.
• Less likely to get a puncture. Think about an inflated balloon at max pressure versus one with very little air in it.
• Much more comfortable ride. If you also disconnect your sway bar then your spouse will be more likely to want to go Jeeping again!

 

[Stevel Knievel]

Hey Thanks Everyone !
Thanks for all the tips and info
Rock on !

 

[SadRobot]

19, 17, 17, 18 - I can never get all 4 tires exactly the same

I have the Staun deflators and even though I set them all to 15 I always get (13, 15, 15, 14) or some variation of that. Then by the time I'm done wheeling they're at (17, 17, 16, 15). Drives me insane lol

 

[Mx5red]

Those KO2s are E rated, stiffer than the stock C rated. You would definitely see an improvement in comfort going lower to what others have suggested.
Shoot, some people run their tires at 24 (more so 28-32) while on-road. How high do you usually run??

 

[txj2go]

I'm usually around 19 or 20 with 33" KO2. After reading about the possibility of popping off the bead I haven't been brave enough to go less than that. If I was stuck in sand the first thing I would do is start going a lot lower.

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