Airing down for off road fun + Viair question on page 3...

I'll be hitting an off road park next weekend (my first time) and one of the things I've picked up around here is the value of airing down the tires while off road.

Is there some sweet spot for tire pressure while off roading? FWIW I'm running 285/75R16s BFG KO2s.

Thanks in advance...

Steve.

 

Usually around 15-20 is fine for trails. Super soft sand or such you might wanna go down to about 10

 

This

 

Great, thanks.

Just for conversation, at about what tire pressure will the bead break?

 

depends on a lot of different factors but normally lower then 15 with out bead locks the chances to lose a bead are higher. Also the wider the rim the more likely you are to lose a bead.

 

True there are a lot of factors. I have Goodyear MTR's and go down to 10 no problem and in the snow I go down to 5psi and haven't had an issue yet.

OP you have an air compressor?

 

Also depends on what you're doing. You wanna go drift in some dirt, you'll more than likely roll a bead at 10 instead of 20. Just remember the forces you are putting on the tire. Straight up and down force, you can go down to 10 and probably be fine, but if you're pressing on the sidewall or riding on the edge of the tire, you're exerting pressure on the bead and the lower the pressure the greater chance the bead will break

 

I do. Any my trail buddy has a CO2 tank.

Next weekend will be mostly low speed mud and dirt crawling though some woods.

 

In for stuck as crap pictures as it's your first outing. Have a ball

P.S. When in doubt, throttle out.

 

100% for both! I'll actually be a bit let down if we're not pulling each other out of crap all day long...

 

I run the same size ko2's and run at 16-18psi. Works perfect for me

 

What this guy said.

OP, you seem to have the idea, make sure you take pictures and video to post.

 

Is there a good 12 volt compressor available or is CO2 the way to go?

 

CO2 for sure but really depends on how often you air down

 

With CO2 you will also need to deflate your tires and inflate them again at a later date as CO2 will leak though rubber over time

 

12 - 15 psi is usually a good starting point and if you're running bead locks you can go down to single digit pressure

 

Convert your AC compressor into a air pump !!

 

Any parts store or hardware store 12vdc air pump will do the trick on getting air back in your tires. A CO2 bottle will do it faster. As for the gasses permeating through the rubber, all gas will, just at different rates. That's why you should check tires pressures at least once a week, or when the dummy light comes on.

 

Rubber is permiable by co2. Fact.