27 replies to this topic

[Wallowa]

May never need to but what tire pressure for short stretches is safe for a Tundra/Hawk [at GVW] with Cooper AT3s / E rated?  Deep sand, snow, mud...

 

My guess is 25 psi...currently run 60+ psi..."safe" is the key word; no loss of tire.

 

Thanks..Phil

[Mthomas]

Off road at, low speed, pretty much as low as you want. At some point you will unseat the bead. I would star at 40% lower and go from there. More air out if you need more traction. With an e rated tire and depending on tire size, sidewall height, etc, you are not going to get the super giant contact patch a rockcrawler will, but you are in a truck with a camper attached to it.

[JHanson]

Correct (and safe) pressure varies with the situation and the substrate. In deep sand you could go all the way down to one bar (14.7 psi) with your combination, although 18-20 will float you across most sand. For general driving on trails, to increase comfort and traction and decrease stress on the vehicle, try around 40-45 if 60 is your pavement pressure. Same or a little lower for mud and snow. There's more detailed information here.

[Wallowa]

Correct (and safe) pressure varies with the situation and the substrate. In deep sand you could go all the way down to one bar (14.7 psi) with your combination, although 18-20 will float you across most sand. For general driving on trails, to increase comfort and traction and decrease stress on the vehicle, try around 40-45 if 60 is your pavement pressure. Same or a little lower for mud and snow. There's more detailed information here.

  All good advice...and understood...I never thought of "stress on vehicle" with higher pressures off road; excellent point, broken metal is tough to fix on the road..my "higher pressures off road" comes from off road motorcycle riding to prevent pinch flats and punctures....but on the bikes my speed is much higher than in Tundra...

 

Non sequitur .... but Tundra has Firestone air bags, rear Heli sway bar and tires are LT 285/85 R16 [E rated]..Warn winch with receivers fore and aft.

 

Calls to WRT rangers and they keep coming back to carrying 2 sets of tire chains...not going to happen for me...if we encounter anything that could be a "stop right there" and would necessitate chains, we turn around or sit there and wait out drying of mud or melting of snow if those are the issues..sand out near South Coyote/White Pocket might need lower tire pressure but that is about it...I also do not drive on wet clay, have in past lifetime had tires gumboed up with clay and zero traction....

 

Anyway...thanks so much for the input you folks have offered...it is appreciated..

 

Phil

[pvstoy]

  ...sand out near South Coyote/White Pocket might need lower tire pressure but that is about it......

 

Phil

 

Yea you will need lower there for White Pocket just to make it enjoyable.  It depends on the season too.  Wet then the sand compacts.  Hot and dry sink in further.  Not to mention all the other people driving habits making pot holes and churning it up.

[Wallowa]

Yea you will need lower there for White Pocket just to make it enjoyable.  It depends on the season too.  Wet then the sand compacts.  Hot and dry sink in further.  Not to mention all the other people driving habits making pot holes and churning it up.

We are at S. Coyote and White Pocket 3-10,11 and 12...doubt if it will be "hot and dry"......thanks for heads up.. 

 

Phil 

[Adventurer]

Yep, 25 would work well. 20 would too, but 25 will make you feel more comfortable about not losing a bead.

[Zoomad]

I'll drop to 20psi pretty quickly on any trail.  If it's more rocky I might go 15-18 psi.   That's loaded out to 6,400 pounds on load range E 315/75-16 tires.   Not come close to popping a bead, but I won't go below 15 ever.  

[Wallowa]

Hey everyone...thanks for the input...must confess that after decades of backroads and trails [not much real rock crawling Jeep stuff] I have never lowered pressure; pick my paths and take it slow...BUT will keep that option open and appreciate the advice....trial and error, but definitely will error on conservative side and keep speed down and pressure near 25 psi....if I lower it.

 

Now if weather will only hold....... 

 

Thanks,

Phil

[AWG_Pics]

Phil

 

I have been watching this thread as you get some back & forth advice. Like you, I have been doing the backcountry in 4WD rigs for most of my life and have never aired down either. Maybe I will give it a try on our trip to Death Valley later this week. I am curious about what you decide to do.

 

Have a great trip.

 

Tony