Tires for Overlanding: Airing Down for Off-road Conditions
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Presented by Hankook Dynapro Tires:
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Key Considerations When Airing Down for Overlanding:
Inspect your tires before airing down or traveling off-road. Look for cuts, missing tread blocks, cracking, and uneven wear.
Any tire type can be aired down for improved performance in sand, mud, and snow.
For airing down in the rocks, extreme caution should be used with P-metric and passenger car tires to prevent sidewall damage.
Airing down in the rocks is best reserved for LT tires, or units with 2-3 sidewall plies or more.
A good starting point for backcountry tire pressures is either equal to the rim diameter, or half the vehicle manufacture’s recommended tire pressure, whichever is greater.
In extremely soft or emergency conditions, tire pressures can be dropped to half of the above pressure again, but only to get unstuck, and only at low speeds. Avoid sharp turns.
At low pressures and higher speeds, heat will building the tire quickly, so check tire temperatures regularly. Avoid driving on pavement at low pressures.
Lower air pressures also improves driver comfort, particularly over corrugations and impregnated rock.
Airing down does come at a cost to ground clearance, so balance must be considered in the rocks with lower clearance vehicles.
Airing down also increases strain and pressures on the power steering system, so avoid turning the wheel at a dead stop.
Airing down to trail pressures increases fuel consumption, so bring a compressor and air back up as soon as it is time to return to the road.
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Does cargo weight need to be factored in? Still safe to run 80psi tires at 40 psi on a 2500 Heavy Duty pickup with a FWC camper weighing 1800lbs?
As a Tyre Tech for more than 4 Decades , Yes airing down will lengthen the Tread Length But It Will NOT Make the Tread Any Wider than it is Already, And Riding on the Sidewalls Is NOT Increasing the Tread Width, You Guys Always try to say that it makes them wider BUT It Dose NOT, The Tread Patten Can NOT GROW In WIDTH.
Thank you for the feedback and comment.
In general terms (as it varies by section height and construction) 80% of the increased flotation area comes from the carcass length, and 20% from the width.
It is important not to confuse the tread face with carcass width (which also includes sidewall tread on many tire models), as carcass width under low pressures does contribute (although marginally) to increased flotation. This is most evident in snow, sand, and mud. When crossing glaciers, we rely heavily on the increased flotation that comes from the sidewall as well.
You also recommend engaging 4WD early on unpaved roads. Why does 2WD tear up unsaved roads? How does 4WD prevent that?
Great questions. Shifting into 4WD (or driving an AWD) on unimproved surfaces reduces both wheelspin (even imperceptible) and wheel hop by having both pushing (rear axle) and pulling (front axle). Just a way to reduce impact and preserve trails for future travelers.
Scott, dig the watch. what is it?
That one is my dad's vintage Seiko from 1969 (chronograph automatic)
Super awesome piece!!
Important to note, the lower you go, the more ground clearance you loose. Also, not al A/T are ok with running trails at 17psi. Rocky or washboard I don't drop mine below 21 (265/65/17)
What ATs have you found are not rated for trail pressures?
Even better, if a manufacturer publishes tyre pressure data for off-road use, follow those. Michelin publish them for the 4x4-O/R - known also as the XZL - for on-road use, tracks and sand up to 65 km/h (40 mph), and for emergency flotation up to 20 km/h (12 mph). It generally tracks along 65-70% of normal for tracks and sand, and 30-40% of normal for emergency soft. I have the complete table if you want it?
We do love the XZL for all the wrong reasons (grin), and they look fantastic on the Defender 110.
Thanks Scott. Good information to know. I never thought about using the rim diameter as a reference for lowering the tire pressure. I've always just started at 1/2 the recommended street tire pressure.
Thanks for the feedback and for watching
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