Tire pressure for rocky/mud trails ?

[Fb73]

Hi guys,

I've done some reasearch on this board about tire pressure but it mainly talks about sand...
Unfortunately we don't have that much sand here but mainly rocky trails, the kind of trails that shake your bum like hell, with treacherous rocks awaiting to tear some fancy 35" tires if you don't pay care...

Today I was running tires at 37-39 PSI, how low can I get safely for the tires ? Traction was fine, I guess the ride would be smoother at lower pressure (?), was a bit concerned on high speed trails about how the tires were handling these rocks

Any advice is welcome

 

[The Car Stereo Company]

a lot of desert stuff guys run 25-30 psi.

 

[Humvee21]

If traction is not an issue I would assume you would want to keep maximum ground clearance for the rocky stuff not to bang up your undercarriage.

 

[TiFJ]

Traction can be an issue in rocks (and will be if they are large enough to contact the undercarriage) and reduced pressure will result in more traction, more control and a more comfortable ride.

The change in ride height will be negligible and the increase in traction and control gives you a much better chance at avoiding damage IMO. If the .5" of ground clearance is your go / no go decision maker then I'd say you're already in trouble.

I wouldn't go much under 22 psi or so to avoid losing a bead but 25psi is where I would start.

 

[Chavante]

Hi guys,

I've done some reasearch on this board about tire pressure but it mainly talks about sand...
Unfortunately we don't have that much sand here but mainly rocky trails, the kind of trails that shake your bum like hell, with treacherous rocks awaiting to tear some fancy 35" tires if you don't pay care...

Today I was running tires at 37-39 PSI, how low can I get safely for the tires ? Traction was fine, I guess the ride would be smoother at lower pressure (?), was a bit concerned on high speed trails about how the tires were handling these rocks

Any advice is welcome

I live in the High Rockies(live at 10,200 feet) and most trails are slow low gear rocky and I have never dropped pressure.... the shocks do the work and then when you get out on the easy non rocky offroad mode ripper.... you can slash!

Lowering psi other than sand makes ZERO sense to me.... not a low gear fan but done alot of trails up here, St Johns, Deer Creek, Mosquito Pass, etc.... no issues, the Raptor handles biz....

 

[All The Way]

Ive run 20-25 psi... it will make life better. You will also find the BFGs tend to load up in mud but airing down helps with that, to a point.

 

[Fb73]

Well 25 PSI is quite low I find, gonna give it a try around 25-30 PSI and see how it feels.

Running 20-25 PSI on soft terrains like sand is OK for me, but it feels very low for hard trails if i tend to reach high speeds over 60-70 mph, these trucks are really willing to speed up, I'm amazed by suspensions works on fast trails...Just need to grow some balls and step it up a notch !!

 

[PropDr]

A sharp rock that could cut your tire at 40psi will be no problem at 25psi!