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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Thanks for the hot tip bajamatic...now, I can't tell you how many gringos have had blow outs on our road because they REFUSE to air down. even with
brand new, muy expensive tires....they always say..oh it rides just fine with lots of pressure...listen to the locals folks, they drive these roads
daily and know when they say a certain type of rock will puncture your tire if it has too much air. The best suggestion was to air down till it's
looking kinda soft and pancakey...the locals just look at their tires and know...nobody has guages here. Please please believe us when we suggest you
air down....always carry a compressor...the very best way to get out of sand is to let a crapload of air out of your tires and shazzzam...you drive
right out!
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bajalou
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4459
Registered: 3-11-2004
Location: South of the broder
Member Is Offline
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Here's a link to a site that has done a lot of researth on tire pressure and traction
http://www.4x4now.com/sfjun96.htm
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 |
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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Hmmmm....
I've never met a gringo who REFUSED to air down in some defiant, "Americans-are-smarter " way (just as I've never met a Mexican named Shari).
I mean, a couple of times I myself have been like, "Eh, I can make it fine with my tires as they are" but not in any sort of
"I-know-more-about-Mexico-than-the-Mexicans" way. I come accross this attitude a lot, some angry preception that anyone who hasn't been coming to
Baja for 79 years and/or owns a shed near Mag Bay is somehow eager to disrespect local logic. I mean, Mexicans are just people...they know a lot
about some stuff and less about other stuff. I would surely take their advice on which mountain road to choose but might skip out on their
"Maintaining a Germ-Free Kitchen" seminar.
Regarding my advice from Coco, I wasn't like, "You dumb Mexican, I don't need to air down!" I was just asking if his Defcon 5 style warning was maybe
a tad dramatic...just as most people on this board are soliciting simple advice.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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| Quote: | Originally posted by shari
Thanks for the hot tip bajamatic...now, I can't tell you how many gringos have had blow outs on our road because they REFUSE to air down. even with
brand new, muy expensive tires....they always say..oh it rides just fine with lots of pressure...listen to the locals folks, they drive these roads
daily and know when they say a certain type of rock will puncture your tire if it has too much air. The best suggestion was to air down till it's
looking kinda soft and pancakey...the locals just look at their tires and know...nobody has guages here. Please please believe us when we suggest you
air down....always carry a compressor...the very best way to get out of sand is to let a crapload of air out of your tires and shazzzam...you drive
right out! |
I guess my real concern with airing down is the weight of the camper.
It is good to read all of the opinions---we will continue to think about it.
Oh, we bought our first set of BFG All Terrain tires right after a sharp rock by Coco's took a bite out of the sidewall of the original tires on our
Tundra.
Bajalou, that is an interesting site---thanks
Diane
[Edited on 10-12-2006 by jdtrotter]
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: In love!
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Equipment: 850 lb. Phoenix Pop-top camper (dry) with 350 lb. misc. equipment, plus two passengers and one 50 lb. dog on a 2003 Tacoma. This exceeds
the Toyota gross weight limit (which includes passengers and optional equipment).
32x11:50 BFG T/A tires rated max pressure 50 lb. Door jam placard indicates about 30 lb. recommended for the normal 31x10:50 tires. This
recommendation, as always, is for full load, hot day, and high speed.
I run (on my 32's) 30-35 lb. highway pressure, 25 lb. on washboard, 20-25 in soft stuff (rarely 20).
I frequently go home several hundred miles on 25-30 lb. tire pressure with no adverse effect (sidewall cracks, etc.).
The Max Pressure on the sidewall has no bearing on what pressure to run unless your weight is at the associated tire carrying capacity at that
pressure. For example, a BFG 32x11:50 is rated at 50 lb. at 2530 lb. per wheel. I don't have that much weight on any wheel so use lower pressure,
expecially at low speeds.
Neal Johns
Chairman Emeritus
Desert Explorers (100 families in the Barstow Museum 4x4 group)
www.desertexplorers.org
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
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There ya go Neal, your right.
I have a 88' Toyota regular cab pickup shortbed. Bought it new, and put 33" BFG's on it right away. That tire does not know what type of vehicle it
has on it's back. Could be a Crew Cab, or in my case, a Toyota.
For the life of two sets of tires, (130,000 miles) I ran only 20 pounds of air and the tires appeared completly normal. Had I used more air in those
tires over the life of them, they would have worn right down the middle.
So yes, weight of the vehicle versus what the tire is rated for. Just because it says 50 psi, that may not be the correct pressure for your vehicles
weight.
P.S. I run the 50 psi on my crew cab, same sized tire and I get 40,000 miles out of them.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Al G------answer to your question-----
My BFG R285/75x16 load range D are rated at: 3305 lbs @ 65 psi. cold
I have never run them at 65. My max pressure is 50 on the highway, and if not too loaded (no boat on top) I drop that down to 45. I am not heavy
enough for the 65 lbs recommended. 65 psi would cause center tread wear on tires as wide as these. Mine are mounted on 8 " wide rims.
Hope this helps.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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By the way------
-------in my area of S. Calif in Imperial county we ran all our Desert Ranger pickups (full size short bed) with 8" rims and 10.00 x 15 tires (all
diff. brands) at 26 lbs pressure, on or off road, only airing down when in the dunes, or stuck. I insisted that the Rangers do this, regardless of
what their personal preferences were. For the 13 years I was in El Centro this worked just fine on 8 desert patrol vehicles. But remember, these
vehicles were very light as we carried minimal loads. Tire problems were very rare, and mileage on the tires was excellent.
Heavier weights require more air pressure, but not much more.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Hey Joe,
One of the best uses of Fix a Flat is for spiney problems like that. The holes are usually small enough that the sealant works pretty good on them. I
usually carry a can or two, especially if towing. |
Fix-a_Flat got us out of the boonies to GN. We were headed for Guatemala and were advised against driving with the spines in those tires. So we had
them plucked out and repaired. Didn't get all of them though and the driving enlarged the holes around the undetected spines causing further leakage
until all were removed. Those cardon spines were pretty good sized and not too hard to find. Even the fragmented ones.
The whole episode was quite interesting, actually, but this isn't the thread to tell it.
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Al G
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2647
Registered: 12-19-2004
Location: Todos Santos/Full time for now...
Member Is Offline
Mood: Wondering what is next???
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Thanks Barry...This thread is helping to put things into prospective.
Albert G
Remember, if you haven\'t got a smile on your face and laughter in your heart, then you are just a sour old fart!....
The most precious thing we have is life, yet it has absolutely no trade-in value.
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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Warrior...
just curious...those tires you ran at 20 pounds, how much time did they spend on dirt vs. asphalt?
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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Germ-Free kitchen
| Quote: | Originally posted by bigzaggin
I would surely take their advice on which mountain road to choose but might skip out on their "Maintaining a Germ-Free Kitchen" seminar.
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You might be surprised to find out just how clean and germ free Mexican kitchens are.
When you drive by a Mexican home in baja there is an impression of an unkept house. There's a dirt yard. No clean sidewalk leading leading to the
front yard. No cement path leading to the fron door. The front yard is desert dirt. The furniture is attic furniture and not in the best shape.
But a Mexican household is anything but dirty. The women are meticulous in doing their laundry on a very frequent basis and the kids are always
wearing sparkling clean clothes. The dining room furniture is scrubbed after every meal, so much so that you can see the wear on the tabletops
themselves. They're continuously sweeping out their interior. You will seldom enter a dusty house.
They work much harder than Americans in keeping their homes clean. And to a large extent their homes are cleaner. We often confuse poverty with being
slovenly. Anyone who has traveled 3rd world countries extensitvely and outside of the gringo enclaves knows the difference.
[Edited on 10-12-2006 by Skipjack Joe]
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bigzaggin
Nomad
Posts: 441
Registered: 5-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: way too ites
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Why did I know...
this post was coming? WHY DO I BOTHER MAKING JOKES ON THIS BOARD. NOTE TO SELF ZAGGIN: THIS IS A HUMOR-FREE ZONE. DO NOT WASTE JOKES HERE.
Jesus, does everyone on this board live in Central Cal/NorCal or Portland, aka the epicenters of frowning and self-righteousness???? I KNOW MEXICANS
ARE NOT DIRTY!!! I mean, I'm not so sure about cleaning dishes with water you can't drink, but that's a different conversation.
Anyway, Americans are dumb and Baja is a paradise we are losing to evil rich people and you should always air down and drive slowly and hand out
clothing and haul back your plastics and grow a beard and get a mutt and wear black wetsuits...THANKS!
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
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BigZaggin, those tires were 100% asphalt. I used the truck as a commuter to Orange County and Riverside County while working as a Heavy Equipment
Operater.
BTW, the Toyota has been retired to my home in San Felipe for the past 10 years, still going strong with only 140k miles on it (only 10K miles in 10
years). It's on its third set of BFG's, all dirt/sand now, but I only keep the tires inflated at 5 pounds!
No lie, the truck is light, and it floats over the sand only leaving the tread mark, also, pulls the boat or jet ski's out of the water up a sandy
grade with no problem.
Pulls stuck Chevy's out of the sand too!
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
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Big Zag,
you hit a nerve with some of the members, you dispicable American!
LOL 
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Zaggin------one more piece of advise----
-----which I know you want to hear-----
always use the "smiley" when making a joke.
(PS your last post is halarious [I think???], and we all needed to see it)
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BajaBruno
Super Nomad
Posts: 1035
Registered: 9-6-2006
Location: Back in CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Happy
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On all of my trucks, I have always aired them to the manufacturers specs printed on the little metal card in the doorjamb. Maybe I am a little
conservative in these matters, but I figure those engineers in Detroit know a lot more about what size tire and pressure my truck needs than I do.
Of course, if I am well under the rated load, I have been known to decrease the rear pressure a little so it matches the front pressure, and in
emergencies I do whatever is necessary to get back to pavement, but 99% of the time, I follow the door tire plate.
As for the secret formula on tire size, I do know a little about math. If the tire footprint in square inches is multiplied by the current air
pressure in pounds per square inch, you should have a rough approximation of the current load that tire is carrying. That’s the only formula I know
for tires . . .
Christopher Bruno, Elk Grove, CA.
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BajaWarrior
Super Nomad
Posts: 2307
Registered: 9-27-2006
Location: Mission Bay, San Diego. Playa Hermosa, San Felipe.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Anxious to get south
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That works well when you still have the stock size tire and rating, but it does not advise when you add weight to the vehicle.
Didn't Ford and Firestone have a problem with this information for the Explorer?
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
Member Is Offline
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When buying new tires for the big trucks, consider going to 285/75/16.
The D rated in this size is rated for almost the identical loads as an E rated 265/75/16. Th sightly taller and wider tire does better in loose dirt,
sand and mud.
On my F350 I run 60-75 psi (max inflation is 80) for all pavement and most short dirt sections. I go down to 35 for washboard, 30 for sand driving and
20 the one time I was stuck. As long as your tires don't have really stiff sidewalls, airing down will help keep the silverware in the drawers.
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13048
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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Just a note to bigzaggin...I'm not angry at all or Mexican...never said I was, but I AM married to a local and lived here 18 years and consider myself
local as well and also think I can pass on good advice of locals who may not speak english...I don't give a hoot how many times a persons been to
baja...I was just trying to get something across here about trying to convince foreigners (since you don't seem to like the word gringo which is just
a generic word here for someone not Latino) that airing down is OK and really and truly is the best way to take the dirt roads. I don't suppose you've
met a gringo who won't follow your advice...you are probably white??? I can state that about 90% of the travellers that come here ignore the mexican's
advice to air down...I can't understand it really.
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