4 hi and tire pressure

Hi all. First off I conducted an extensive search here and on internet and just aint finding what I need. Im new to 4x4 just got a 2017 off road 4x4 and want to hit Cleghorn. Gonna stick to fire road and maybe do an off shoot here and there but am a begginer.

Should i be in 4hi on fire roads or stick to 2wd? And are you all dropping air pressure for this or just when doing moderate off roading and climbing ect is when i need to worry about it. Is there a simple air down chart for different driving conditions you have found. Thanks!

 

Talked to my neighbor on way out who has a noce jeep said 4hi is cool to use anytime off pavement and dirt roads wont hurt the binding etc so guess ill break it in today

 

Yea you're fine with full pressure on dirt roads. You really don't need 4hi or 4lo unless you are at a loss for traction. That being said Toyota recommends 10miles of 4wd driving a month to keep things moving and lubricated. So might as well turn it on.

 

Personally I'd stay in 2wd doing fire roads/gravel roads. You would be surprised what you can do in 2wd. Things get knarly then 4wd is handy.
Airing down will help the ride on washboard and give you more traction
28 psi is good start.

 

I run 4 hi pretty much anytime I hit dirt roads if I need to run it for the monthly lubrication/maintenance. I make sure I use it monthly to keep it ready for when i actually need to use it. Otherwise I run in 2wd until I run into traction loss, I usually forget that I never put it in 4wd.

 

I wouldn’t get out of 2WD until you notice the tires slipping. After that, tire pressure is up to your discretion. The lower you go, the more chance you’ll have a chance of poppin a bead; so drive less like a chicken with its head cut off and more slow with less tight cornering.

If you want a less bumpy ride on fire roads, I’d say 20psi.

Rock/sand/mud, whatever you really need the traction for, Id day 7-15psi. You just have to be more careful.

It really just depends on how much time you really want to spend on airing up your tires.

 

Airing down helps immensely for comfort. You wouldn't need it for traction, but I would do it anyways for the comfort aspect. If you're cruising the fire roads at 30-40mph, I'd drop it down to 20-22 psi.

 

I just changed out my tires on my Gen 3. I got a good deal on Bridgestone AT Tires 265/75/16. I checked my tire pressure on my HUD. It was sitting at 28 PSI. The door frame says 30 PSI for the stock tires. I always have ran 35 PSI and that is what the dealer set them at (experts???, I'm not wanting to debate that here)

What should I be running at on road tire pressure?

 

Google the "chalk test". It's the only way to know for sure.

 

Like it. We did something similar to C-130's when I was in the Air Force. We aired down for dirt strips. We did the chalk test in the first plane to set fro the airstrip. Funny the things that you forget.

 

Ran 4hi most of the trip just to break it in. Switched to 2wd and slipped a few times so just put back in 4hi Nothing crazy today saw some jeeps doing some pretty steep rock climbs that amazed me. Took two small off shoots in 4lo for practice. Didnt get to try out the mts or crawl yet.

 

Where is that? Looks like Riverside Co.

 

Cleghorn exit 129 on 15 freeway at bottom of cajon pass. Almost got cremed by several atv, dirt bikers and side x sides hauling ass one stopped after sliding about 5 feet from me had to change my shorts

 

Honestly, it never hurts to use 4hi on fire roads. Like others have said, it's recommended that you use 4wd at least once a month.

I personally determine 2wd/4hi depending on how i want to drive the road. If i wanna be aggressive, i use 4hi. If i'm cruising, 2wd.

 

There are a couple Youtube channels you might want to check out that will give you loads of information.

I mostly watch two.

One is 4X Overland and the other is Ronny Dahl.
https://www.youtube.com/user/4xforum

4X Overland's overland workshop will have more info on what you're looking for https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdZBtPD_yK0_MMlPJdBqi_4YlAGjAQluN

And Ronny Dahl has loads of good info.
https://www.youtube.com/user/RonBacardi666

For airing down experiment and see what works for you.

I head to Baja once a year. Last year we did about 800 miles of dirt in 6 days. On the highway I run 40psi in my 255 85 16 Maxxis BigHorns. On dirt in Baja I ran them at 28psi. The roads aren't super rough but you lessen the chance of puncture, get more traction and comfort with less air. The downside is that you use more fuel and the truck doesn't corner as well. I find, for me, 28 psi is the sweet spot. We stayed on dirt for the whole 6 days. I aired down twice and aired up twice. This year I'm going for 16 days..I'll probably stay at 28psi for almost all of it.

When I go rock crawling I go down to 12psi...loads and loads of traction and flotation. The downside is the tires bulge and the bulging bit might want to snag on a rock and tear a sideway.

 

I watch the same ones. Great resource.

 

I air down on forest service roads all the time just for comfort. Bumpy roads become more bearable.

As for 4H. As others said 2H will get you most places. I only engage 4H if the trail is really steep, rocky (crawling over lots of exposed rock) or muddy/slick.

I tend to use 4LO for steep descents to prevent brake wear or when actually rock crawling.

 

I started donating $1 per episode to each one. The only thing is Andrew was posting new episodes like mad for awhile.

 

Yeah I ran into that issue with Ronny when I first became a fan, had to cap my support to 10 bucks a month.

 

That's a good idea.