PSI Recommendations

[Ranger Explorer]

I'm a newbie to this form and a newbie overlander. Most of the trails I explore are a combination of lose mud, dirt and really rough gravel and rocks (also deep snow). I am sure this is an over asked question, but I am looking for psi advice/recommendations. I am running 32 x 11.5 BFGK02's on Pro Comp steelies that are 15x8. I've heard anywhere from 18-24 psi can be a good for gravel roads, but any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[F4T XJ]

What is you are trying to achieve, is the vehicle fully loaded? For fast gravel I run 20 in the front and 22 in the rear. When it gets tough I just keep dropping

 

[The other Sean]

There is no one answer. When I'm going to be on easy gravel roads with the occasional paved section, I only air down to 25, more for smoother ride. If I know I'll be in some light stuff, I'll go to 20. if it is going to get more involved, I'll drop down a couple of pounds more.

 

[Ranger Explorer]

What is you are trying to achieve, is the vehicle fully loaded? For fast gravel I run 20 in the front and 22 in the rear. When it gets tough I just keep dropping

Mostly better ride quality and to avoid tire puncture. Not so much worried about getting stuck. Loaded with some gear yes, but its a 1/4 ton truck so not that heavy in the rear to begin with.

 

[Ranger Explorer]

There is no one answer. When I'm going to be on easy gravel roads with the occasional paved section, I only air down to 25, more for smoother ride. If I know I'll be in some light stuff, I'll go to 20. if it is going to get more involved, I'll drop down a couple of pounds more.

Thats kinda what I figured, no real right answer. Just wanted to see what people were running in similar situations. Sounds like I need to do a bit of trial and error to see what works best for me. But good to have a bit of a starting point :)

 

[F4T XJ]

Mostly better ride quality and to avoid tire puncture. Not so much worried about getting stuck. Loaded with some gear yes, but its a 1/4 ton truck so not that heavy in the rear to begin with.

Just keep dropping until you don't feel any noticeable change in comfort.

 

[old_man]

Gravel roads tend to get a wash board surface. Airing down can help, but don't forget a good set of shocks. If you do a ton of this type of travel, I would personally get shocks there I can modify the valving to match the conditions. Remember, as you air down, the ride gets smoother but the side wall heating from flexing gets higher. At low speeds, this is not a huge problem but if you run in the desert and then jump on the freeway coming home, you may overheat a tire and trigger a failure. So, to be safe, air back up if you are going hit the highway. Also remember that the steering will be more like steering a boat than driving a car and can get down right dangerous if you are towing a trailer.

 

[Ranger Explorer]

Gravel roads tend to get a wash board surface. Airing down can help, but don't forget a good set of shocks. If you do a ton of this type of travel, I would personally get shocks there I can modify the valving to match the conditions. Remember, as you air down, the ride gets smoother but the side wall heating from flexing gets higher. At low speeds, this is not a huge problem but if you run in the desert and then jump on the freeway coming home, you may overheat a tire and trigger a failure. So, to be safe, air back up if you are going hit the highway. Also remember that the steering will be more like steering a boat than driving a car and can get down right dangerous if you are towing a trailer.

Thanks for the great advice! I just got new front and rear shocks (Rancho RS5000) a few months ago but they are not the the ones you can adjust (on a bit of a budget build). My front end is already a bit stiff because of the style of lift I have, so any ride quality I can gain by airing down would be fantastic. And I do have a pretty decent compressor so I make sure to air back up before jumping on the freeway :)