Wildomar OHV, Newb question--Need to Air Down?

[Reefed]

Hey all, first post here and looking forward to meeting some of you all on future runs/meetups!

I am picking up my JLUR from Rob in San Juan Capistrano this Friday and plan to go straight to Wildomar OHV with my friend in his TRD Pro. We are both fairly new to off roading, though from what I've seen in photos and videos, Wildomar trails shouldn't be too difficult and good for beginners like us.

Do you think we need to bother with airing down? Neither of us have an air compressor yet and ideally would rather not.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

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[Ruby Mike]

Welcome to the wonderful world of jeeping. My personal preference is to air down when the tires hit the dirt. Your ride will be a lot better as well as increased control. I highly recommend get a decent compressor before you go out. I have the Viair 450P and it works great. Also a deflating tool, like ARB or similar. My 2 cents and I am sure others will comment.

 

[Moto_21]

Hey all, first post here and looking forward to meeting some of you all on future runs/meetups!

I am picking up my JLUR from Rob in San Juan Capistrano this Friday and plan to go straight to Wildomar OHV with my friend in his TRD Pro. We are both fairly new to off roading, though from what I've seen in photos and videos, Wildomar trails shouldn't be too difficult and good for beginners like us.

Do you think we need to bother with airing down? Neither of us have an air compressor yet and ideally would rather not.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

like mike said airing down helps tremendously, however you will be just fine without airing down. It will just be a little bouncier. Enjoy your new jeep!

 

[HappyJeeper]

Wildomar off road area is not a big place. Very rutted. You will have more fun of the roads around there. Go to Santiago peak. You should be able to get there from Ortega Highway. Then you can come down into Silverado Canyon and exit by Irvine Lake and into Orange.

 

[Reefed]

Wildomar off road area is not a big place. Very rutted. You will have more fun of the roads around there. Go to Santiago peak. You should be able to get there from Ortega Highway. Then you can come down into Silverado Canyon and exit by Irvine Lake and into Orange.

Just checked it out on the map, looks great! Do you know how long roughly that trail takes from start to finish? By the way, our Jeeps are almost twins! Same combo!

 

[Reefed]

Welcome to the wonderful world of jeeping. My personal preference is to air down when the tires hit the dirt. Your ride will be a lot better as well as increased control. I highly recommend get a decent compressor before you go out. I have the Viair 450P and it works great. Also a deflating tool, like ARB or similar. My 2 cents and I am sure others will comment.

like mike said airing down helps tremendously, however you will be just fine without airing down. It will just be a little bouncier. Enjoy your new jeep!

Thanks for the insight! I will be doing my air compressor research ASAP and order! Wish I had done it sooner!

 

[Moto_21]

Just checked it out on the map, looks great! Do you know how long roughly that trail takes from start to finish? By the way, our Jeeps are almost twins! Same combo!

Probably close to 2 hours, depending on speed. It usually takes me around 1:30 from oc to my house in corona

 

[HappyJeeper]

Just checked it out on the map, looks great! Do you know how long roughly that trail takes from start to finish? By the way, our Jeeps are almost twins! Same combo!

Allow more than 2 hours if you pack a lunch and hang out at the peak. Or get out and explore a bit.

 

[Reefed]

Allow more than 2 hours if you pack a lunch and hang out at the peak. Or get out and explore a bit.

Probably close to 2 hours, depending on speed. It usually takes me around 1:30 from oc to my house in corona

Sadly looks like that road from Ortega Hwy to Santiago Peak is closed right now according to the National Forest site. Guess we will try Wildomar out then.

Unfortunately didn't have time to get an air compressor so will just take it easy and see how it goes!

 

[Maverick909]

i would check your air pressure off the lot. dealers like to run the tires up at 40psi. id drop it down to atleast 30psi. and youll be just fine driving on the road with that pressure and still have a bit better ride than it would be on 40psi

 

[Reefed]

i would check your air pressure off the lot. dealers like to run the tires up at 40psi. id drop it down to atleast 30psi. and youll be just fine driving on the road with that pressure and still have a bit better ride than it would be on 40psi

Great suggestion. Already took delivery and didn't end up having time to hit any trails, so will be ordering an air compressor and doing it the right way soon!

 

[KSwilly]

The downside to not airing down is less grip, more possibility of bogging down in mud or sand. For trails rated easy, I find it's typically not needed. I'm running M/T tires, though, and they're great for traction regardless. It's not ideal, but if you run street pressure and do get stuck, it's usually an easy fix to get out by airing down at that point. (as long as you don't mind getting sandy/muddy.)

Another benefit is less chance for damage from wood/rocks that are sharp. An unforgiving tire at street pressure will puncture easier than one at 15psi when doing things like rock gardens.

Obviously, the upside to not airing down is time spent and need for a decent compressor to get back to highway pressure. If you don't have the compressor, and you're facing a long trip at highway speeds to get to a place to air up, you may damage the tires getting there.

My rule is air down for the difficult stuff, or for an unknown trail that has moderate/hard ratings. Well worth it. Doing some easy runs? Decent tread on your tires? Eh, maybe not.

 

[DeborahB]

Does anyone have a recommendation for what psi to air down to? I don’t have bead locks.

 

[Ruby Mike]

Does anyone have a recommendation for what psi to air down to? I don’t have bead locks.

I personally air down to 15 psi. I am still running stock 33 inch tires. Everyone has their own opinion on what is best.

 

[Fsttanks]

Does anyone have a recommendation for what psi to air down to? I don’t have bead locks.

Depends on a few factors. Tire size, the type of terrain you are expecting and your Jeeps overall load out.

A basic rule of thumb for a stock JL/UR start at 20 PSI and go down as needed.

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