Best Tire Pressure for...

[rclangelan]

I did a few searches but didn't come up with too much.


What are your prefered PSIs for:

On Highway (do you stick the the door jam specs?):

Mud:

Snow:

Ice:

Loose Rocks:

Rock Crawling:

Sand & Soft Dirt:

Hard Packed Dirt & Roots:


I'm wondering if there is a magic number that everyone airs down to for each specific application. How does one know if they are too high or low for a given task? I'm sure vehicle weight plays a part.

From what I've gathered so far, it looks like 18psi is a good all-round offroad pressure. Can anyone build on that?

Thanks in advance! :drummer:

~ Ryan

 

[Mike07SE]

Assuming that you have the stock tire size:

Hwy, Snow, Ice, Mud can all be at stock psi.

Now the following I'm going to say can be stock psi with a grain of salt. It can be left alone or lowered at your descrestion. Loose Rock, Hard Dirt & Roots (trail riding), and Soft Dirt. I have done trails that have all three characteristics at once depending on what spot I was in. I've wheeled at stock psi with no issues, and I've lowered down to say around 25psi just to give my tires a little more flex and 'give' to objects on the trail.

Sand & Rock crawling is where it's at that you lower down to around 15 psi of pressure. 10 psi would be a real good number, however it's a bit of a risk on stock wheels and not having beadlocks.

 

[techno]

I have 265/75R16 Duratracs in the E load range.

I like 32psi on road in all conditions except heavy snow, then its 25psi.

For the moderate offroading I do, I prefer 17-20psi for all conditions except sand. Sand goes down to 12-15psi.

Tire size and tread pattern make a great deal of difference in this regard. Some require airing down much more for equivalent traction to another brand. Trial and error is your best bet to find exactly what you prefer for the conditions in your area. Keep in mind, as you go lower you increase the risk of rolling the tire off the rims (if you don't have beadlocks) and you lower your vehicle ground clearance. The trade off is worth it most of the time, but you just got to find that happy place.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Assuming that you have the stock tire size:

Hwy, Snow, Ice, Mud can all be at stock psi.

Now the following I'm going to say can be stock psi with a grain of salt. It can be left alone or lowered at your descrestion. Loose Rock, Hard Dirt & Roots (trail riding), and Soft Dirt. I have done trails that have all three characteristics at once depending on what spot I was in. I've wheeled at stock psi with no issues, and I've lowered down to say around 25psi just to give my tires a little more flex and 'give' to objects on the trail.

Sand & Rock crawling is where it's at that you lower down to around 15 psi of pressure. 10 psi would be a real good number, however it's a bit of a risk on stock wheels and not having beadlocks.

I pretty much agree with this. On my Jeep Wrangler I run much lower pressures but it is lighter and has bigger tires.
In the Arizona desert where I off road I like to run lower than the sticker pressure because it greatly improves the ride and traction. I now run BFG all terrains and I run higher than the sticker pressure on the highway (36 vs. 32) and find that 28 psi is good all around off road. If I was to be in sand all day maybe 20, but I only run into sand ocassionally. Lower pressure really smooths out the rocks.

 

[rclangelan]

Thanks guys... all great info.

Techno: I too have the E rated DuraTracs... took them in the snow for the first time today. They grip like no other.

~ Ryan

 

[Mike07SE]

I have 265/75R16 Duratracs in the E load range.

No offense, but if you're running E load tires at 32psi, then you've got them seriously deflated. You should be running 40+ with those. Whenever you go from a P-metric tire to a different size or LT (C, D, E) tire, you're factory specs go out the window.

 

[rclangelan]

No offense, but if you're running E load tires at 32psi, then you've got them seriously deflated. You should be running 40+ with those. Whenever you go from a P-metric tire to a different size or LT (C, D, E) tire, you're factory specs go out the window.

I was wondering about that. The mechanic that mounted mine told me he inflated them a bit high (34psi instead of 32) because they are such heavy duty tires. I was wondering if I should go higher. I used to run my regular Revos at 38psi and never had any problems.

However, I also had someone tell me to run them lower than factory bacause the sidewalls are so strong they don't need as much air. I do not know where this person got this theory from.

Where do I go to find the correct psi to run my E-Load tires at?

Thanks,

~ Ryan

 

[techno]

No offense, but if you're running E load tires at 32psi, then you've got them seriously deflated. You should be running 40+ with those. Whenever you go from a P-metric tire to a different size or LT (C, D, E) tire, you're factory specs go out the window.

Yeah i know. Problem is, the ride quality goes to sh!t at higher pressures. Actually, the only reason I got the E tires was because they had no C ones in stock anywhere and there would be a wait of up to 4 weeks. They offered me the E ones at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll be watching the tread wear closely to see what's happenning.

 

[JB.]

Yeah i know. Problem is, the ride quality goes to sh!t at higher pressures. Actually, the only reason I got the E tires was because they had no C ones in stock anywhere and there would be a wait of up to 4 weeks. They offered me the E ones at a price I couldn't refuse. I'll be watching the tread wear closely to see what's happenning.

There's no right answer. If you care, this thread can help you work out an answer you're comfortable with. As far as road pressure, it's mostly just using LT in place of P that matters. Whether load range is C,D, or E matters little.

LT vs P inflation article - Toyota - 4Runner . org Forum

 

[rclangelan]

I increased my pressure from 34psi to 44psi this morning.

I'm about to take them on the highway now to see how they ride.

Does 44 PSI sound acceptable for E load DuraTracs on a 4Runner?

Thanks,

~ Ryan

 

[Mike07SE]

I run about 40 psi right now with my 265/70-17 BFG A/T's C-Range. Was running them at 36 for awhile, but pumped them up to 40 after I filled up at a station (taking into account 3 psi for tire air being warm, therefore 37 psi cold). Runs real well now. Steering, handling, ride quality is all there now.

 

[Mike07SE]

I increased my pressure from 34psi to 44psi this morning.

I'm about to take them on the highway now to see how they ride.

Does 44 PSI sound acceptable for E load DuraTracs on a 4Runner?

Thanks,

~ Ryan

Dude, depending on the tire, you can run up to 85 psi on some of them!

 

[eskimochaos]

I run about 40 psi right now with my 265/70-17 BFG A/T's C-Range. Was running them at 36 for awhile, but pumped them up to 40 after I filled up at a station (taking into account 3 psi for tire air being warm, therefore 37 psi cold). Runs real well now. Steering, handling, ride quality is all there now.

At 40psi BFG's dont sit flat on the ground. 35psi is the widely accepted pressure for 4th gen's w/ C range BFGs.

 

[Mike07SE]

So my tire cold is at 36-37 psi. Good enough.

 

[rclangelan]

Dude, depending on the tire, you can run up to 85 psi on some of them!

I've contacted Goodyear to see what they have to say about it. Will keep you all posted.

I just did a 60 mile trip at about 65-75 mph the whole way at 44psi. Felt pretty good. Little floaty (side to side) on the highway, but not bad.

I may have to administer chalk test to find out for myself.

~ Ryan

 

[rclangelan]

Just got off the phone with Goodyear. They lady on the other end took my tire and vehicle info, put me on hold for a few minutes and when she came back on she said:

"Stay with your factory set psi. Going from a Passenger C rated tire to an LT E rated tire simply means you can carry a heavier load. The only reason to run a higher pressure is if your load increases."

Factory setting on the 5th Gen 4Runner is 32psi. I'm at 44psi right now and can feel the road a bit more than I like. I'm gonna drop to 38psi, drive it for a month, and see how it feels/wears. I used to run my C rated Revos at 38 and they ran like champs.

~ Ryan