Don’t air down Cooper tires!

[outback97]

Of course as others have said it's CYA-speak, and I don't blame them. I have no intention of discontinuing airing down my AT3's when it makes sense to do so.

Since we also have a set of BFG tires, just for fun I did a chat with BFG online. I phrased my question almost exactly like the OP's, except I didn't mention vehicle weight.

I have a 2009 Xterra with K02 tires in 265/75/16 LR E. It's common to air down while offroad for better traction and comfort. Do you recommend this? Approximately what PSI should I be airing down to for rocky terrain? Thanks, Steve

9:16 AM
I would be happy to help, Steve.
9:16 AM
We say, depending on the rim you are using. on standard rim we say the lowest you can go for off-road use is 15 PSI.
9:17 AM
If there are high lateral forces, you should use 20 PSI.
Top speeds at lower PSI should be 15 mph.
It is also very important to put the tires back at recommended pressure before using the vehicle on the road again.

Weirdly, the chat was ended abruptly and I didn't get a chance for any follow up or to thank them for their helpful responses.

I think the varied response has more to do with contacting two different people than with contacting two different companies.

 

[dreadlocks]

Well it was Ford's fault

Firestone was implicated and suffered massive brand damage for poor tire quality as explorers w/out firestones were far less likely to explode, and was forced to recall those tires... but ultimately it was Ford whom set the recommended tire pressure far too low and trying to shoe horn the ranger chassis for an SUV which made it far more likely than other SUV's to roll over.

Firestone would likely not even exist today if they were liable for recommended tire pressures and not ford, the'd of been sued to oblivion.. which was kinda my point.

 

[Buliwyf]

Those era explorers were some of the worst vehicles I ever saw. Tires to roof, everything about them sucked. Why would anyone buy one over a 4runner?

Econolines and GM Express vans are extremely prone to flipping over with rear tire blowouts as well. But since everyone already knew that they were pathetic death traps......I guess it doesn't make the news?

 

[dreadlocks]

where I grew up, anything non-american was instantly disqualified.. my dad had a 3 bay 2 story fully loaded garage, and he forced me to wrench on my 'Jap Crap' under the tree in our gravel driveway because only Merican cars can park in his garage. Dad was far from the only one with this mentality. so yeah.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Thanks. After a quick scan on my phone, I didn't see anything about pressures for offroad use, which seems to be what Peter was referring to earlier. Good information, though.

I was wondering what disclaimers and qualifiers were included, and if it was country specific. Putting the calculus on the end user is another way to distance a company from liability, too.

Yup, likely. It would be interesting if they offer guidelines for using a road tire (they call it a modest highway, primarily regional tire) under inflated.



Michelin says this for the truck tires they expect to be used off road extensively.

 

[ExplorerTom]

If you're airing down tires, you should have went to the Cooper Stt or St Maxx that are better meant for it with thicker sidewalls and rim protectors. I doubt you'll see much improvement airing down little Atp's.

Those era explorers were some of the worst vehicles I ever saw. Tires to roof, everything about them sucked. Why would anyone buy one over a 4runner?

Just stop before everyone realizes how ignorant you are. There might be a few that haven't caught on yet.

I knew it was going to be a fishing operation to get any info out of Cooper- especially thru the website link. I debated posting the interaction in this section or whatever section you post jokes and humorous pictures in.

 

[shade]

I knew it was going to be a fishing operation to get any info out of Cooper- especially thru the website link. I debated posting the interaction in this section or whatever section you post jokes and humorous pictures in.

I think it's an interesting discussion. Things change over time, and maybe someone will post documentation from a manufacturer that's actually useful, like the Michelin pdf Dave shared.

 

[Buliwyf]

Just stop before everyone realizes how ignorant you are. There might be a few that haven't caught on yet.

I knew it was going to be a fishing operation to get any info out of Cooper- especially thru the website link. I debated posting the interaction in this section or whatever section you post jokes and humorous pictures in.

Fine, welcome to ignore. Figures that an exploder owner has no sense.

 

[Happy Joe]

I like my 2 door Explorer for light off road duties (camping) ....
IFS is a bad idea off road; no matter which brand. IMO.
Never wanted a 4 runner; they could never seem keep up with the old CJ in the more extreme terrain... was actually tempted by a Land Cruiser, though; when they still had solid front axles.

RE: airing down;... sorry no experience with cooper tires off road...
In general, experience is your best guide/ go prepared to reseat tires back onto the rims.;
If a tire doesn't have, at least, 3 ply sidewalls I wouldn't use it off road.
Use the load/pressure table for your tires then do a chalk test...
If you elect to deviate from the table you increase the risk of tire failure.
and, finally, air up to street pressures before driving them on road.

Enjoy!

 

[billiebob]

I just went to BFG, under warranty, they state tire pressures must be maintained to the minimum pressure on the vehicle label but never beyond the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall.

So airing down voids the warranty, period. I bet the same applies to every manufacturer.

 

[ExplorerTom]

What prompted me to contact Cooper was because last summer I was finishing up a trip around the Alpine Loop and Black Bear Pass and I noticed this gash in my sidewall while airing up in Telluride:


I was aired down for all my “off pavement” driving (in CO, you aren’t really offroading since all trails are county roads or forest service roads) and I know that another benefit of airing down is increased puncture resistance. Not sure where I got the gash, but I suspect it was just above the first switchback on Black Bear.

I got to wondering: if I was still at street pressures, would the offending rock have actually punctured the sidewall or would the same result have occured. And if I was aired down farther, would the gash severity have been lessened.

And oh BTW, called my buddy at Discount Tire, told him what happened and got a new tire the next week. Warranty.

 

[dreadlocks]

a sidewall gash means it worked and didnt puncture, tire damage off roading is pretty normal over sharp shale and the likes..

in CO, you aren’t really offroading since all trails are county roads or forest service roads

You've not done much wheeling around here then have you? I can take you to tons of places here in Colorado that are far more than country or forest service roads and very few if any stock vehicles can tread, airing down is mandatory and if you make it out with just some sidewall damage then you are very lucky, or extremely skilled.. unfortunately this year most will be closed til late in the season.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Not to be rude but if you have to ask the manufacture what you can air down to for offroad conditions.... maybe you should just stay on the pavement with tires at the suggested psi . There is probably thousands of articles and videos available that would help you decide what psi to air down to for the terrain your tackling and the vehicle you drive .

 

[BPD53]

People on Expo sure do waste time/worry over a lot of dumb crap.

I'll bet you guys are a blast to sit around a fire with.....after tire manufacture psi ratings we could discuss the dewey decimal system.

 

[ExplorerTom]

You've not done much wheeling around here then have you? I can take you to tons of places here in Colorado that are far more than country or forest service roads and very few if any stock vehicles can tread, airing down is mandatory and if you make it out with just some sidewall damage then you are very lucky, or extremely skilled.. unfortunately this year most will be closed til late in the season.

Yeah, I’m pretty new. Only been doing this for about 8 or 9 years. Last time I counted, I had 55 unique “trails” in CO (many of which Ive done several times) and about a dozen in Utah (again, many done a few times). Still learning new things every outing.

However- “trails” in CO are really nothing more than county roads and forest service roads, per the MVUM. But that’s not to say that just because it’s a county or FS road doesn’t mean they are “maintained” roads. But per the legalese, the county, forest service or even BLM owns them. These roads range from everything that a family sedan can drive on to buggy only “roads”. If you are truly “off road” in CO you need to read up on the preachings of Stay The Trail and pull your head out of your butt and get back on the “road”. Surely a newbie like myself isn’t telling a wise veteran like yourself anything you didn’t already know, so excuse me for my babbling.