Tire Pressure: How low can I go?

I run 33" BFG muds and have 'never' aired them down. The guys with fat tires have to air down so the edge of their tread digs in to give them 'some' traction on flat stuff to have half a hope of following me.

I have always said when I can't make it up the pit walls, 'then' maybe I will think about airing down, but so far I am the one at the top taking all the photos of everyone trying to get where I be.

My wife or I have blown a P235 BFG AT off the rim on a sand pit wall climb when aired down to 20 psi on a 7" rim when we first put the rims on. The 8" rim will blow them off easier. How wide are the tires? If

12.5", then you likely need to and maybe you can air down safely, but if only 10.5's I would be really careful about it.

We run trails and sand pits though, not rock climbs. On trails and pit walls, the torque is what gets you up there so you need speed. If you are aired down when you have this speed, the rims can get packed with dirt really easily.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I air my 35 BFG muds down to about 8 pounds.

Hi Mike,

You remind of a guy that rides with us... we call him TB, short for Trail Blazer. If it weren't for his leadership we would never make it anywhere (according to him). We all wish to be as good as him one day!

hey.... just pickin' on ya... :-)

JimG

So does he have a real Jeep with leaf springs and tall skinny tires too?

Fat tires look pretty, too bad looks are deceiving so you have to run them modified with no air to have any traction... ;-)

Mike

JimG wrote:

Same here, my 35 MTs are on an overweight jeepster and I set them at 12 for trails where I might be going 40 or so, 8 for rocks, 6 for sand, but with beadlocks i might go lower.

The tire width is 12.5".

Are you using beadlocks with your 35s?

So you are airing down to 6 psi with no beadlocks?

I personally don't recommend anything much below 18 or 20 just because I see them blow off too easy at that pressure the way we run.

A Jamboree isn't likely the 'Yee Haw' style of driving we see on our sand pit runs. I am talking 3rd low right to the mats. Land Rovers with the factory team do the run we blew the 20 psi tire off on and they have to have their emergency system fired off with the lights and horn flashing/going off at the 2/3 mark or they aren't going to make it type runs....

This stuff:

And: This is one where 'I' am at the top and not 'One' fat tire'ed Jeep could get to me. Aired up or down... They tried and tried and tried.... LOL!

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I run my Swamper TrXus 33x12.5 on an 8" rim at around 12 lbs on the norm but have run them on several occasions at 6 and 8 without beadlocks and have yet to blow a bead... not only will it give you better traction but also a smoother ride on those bumpy trails...

No beadlocks here, 10" wheels. JimG

>

Leaf springs, yes. He runs a YJ with big fat Krawlers aired down to about 8 pounds. We do mostly rocks.

JimG

Hi Bill,

Cool link!... I have been there... seen that done!

JimG

There are some great pics there Mike.

: > The tire width is 12.5".

Thanks, we used to have great fun out at those pits.

Mike

"KJ.Kate" wrote:

-------------------------------------------- I was a tire man at a truckstop from 1978-80. That is how we got tubeless tires to mount back then too.

Norman

I run my 32x11.50s on a CJ5 at 5psi all of the time on the trail. You should be happy at 10 psi for performance and comfort.