"Safe" tire pressure....

[Dialtone]

airing down in and is a good idea as it widens your contact area. the narrower the tire, the more likely you will sink/dig in.

exagerated, but think about rolling a beach ball on sand versus riding a bicycle.

More importantly, airing down lengthens the contact patch.

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[Los]

Last time I drove to Sedona via Schnebly hill road, I lowered my TP to 18 psi it worked great on the fire road as well as when going over the rocks, had no problem at all.
Keep on Bronking.

 

[Onestepmore]

Great question - I run about 16-17 doing similar style of driving and haven't had any issues (yet).
They typically warm up to almost 20 after a little bit, so I'm even less worried about it after that.

Curious to hear from some of our more knowledgeable (and from many of our less knowledgeable) members.

I am not knowledgeable at all...but I just weighed my 2 door Bronco badlands sasquatch 2.7 auto with a full tank and it weighs 5020lbs...with that said i was a heavy sweep on the 100 Acre rally in Missouri and on the different stages i was going from 40 to 65 mph on gravel and dirt and sliding like crazy at 39 psi...what would you guys suggest I run in my tires for such a run...I'm not rallying but trying to get to the rally car that ran off the stage...these guys are crazy running at 90 mpg on these dirt and rock roads...any thoughts are welcome!!!

 

[Acadist]

I am one of the less knowledgable ones.

At off rodeo - we ran at 25, but the guides said that was higher than they would typically run, since we had a few highway miles to get to the trail. Most folks I talk to run in that 15-20 range, but none of them really know why other than it just works out for them.

I guess the boundary conditions are
- do you get stuck digging ruts on the trail?
- are you slipping the bead or damaging the tires?

As long as you are between those two boundaries? I’m sure there’s some scientific rationale to it which I am looking forward to leaning as well

Just running on mostly dirt roads (not a lot of technical stuff), I was running about 25 for comfort. I dropped it to 18 last run and it was noticeably squishier and a lot more body roll - not sure I will stay there or not. I’m rarely going over 30 mph on the dirt but there’s some pavement in between the trails and we’ll get up to 50-60 there.

our guide at OR suggested on trails running 20-25, and I asked about sand and he recommended 15-20. That being said; last weekend we went out and on fire road gravel and lots of potholes I was lazy and decided not to air down. Started jumping on it, going 25-35 and paid the price. had a rock puncture my right rear. I will not make that mistake again.

 

[Brian_B]

sliding like crazy at 39 psi.

39 is pretty high, I bet it was a rough ride.

I run 32 on highway, helps smooth out potholes without hurting the tread long term.

I would say looking at the consensus here and other threads - high teens to mid 20s for most off road stuff is good. I’ve just been playing with it a bit in lieu of seeing anything too authoritative. Seems to be one of those “just wherever it feels good” things.

 

[Onestepmore]

39 is pretty high, I bet it was a rough ride.

I run 32 on highway, helps smooth out potholes without hurting the tread long term.

I would say looking at the consensus here and other threads - high teens to mid 20s for most off road stuff is good. I’ve just been playing with it a bit in lieu of seeing anything too authoritative. Seems to be one of those “just wherever it feels good” things.

Thanks for the quick reply Brian...I struggle with this stuff because these Broncos are over 5000Lbs...and it's a lot of weight to maneuver around on gravel without sliding off the road. I'll air down to 25psi and see how it handles next time. Thanks so much for your thoughts...Amos

 

[Brian_B]

Thanks for the quick reply Brian...I struggle with this stuff because these Broncos are over 5000Lbs...and it's a lot of weight to maneuver around on gravel without sliding off the road. I'll air down to 25psi and see how it handles next time. Thanks so much for your thoughts...Amos

Ford recommends a high pressure for fuel economy reasons. If you actually chalk test your tires, you will probably find they sit well at a much lower pressure.

 

[Gene Dios]

At off rodeo - we ran at 25, but the guides said that was higher than they would typically run

They run 25 because that's what Ford told them to run fwiw. Also worth noting that off-roadeo has a variety of trim options and tires. I would assume that value is based on an informed decision by Ford but that it's also a bit padded.

 

[Aonarch]

airing down in and is a good idea as it widens your contact area. the narrower the tire, the more likely you will sink/dig in.

exagerated, but think about rolling a beach ball on sand versus riding a bicycle.

Lengthen, not widen.

 

[Noremac]

Lengthen, not widen.

lol fine "Increases the surface area of tire contact to ground"

 

[SROC3]

I am not knowledgeable at all...but I just weighed my 2 door Bronco badlands sasquatch 2.7 auto with a full tank and it weighs 5020lbs...with that said i was a heavy sweep on the 100 Acre rally in Missouri and on the different stages i was going from 40 to 65 mph on gravel and dirt and sliding like crazy at 39 psi...what would you guys suggest I run in my tires for such a run...I'm not rallying but trying to get to the rally car that ran off the stage...these guys are crazy running at 90 mpg on these dirt and rock roads...any thoughts are welcome!!!

39 psi is WAY too high. Even for pavement. I would go down to 25 psi. that should be perfect for a stock Bronco on gravel/dirt roads with no crazy rocky stuff. Then of course flip into "BAJA MODE"

 

[TNTACO]

Thanks everyone. This great information. Now I need two things. Warm weather and my Bronco

 

[SROC3]

Thanks everyone. This great information. Now I need two things. Warm weather and my Bronco

Man.......I'm excited for you to get your delivery! That day will be so epic and fun! Do you have your mods all piled up in the garage ready for install?? OR a trail that you are planning to hit RIGHT after the dealership? I would see if they will give you your Bronco-Off Rodeo free pass before delivery - so you can go learn and enjoy it It really is an amazing experience.....even for seasoned off-roaders! Congrats again and hope your Bronco comes sooner than later!!!

 

[Oldhippie]

Never had a problem at +/- 17lbs on the territorys…now with mt 37”s and icon “pinlocks” I have no problem going much lower, down to 5, in snow, rocks, sand, mud but higher speeds, over about 35mph, Demand a little more, around 25 for heat/tire reliability…imho… but you get to pick your comfort zone…

 

[cyarbrough]

My opinion on air pressure is that it always depends on; vehicle, tire, terrain, type of off-roading, etc. If you'll traveling at higher speeds and not traveling over large boulders I'd suggest raising your tire pressure to 22-26 ish. For the Bronco I run around 20 front and rear and on my Raptor I run 25 front and 23 in rear for most higher speed terrain.

Never hurts to raise the pressure and see how it performs, then adjust accordingly until you get to something you're satisfied with.

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