airing down

[luis]

Im running 31x10.5 r15 on aftermarket rims (not bead locks) and I want to know what would be a good pressure to get a bigger foot print in. Also the side of the tires say do not under deflate or over inflate, will that be an issue? The tires are big o bigfoot AT. Thank you for looking

 

[jeepin_idaho]

You could safely go down to about 15-20. Any lower than that and you'll start to run the risk of popping the bead.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[Jeepergeo]

I assume you mean off road and not on the street.

For rocks and ruts, 15 to 18 psi minimum, as any lower and you might pop a bead or damage your rim. For sand (beach, dunes), 12 to 15 psi. Sure, you could go lower in each case, but you are taking chances. Try dropping pressure gradually for the terrain you drive until you dial in the minimum you need to get the performance you desire.

If you drive a lot in sand, you might want to get a sand tire that is better suited for very low pressures like 8 to 10 psi.

Of course on the road, you'll need to look at both the vehicle manufacturers recommendation and the tire manufacturers maximum pressure. They will not likely be the same, so you'll need to make a judgement call from there.

 

[luis]

I assume you mean off road and not on the street.

For rocks and ruts, 15 to 18 psi minimum, as any lower and you might pop a bead or damage your rim. For sand (beach, dunes), 12 to 15 psi. Sure, you could go lower in each case, but you are taking chances. Try dropping pressure gradually for the terrain you drive until you dial in the minimum you need to get the performance you desire.

If you drive a lot in sand, you might want to get a sand tire that is better suited for very low pressures like 8 to 10 psi.

Of course on the road, you'll need to look at both the vehicle manufacturers recommendation and the tire manufacturers maximum pressure. They will not likely be the same, so you'll need to make a judgement call from there.

Yes the airing down is for off road only. I'll try 187 1st and see how that goes. Is there any speed limitations? I know not to turn to sharp. I'm running 35 psi for on road use aswell

 

[xjmarc]

Rim width is going to play a part in this as well. You can go lower with a narrower wheel. I run 3psi in my 38s on an 8" wide wheel (don't go anywhere near that low with your 31s) but if I was running 10s or 12s I wouldn't try single digits.

 

[luis]

Rim width is going to play a part in this as well. You can go lower with a narrower wheel. I run 3psi in my 38s on an 8" wide wheel (don't go anywhere near that low with your 31s) but if I was running 10s or 12s I wouldn't try single digits.

Would low numbers ruin the tire? Whats the best way to deflate? Any good accurate tools

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I also recommend 15-18 psi for a radial. I like 18 when wheeling a radial, improved traction and ride quality. 15 felt too soft, like the tire was going to roll off the rim.

 

[ralavoie_417]

I don't know about you guys, I run 10 psi without bead locks. It's worked well on 33x12.50r15 with all terrain bf goodrich, nitto terra grapplers, toyo all terrains and with 37x12.50r17 with Goodyear mtrs. No problems, no lost beads.

 

[steady.foot]

I also ran 10 lbs with my 33x12.5x15s on 10 inch rims. Never had any problems. Would have tried a little lower if i had on board air. I wouldn't go any lower than 10 lbs with the 31s. Maybe 12 to be safe. Have wheeled with others that ran about 8 lbs in a 31 inch tire, but they had on board air in case they popped the tire off.

 

[JohnnyO]

You can air down the rear more than the front if need be. Fronts are more likely to pop off from turning. I wouldn't go lower than 15 in the front but you could run 10-12 in the rear and probably be okay unless you bounce the sidewall off a rock.

 

[luis]

I'm going to try and see what suits me best tomorow and go from there. The type of rim doesn't matter?

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Type of rim doesn't really matter, except steel wheels handle damage better than AL wheels, so you might get away with airing down a little further with steel wheels if you don't mind the risk of having to beat it back into shape.

 

[luis]

Type of rim doesn't really matter, except steel wheels handle damage better than AL wheels, so you might get away with airing down a little further with steel wheels if you don't mind the risk of having to beat it back into shape.

I think I have aluminum rims

 

[xjmarc]

What size wheels are you running?
You can buy deflaters but I use a valve stem removal tool and a good guage, not the stick type, that reads in single number increments. Try 18 and see how it does and maybe go a little lower. If you have a 10" wheel don't go below 15 or you have a real good chance of popping a bead.

 

[luis]

I have a 15 inch rim. I have a digital gauge that works real well

 

[xjmarc]

I'm talking about width. I'm hoping it's not 15" wide with a 10" wide tire.

 

[luis]

I'm talking about width. I'm hoping it's not 15" wide with a 10" wide tire.

Oh no it isn't the wide. I'm thinking its about 8 inches wide. It's definatly not 15 wide

 

[xjmarc]

Width is going to make a difference in how low you can go so you'll need to find out. Are they stock wheels if so prob 6-7" wide.

 

[luis]

Width is going to make a difference in how low you can go so you'll need to find out. Are they stock wheels if so prob 6-7" wide.

They aren't stock. I'll measure the inside of it in the moring and let you guys know asap