The Best Air Pressure For Off-Roading
Airing down your tires before you hit the trail will provide a more comfortable ride and aid in off-road traction. But how far should you air down your tires? Let’s look at some best practices for lowering your tire’s air pressure.
Why Air Down?
When you’re on the highway, you want to have your tire pressure set at the manufacturer’s recommended air pressure for optimal fuel economy and on-road handling. But when you venture onto the trail, lowering the tire pressure will help with extra traction and a more comfortable ride. This is because your tires will have wider footprints. They will also grab onto obstacles, such as rocks, better. In addition, you’ll have a less stiff ride—something that can be appreciated over long stretches of washboard. Just remember: When you get back to the pavement, you’ll need an air compressor to air the tires back up to the recommended PSI.
What Pressure to Air Down To
There isn’t a single tire pressure that is best for all scenarios. Generally, airing down to between 12 PSI to 25 PSI is OK without a bead lock wheel. However, when in doubt, start higher and air down further depending on your traction.
Some terrain, such as sand, often does better with a lower pressure, such as 12-18 PSI. This is because the wider, flatter tire will provide the biggest footprint and best traction in the loose terrain.
Dirt and rock are often fine with 18-25 PSI, but it depends on the vehicle. Also remember: a heavier vehicle may have the propensity to have the tire to come off the rim easier than a lightweight vehicle. If you have a big, heavy vehicle, you may want to stay towards the upper end of the PSI spectrum. A smaller rig, like a two-door Jeep Wrangler or a Suzuki Samurai, may be able to handle a lower 12-15 PSI without as much worry about slipping a bead.
The bottom line: Stay between 12 PSI and 25 PSI when airing down. Start high, but feel free to experiment with lower pressures within reason depending on your terrain.
How Do I Air Down?
Airing down a tire is easy. You simply take the valve stem cover off and depress the tire’s valve stem core to let air escape. This can be a time-consuming process if done without a special tool, however. Various gadgets, such as an Ironman 4x4 Speedy Tire Deflator, can speed up the process. These tools also display the tire’s pressure to you know when to stop letting the air out.
If you don’t have a Speedy Tire Deflator, there are screw-on manual deflators, which take more time but are inexpensive. If you don’t have any deflator tool, a pen, key, or even a pointy stone can help to let air out of the tires by pressing down the valve stem core. Additionally, you can use a traditional tire pressure gauge to see how low the tires’ pressures have gone.
What About Airing Tires Back up?
After a day on the trail, you’ll want to air your tires back up to the proper inflation level. The best way to do this is by having your own air compressor. Compressors come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and speeds. The higher the CFM (cubic feet per minute), the faster you’ll air up your tires. Ironman 4x4 offers both its compact Air Champ 3.2 CFM 12V portable air compressor and its Pro 5.65 CFM 12V heavy-duty portable air compressor. Of course, the 5.65 CFM version will air tires up faster, but the Air Champ 3.2 CFM unit is smaller. Both will get the job done.
Test The Tire Pressure That’s Right For You
When airing down, try out different pressures to see what works best for your rig and your terrain. Start with a higher PSI and go down. If you have a portable air compressor unit, you can always go back up too. And before driving on the highway, be sure to air those tires back up to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI for the best fuel economy and safety.