Reply With QuoteDo you mean in scrub or fast dirt like the Oodnadatta Tk?
Admin
Forgetting sand driving for a moment, what is the general opinion about lowering tyre pressures when heading off road?
I often read on here about lowering tyre pressures as a good thing before heading into the sticks. I recently did an off road driving course with the Range Rover Club and the instructor, a hard arse old bugger, said if you want to get flat tyres that could be avoided then let down your tyre pressure before you head in.
He strongly recommended that you only let down tyre pressures when you need to, not before.
So if you don't mind what is the general opinion and first hand experiences of the members?
Cheers,
Terry
Swaggie
Do you mean in scrub or fast dirt like the Oodnadatta Tk?
Cheers
Slunnie
~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~
ForumSage
Yes as Slunnie is eluding, it depends on the terrain. If I am trundling through the high country in low range - I am more confident pre-emptively dropping to say 18 to 20 psi - will go lower if it gets ugly.
If I am belting along an outback track (50 to 80 kmh), with worn out tree roots sticking up and threatening my tyre walls, I may wait.
YarnMaster
Letting your tyres down in say, a rocky or rough slow track allows your tyres to deform over sharp objects and spread the weight over the deformed surface and give more contact area for traction rather than a hard tyre which will carry all the weight and load on one very small point on the tyre, opening up the chances of punctures or tears.
As to what pressure, that depends wholly on what the actual conditions are.
For fast surfaces, generally keep to std pressure as this will avoid the feeling of driving a wet sponge on oiled glass!
Cheers
Andrew
Master
i always let them down at the start. if you wait until your already bogging down its getting close to being to late.
keith
Swaggie
Fast dirt like the desert tracks I will drop from full pressure (approx 40psi loaded) down to about 34psi to soften up the tyres a bit and allow them to absorb some rock impact. When 4WDing I drop to about 20psi with a radial tyre. On sand I'll head to somewhere around 15-16psi or about 10-12 with a bias tyre.
I let them down early, because its when you don't that you come unstuck by getting stuck, damaging tyres and/or breaking it.
Cheers
Slunnie
~ Discovery II Td5 ~ Discovery 3dr V8 ~ Series IIa 6cyl ute ~ Series II V8 ute ~
Admin
Sorry I should have been more specific.
I'm talking low range rough scrub or rocky area driving.
Just to add to the discussion I also read recently a 10 to 15 year old LR book on how to drive your LR in different off road conditions.
From memory it said that you don't let your tyres down in rocky off road conditions.
Cheers,
Terry
Super Moderator
Slunnie, you're the only other person I know who thinks like me. As I was about to post; on rough tracks such as The Cape or Strez, I let my tyres down to become the first part of the suspension. True it will shorten the life of the tyres, but they are cheap and easy to replace in comparison to the whole car.
If you don't like trucks, stop buying stuff.
ForumSage
Yes, I go down to 20 to 25 psi to start with - you can really feel the difference in controlability of the vehicle.Originally Posted by TerryO
To tell you the truth Terry, I have read lots too, but the best rule is the one you prove yourself - just give it a go. Take a compressor and see what you think of various pressures - different tyres will make a difference too.
You shouldn't be worried too much about rolling off the rim until you are under about 18psi. As for tyre damage by foreign objects - it'll happen, it's just a matter of when. :-(
I will nearly always let down my tyre pressures pre-emptively at the start of heading off road. Depending on how loaded I am, or if I am towing, I normally run my tyres between 32-38psi. On fast corrugated dirt (like the Gibb and nearly every other road up here) I will drop them around 5-6psi to help take some of the harshness out of the corrugations and also to help the tyres to conform around sharp rocks etc to avoid punctures. I will also limit my speed to a maximum of 80kmh. On true off road conditions including mud, shale, rocks etc. I would normally run around 20-25psi depending on load and conditions. On sand I would drop to a maximum of 18psi but normally 16psi. I have done around 60k km's in the last couple of years with a good portion of that on second rate Kimberley roads and station tracks, have not suffered any tyre damage yet.
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