Air Down Advice - Schnebly Hill/Black Gap Trails

[Mike777]

We are doing our first road trip (2500 Miles) in the Bronco in a couple of weeks and I've chosen as least one trail to go to. Its the Schnebly Hill Trail in AZ. Seems like a good easy first time off road trail from what I could see on youtube other than it being bumpy and some rocks sticking out.

My question is what should I air down my tires to? I have the SAS package. Full disclosure never gone solo before only did this at the Bronco Off Roadeo. Any advice for a first time off roader would be great!

On a side note, thought about going to Engineer Pass in CO but looked it up online. Doesnt seem like a very good trail for a first timer. I am doing Black Gap Trail in Big Bend later this year.

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[AZMikeL]

I go to 20PSI - adds to the contact patch for more traction and smooths out rough roads (like Schnebly hill) without the risk of popping a tire off the bead.

Anything lower would smooth things out more, but the risk of popping the tire off the rim goes up - especially in heavier rigs like ours.

Schnebly Hill (and all the trails around Sedona/Flagstaff) are great rides. Bring your camera and smell a few Ponderosa trees!

 

[TexAZ]

Schnebly’s not much more than an ungraded dirt road with a lot of “baby heads” rocks. Great scenery though. Assuming you haven’t used the beadlocks, I’d stay in the 12-15 psi range.

Wouldn’t worry about being solo, there’s usually traffic on Schnebly, or just wait for the pink Jeep tours to come by. Advice, pay attention to the trail, you can get into trouble quick out here in the west.

If you need help, reach out on Arizona Broncos FB page.
Sorry can’t help about CO.

 

[Go_Galt]

20psi is the absolute maximum I'll do for washboarded dirt trails (for comfort. Won't be needed for grip/capability). Any higher transmits too much into the cabin, IMO.

I've never had a problem at 15 psi, without beadlocks, and most here will probably agree it's a very safe, reasonable pressure to run if you need the grip (or need to smooth out the ride even more).

ETA: Anything involving deep sand- absolutely no higher than 15psi.

 

[mybikeisred]

Doesn’t my SAS tires already have the beadlocks so I don’t have to worry about airing down?

No, they’re just beauty rings, but real beadlock rings are available for the factory wheels.

20psi should soften the ride enough.

 

[TexAZ]

Doesn’t my SAS tires already have the beadlocks so I don’t have to worry about airing down?

Sasquatch comes with Beadlock capable wheels. You would’ve had to remount your tires using the Beadlock rings.

 

[Mike777]

No, they’re just beauty rings, but real beadlock rings are available for the factory wheels.

20psi should soften the ride enough.

Ya ended up deleting that post because I found the answer to that question. Thanks tho!!

Also, thanks for all the responses sorry about All the new off-roading questions. Just wanted To make sure airing down to 20 or 25 wouldn’t cause any issues.

At least I’m not keeping it on pavement!

 

[BulldogBear]

I'd recommend starting at the top of Schnebly Hill Rd (near Flagstaff) and descending into Sedona - you get waaaay better views.

If you start in the morning, you'll get into Sedona around lunch time, and could go to Broken Arrow in the afternoon - your Black Diamond should have no issues running it, and you get more amazing views.

I'm planning a Schnebly/Broken Arrow run for either April 24th or May 1st if anyone is interested.

 

[Mike777]

I'd recommend starting at the top of Schnebly Hill Rd (near Flagstaff) and descending into Sedona - you get waaaay better views.

If you start in the morning, you'll get into Sedona around lunch time, and could go to Broken Arrow in the afternoon - your Black Diamond should have no issues running it, and you get more amazing views.

I'm planning a Schnebly/Broken Arrow run for either April 24th or May 1st if anyone is interested.

Ive read to start from the Sedona side and go to Flagstaff to I17. That way the cliff is on your left and the stone wall on your right.

 

[mybikeisred]

Ya ended up deleting that post because I found the answer to that question. Thanks tho!!

Also, thanks for all the responses sorry about All the new off-roading questions. Just wanted To make sure airing down to 20 or 25 wouldn’t cause any issues.

At least I’m not keeping it on pavement!

You can go lower than 20 if you want, I‘d definitely keep it above 15, just remember you’ve gotta air back up. I don’t know what you’re using to air back up, but a lot of the little portable compressors don’t fill tires very quickly. Glad you’re getting it dirty, hope you have a good time.

 

[BulldogBear]

Ive read to start from the Sedona side and go to Flagstaff to I17. That way the cliff is on your left and the stone wall on your right.

I guess from a "Driver's" perspective, you might get a little bit of a better view since you're on the 'view' side… But you still have to leave the left side of the road open for descending/oncoming traffic.

I lost track of how many times I've travelled Schnebly Hill, and, IMHO, descending is the way to go.

It's much harder to look back over your shoulder at the views on the way up than it is the to see the views in front of you on the way down.

Plus, you end up in Sedona for lunch - stop at Oak Creek Brewery for a pint, or visit Talacapaci for the shops and restaurants.

 

[Mike777]

You can go lower than 20 if you want, I‘d definitely keep it above 15, just remember you’ve gotta air back up. I don’t know what you’re using to air back up, but a lot of the little portable compressors don’t fill tires very quickly. Glad you’re getting it dirty, hope you have a good time.

I was just going to spend like 80 bucks buying A deflator and portable inflator. They are 40 bucks each on Amazon

 

[BulldogBear]

I was just going to spend like 80 bucks buying A deflator and portable inflator. They are 40 bucks each on Amazon

If your just doing Schnebly Hill, airing down is for comfort. Definitely not required. The Bronco's suspension is pretty good w/the bumps anyway.

The $40 inflator will take a long time to get your tires back up to pressure. If you air down and descend down into Sedona, you could use a gas station tire pump instead of wasting your money on an inflator that you probably won't want to use again.

 

[Peter Gosenya]

I was just going to spend like 80 bucks buying A deflator and portable inflator. They are 40 bucks each on Amazon

For $40 is it a cordless model with a battery? If so I probably wouldn’t air down at all, maybe 35psi.

 

[Peter Gosenya]

If your just doing Schnebly Hill, airing down is for comfort. Definitely not required. The Bronco's suspension is pretty good w/the bumps anyway.

The $40 inflator will take a long time to get your tires back up to pressure. If you air down and descend down into Sedona, you could use a gas station tire pump instead of wasting your money on an inflator that you probably won't want to use again.

What this guy said. Give that inflator to your wife or mom.

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