ok guys, I need some suggestions on trail tire pressure

[jeep-N-montero]

We took our 95 k2500 6.5 TD camping this weekend at full tire pressure(60psi) and it beat us to death on the trails, when I say trails I mean rocks big enough to scrape the frame in some spots. Came close but I never had to put it in 4wd, I simply put it in 1st gear and let it crawl with the LSD and Cooper AT3's doing their thing. The tires are 235/85's on stock newer style 16x6.5 Chevy HD wheels. So my question is, how low can I leave the tire pressure for comfort on the trail and still safely drive it home the 62 miles from the turn off? Only thing we were towing is our 800lb off-road tent trailer, so that's not really a factor.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Why not just get a compressor for $60 and lower your tire pressure for the trails, then pump them back up for the drive home?

60PSI? :Wow1: that seems crazy. I'd be worried about popping a tire at that kind of pressure, not to mention the battering your vehicle, passengers and kidneys would take!

FWIW I run about 15-20 off road and then 30-35 on the highway and I've been doing that for years.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Why not just get a compressor for $60 and lower your tire pressure for the trails, then pump them back up for the drive home?

60PSI? :Wow1: that seems crazy. I'd be worried about popping a tire at that kind of pressure, not to mention the battering your vehicle, passengers and kidneys would take!

FWIW I run about 15-20 off road and then 30-35 on the highway and I've been doing that for years.

Have you even read up on the poor cfm rating of a $60 compressor, it would take over an hour just to air them up. Oh, and load range E tires are designed for higher tire pressures and abuse.

 

[ExpoMike]

I run 55-60psi street and 35-40psi dirt (depends on the main type we will travel on for most of the trip. Soft/sandy, lower).

BTW, I am using one of those "$60 compressors" and it takes about 20-25 minutes to air up. I have a 1HP beast that I haven't found a good place to mount yet, which will greatly increase the time but compared to the Powertank guys I was out with, I was only about 5 minutes behind them in the airring up time frame.

 

[Kaisen]

You can run your E-load 10-ply tires at 30-40psi on your trip home and everything will be just fine. If you were loaded near tire capacity, that's altogether different.

 

[rkj__]

60 PSI? Yikes.

You should be able to go to about 33-35 psi and still drive home on the roads without issue.

But, it would be significantly better on the trails if you could go down to around 20 psi.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I run 55-60psi street and 35-40psi dirt (depends on the main type we will travel on for most of the trip. Soft/sandy, lower).

BTW, I am using one of those "$60 compressors" and it takes about 20-25 minutes to air up. I have a 1HP beast that I haven't found a good place to mount yet, which will greatly increase the time but compared to the Powertank guys I was out with, I was only about 5 minutes behind them in the airring up time frame.

Are those the pressures you run with or without the camper loaded in the bed, and do you feel a big difference in the ride? Would you feel safe driving home with 35psi in the tires?

 

[crawler#976]

The Super Flow MV-50 compressors are $80.00 at O'Reilly Auto Parts. So, there is no excuse to not have a good high volume compressor, it should be part of your standard kit. It takes me roughly 4 minutes per tire to air up, but they are 35/12.5-17's. For a skinny 32" tire, it will be quite a bit less.

I use that time to do an inspection of the truck and or trailer, stow any loose gear, drain the fresh water tank on the trailer if we're heading home, pick up trash, or whatever else needs to be done.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/QIN0/MV50.oap?ck=Search_mv-50_-1_-1&keyword=mv-50

Pressure wise, you should be able to go to 1/2 your street pressure with no problem. Biggest drawback with your tires is the loss of ground clearance. At 20 PSI, you are in essence running a 30" or smaller tire.

 

[ExpoMike]

Are those the pressures you run with or without the camper loaded in the bed, and do you feel a big difference in the ride? Would you feel safe driving home with 35psi in the tires?

I never run without the camper so yes, this is with the camper loaded all the time. As for as ride between my dirt and street pressure, it's a huge difference. Unless I am only traveling a short distance on dirt (less than 10 miles), I will air down for ride comfort and to keep from rattling everything off the truck/camper.

As for driving home on the lower pressures, I have done about 10 miles on pavement, keeping speed at or below 45mph and have been fine. I would not attempt more than that and it feels like you're driving a giant marshmellow when doing it.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

The Super Flow MV-50 compressors are $80.00 at O'Reilly Auto Parts. So, there is no excuse to not have a good high volume compressor, it should be part of your standard kit. It takes me roughly 4 minutes per tire to air up, but they are 35/12.5-17's. For a skinny 32" tire, it will be quite a bit less.

I use that time to do an inspection of the truck and or trailer, stow any loose gear, drain the fresh water tank on the trailer if we're heading home, pick up trash, or whatever else needs to be done.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/QIN0/MV50.oap?ck=Search_mv-50_-1_-1&keyword=mv-50

Pressure wise, you should be able to go to 1/2 your street pressure with no problem. Biggest drawback with your tires is the loss of ground clearance. At 20 PSI, you are in essence running a 30" or smaller tire.

I have a dual compressor setup mounted on the Jeep and am very familiar with them, but I thought airing an E load range up to 60-70psi is asking a bit much from one of those little Chinese compressors. And where I take the truck is nothing I worry about having clearance for, mostly rough roads with a few medium rocks, we have our Jeeps for the "real trails". And isn't running a 7k lb truck with 20psi in the tires a bit low?

 

[Metcalf]

I have run down into the single digits in my dodge in certain deep snow situations ( with a load range E+ 38" or 39" tire )
That truck is just about 7000lbs empty.
Trail pressure is generally in the 8-15 psi range.
I run it every day at 40psi (or less). I don't like the rock hard tire thing.
I have used an MV50 compressor to go from low single digits to 40+psi without issue. It takes a little bit, but not having OBA is just dumb.

 

[Jr_Explorer]

I run 25 psi in the front and 20-25 psi in the rear (no load) and then use CO2 to air back up. I have a 20 lb. CO2 tank I figure I can get 11 four tire fills from 25 psi to 45-50+ psi from a full fill of the tank (which runs about $20-$25 locally). I use a fixed regulator and it works great so far. I run 60 psi front and 50 psi rear on the street (again, no load except that beast of a Duramax over the fron axle).

 

[jeep-N-montero]

I run 25 psi in the front and 20-25 psi in the rear (no load) and then use CO2 to air back up. I have a 20 lb. CO2 tank I figure I can get 11 four tire fills from 25 psi to 45-50+ psi from a full fill of the tank (which runs about $20-$25 locally). I use a fixed regulator and it works great so far. I run 60 psi front and 50 psi rear on the street (again, no load except that beast of a Duramax over the fron axle).

A good friend has a tank I can use whenever I need it, so I may take him up on the offer next time we head out, definitely made easy work of filling the 35's on the Jeep from 12 to 30 psi in about 2-3 minutes.

 

[crawler#976]

I have a dual compressor setup mounted on the Jeep and am very familiar with them, but I thought airing an E load range up to 60-70psi is asking a bit much from one of those little Chinese compressors. And where I take the truck is nothing I worry about having clearance for, mostly rough roads with a few medium rocks, we have our Jeeps for the "real trails". And isn't running a 7k lb truck with 20psi in the tires a bit low?

60 to 70 PSI should be easy to do on a skinny tire for the MV-50 type of compressor. I have a Viair 400P as well as a MV-50, and both work very well on E rated tires. They do get hot - no doubt about it, but considering the amount of use the ViAir has seen since I bought it in '07, I'm impressed with it's durability. The same can be said for the MV-50 - it's been in use since '05 on a monthly basis, mostly on D rated tires at 35 to 40 PSI.

You always have the option of airing up to a safe level for highway travel as well. If you don't want to go all the way to normal pressure, 45 to 50 is much quicker, and should be fine to get to a service station or home. I frequently do that - air up to 35 to 40 or so instead of the normal 45 rear 48 front, and head home if it's under 30 miles.

 

[SightPicture]

I jut got the same tires as the OP and I'm totally lost when it comes to tires pressures, so this thread came along just in time.