bajabum
Nomad
Posts: 144
Registered: 9-29-2003
Location: San Diego, Ca
Member Is Offline
|
|
How to soften the ride?
Whats the best tire presure to take some of the sting out of traveling on the wash board back roads? And does airing down the tires make them more
prone to blow outs?
Work is just something I do to keep me buzy between baja trips!
|
|
|
bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
|
|
I like about 20 lbs for most running around. If it's realy roung or sandy I will go down another 5-7 lbs. Hitting sharp rocks at speed will cause
more blow-outs on soft tires than on firm ones. I air back up to whatever, 35 or so if I'm going to be going over very rocky terrain.
Too bad we can't put the air systems on like the HumVee (military) that allows changing the pressure on the go. I saw several bus lines in Sonora and
Sinaloa that had been rigged up with it. Most on rear only, but some on both front and rear. I was a wishin I could do that to my buggy.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
Nomad Baja Interactive map
And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
|
|
TMW
Select Nomad
Posts: 10659
Registered: 9-1-2003
Location: Bakersfield, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
You'll get a lot of opinions on this. But a lot depends on how heavy your vehicle is the type and size of tires, your suspension setup and how fast
you drive. Yes letting air out will cause the sidewalls to bulge and make them more prone to getting cut on the rocks etc. Off road type tires usually
have more sidewall protection such as the BFG TA KO tires. Radial tires have more flex and therefore give more for a better ride. Usually if you go a
little faster the roughness smooths out. But you don't want to go so fast that you lose control.
As to tire pressure I suggest you experiment a little and see what works best for you. I have a 93 Toyota 4x4 with BFGs 31x10.50x15 with add a leaf
rear and heavy duty torsion bars front and Ranch 5000 shocks and I run 30 front and rear loaded and 25 rear unloaded. I have a stock 04 GMC Z71 with
BFGs LT285x75x16 and run 40 all around loaded and 30 rear unloaded. I normally don't air down on either truck but have done so in the sand. I would
if I thought I needed to but I'm usually loaded which cushions the ride. Unless you have a really heavy rig like with a cabover camper, you can run
down to 15 to 20lbs. If absolutely necessary you can go down to 5 lbs to get out of the sand. Just don't make any quick steering changes or spin your
wheels or you could lose a tire and that's not good.
|
|
|
jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Almost every tire problem I have had in Baja
was because I didn't let air out of the BFG's. Sharp rocks rip the tread at high speed (45mph) . 25 lbs rear, 30 front gives you a great ride and
lessens the chances of rock rips whether I am loaded or unloaded on the washboard and other not so perfect roads of Baja.
|
|
|
pappy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 679
Registered: 12-10-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
typically 15-20 lbs. 10 more or less for sand.
|
|
|
jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
I never noticed a problem
with the door handles but for long hauls over washboard roads, 15 lbs is asking for trouble. Sandy washes or beaches ok but those same rocks that
puncture can also dent a rim.
|
|
|
woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
|
|
exacto
on the way into san jaunico (north road) in may i hit a sharp rock and punctured the tire. didn't even realize it until my son blurted, "hey dad, i
think you gotta flat". my stock steel rim was dented and i didn't want to use my spare until i had to-so i plugged the tire, aired up and am still
rolling on it 7 months later (w/ new tires).
|
|
|
jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
BallPeen (sp) hammer
on every one of my rims on almost every one of my vehicles. The damn bamboo hauler has nice aluminum rims which have absolutely no place off road.
Bummer!!
If anyone wants to trade just about any 15" or 16" rims for these, I'm lookin.
|
|
|
Tio Rocky
Nomad
Posts: 176
Registered: 6-30-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
|
|
Funny I saw this
Heading up to San Diego tomorrow for Turkey day?.. and was thinking of letting some air out today?.. when I purchased these tires about six months ago
I was told the recommended pressure was ?60lbs??(Class D tires)... I said, no way, bring it down to 50lbs?. Every since then the smallest pebble or
line in the road feels like I just went over a jump and had a hard landing??.
Going out right now to bring it down to 25lbs??..
Baja Events
|
|
|
jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Rocky
Unless you are taking a dirt road to Thanksgiving, 25 lbs is not good on the pavement.
If you lower from 50 to about 40lbs you will notice a big difference in the ride and your tires will last longer.
|
|
|
Tio Rocky
Nomad
Posts: 176
Registered: 6-30-2004
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
|
|
jrbaja
Your probably right??. AND MORE GAS!!!!
|
|
|
Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
|
|
One thing not mentioned is bigger tires.
If you run the biggest tires that will fit on your front fenders, you can run less pressure for the same carrying capacity. This gives you a softer
ride.
One thing not mentioned is bigger tires. If you run the biggest tires that will fit on your front fenders, you can run less pressure for the
same carrying capacity. This gives you a softer ride.
Less pressure gives more sidewall protrusion, and more susceptibility to sidewall cuts but less susceptibility to tread rupture when hitting a rock.
On my Tacoma/PopTop camper with 32" BFG T/A KOs I run 25 PSI on most dirt/rocky roads and 20 on very bad or sandy roads. I frequently drive home with
25 with no damage on the BFGs.
I have seen high pressure used (some clowns in tire shops put in the sidewall labeled MAX pressure - the suggested pressure is on the tag on the door
sill) on bad washboards shake off front bumpers and also break the spare tire holding cable to leave the spare in the road.
No, it wasn't Mike H.s POT.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
|
|
|
Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
|
|
LIGHT WEIGHT VEHICLES----26 lbs
When I was managing a fleet of 12 off-road 4x4 pickups in the desert, we always carried 26 lbs in the 10;00 x 15 6 ply tires and they worked just
fine in the dunes, in the rocks, or on the hyways. They were comfortable, wore nicely, and we seldom had tire failure. These were full size
pickups, but with hardly any weight in them.
Sometimes we got stuck in the dunes, and then we would drop the pressure down to about 9 lbs. and always were able to drive out. We carried on-board
compressors and put the pressure back up to 26 lbs when out of the sand.
Vehicles fully loaded with campers and stuff take more pressure, but Neal is so right----the bigger the tire the less pressure you can get away with.
I carry 40 lbs in my 8 ply 285 x 75 x 16 tires (BFG KO TA) on my F-250 with 1000lb camper, both on, and off hyway, and they work fine. If I am really
heavily loaded, I will up that pressure to 50 lbs on the hiway so the tires do not over heat from flexing too much, but when I get on the dirt I drop
them back down to 40. Has always worked for me. Barry
|
|
|
pappy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 679
Registered: 12-10-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
tio- those look like godyear mt's.i have the same ones and run 'em at 42 lbs.in all honesty, i have yet to air them down for off road use.
|
|
|
jrbaja
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4863
Registered: 2-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Try a soft sand beach
or sand dunes some time! Oh wait, I was going by your last post rather
than your prior one. Different tires? Vehicle? Alzheimers?
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
