New to offroading

I just got a 4x4 Taco and when I take it offroad I notice the steering wheel is a lot more sensitive if that makes sense. I mean you can really feel every bump and the steering feels looser. It jiggles back and forth sorta.

Is that normal?

 

That's weird, cause if I take my girlfriend offroad she is much more sensitive also.................

Hey, she also jiggles back and forth!..........

 

lol^^^^^. yeah, its totally normal. its from the rough conditions and slow speed allowing you to ride over and feel every bump rather than have the suspension soak up stuff at high speeds where the harder impacts are absorbed by both tires and suspension. lower the tire pressure to get rid of much of this feeling when off road, just make sure to air up when you hit the pavement again.

 

Gotcha...thanks! I don't know what I"d do without forums like these.

 

handy arent they?

 

That's the reason why you should always keep your THUMBS OUT!!

That steering wheel can snap around and if your thumbs are on the inside of that wheel - that'll gonna hurt!!

 

def. true. i had a john deere gator snap like that when i bumped a rock on the side of a bank and luckily all it did was make my wrist hurt for a few days.

 

You should also deflate you tires to the proper psi when wheel'n most of the time, it won't be as rough and less chances you will have tire problems.

 

What is the proper psi for wheeling? Does it change when wheeling in the winter?

 

proper PSI to air down to is dependent on alot of factors. some that come to mind are:
-tire size. a taller sidewall will protect the wheel and give flex and flotation
-wheel size and type. a large wheel in relation to tire gives a small sidewall and underinflating can let a rock hit the wheel and damage it. too low of pressure can also let the bead seal break and leave you with trouble.
-vehicle weight. a light vehicle will take lower pressure to get the same bulge
-load range of tire. high load range will give a stiffer sidewall and a lower psi will be ok to run.
-terrain. large rocks can hit the wheels and cause damage. in deep mud or deep snow, flotation will be necessary and rocks wont be present to cause damage so lower pressures might be used.
-speed. high speeds, low pressure and turning or sliding can cause a tire to break loose of the bead and cause lots of problems including roll overs and damaged equipment or components.
really, it varies too much from these variables to give an exact PSI.

 

You don't have to air down if you're now comfortable in doing it. It is beneficial that it makes the ride a little softer & can prevent tire punctures on sharp rocks. It does aide in traction too. If you're new to offroading - airing down as little as 5lbs is better than not airing down at all.

As you get more experience and more comfortable - you can air down more.

However - be careuful - you can air down TOO much. When you're on the trail and your tires start coming off the bead, then you're airing down too much. "Too Much" will depend on the overall tire and wheel size. I run 35x12.50's on 15x8 rims on my jeep. We run 30psi street pressure and 12psi on trails. We've never lost a bead yet.

Sometimes you just gotta experiment with the psi until you're comfortable with it at a certain point or you try airing down further and further until you lose a bead - then you'll know (for the most part).

 

Where i go wheelin at is mostly packed dirt and some sand. Im only 2wd so i have to be extra carfull to not get into to much sand. Ive gotten stuck in it before and do not wish to again...ha.
I only air down the rear tires since those are the only ones that have power to them...grrr should have waited out for a 4x4. But when i do air down i get them down somewhere between 10-18 psi.

hope this helps

 

you should try to air down the fronts too. with 2wd and not airing down the fronts, they're just something to dig in the soft stuff and then the rears have to try and overcome them, after all the front is by far the heavier end of the truck. On a 2wd, flotation is very important.

 

hmm I never thought of it that way! I will definetly try doin that next time. thanks