Have you ever wondered why you should air down? It's something you hear about often in the off-road world, but is it really necessary? Does it really make that much of a difference? Is it worth it? The answer to all of these questions is.... "yes". 100% yes, but we're not going to leave it there. Let us explain why.
Tires come in all shapes and forms. For the sake of this post, we're going to focus on tires designed for going off road. These are generally AT tires (All Terrain) or MT (Mud Terrain). The difference between the two is a whole other topic, but for now, lets just focus on the airing down.
These tires all come with recommended air pressures, generally in the ballpark of 30 - 35 PSI. These pressures are expressly given in reference to on road driving. They are manufacturer recommended pressures to maximize handling and on road performance, while maintaining a certain level of fuel economy. These recommended pressures are important, and you should always operate your tires within these recommended pressures for on road safety and performance. That all said, when you hit the trail, everything changes. Airing down in off-road situations makes sense in a lot of different ways.
1 - Traction
Whether on or off road, your tires are designed to provide you with traction. What kind of traction will vary by tire, but if you're running a set of 33"+ AT or MT tires chances are it's not for the fuel economy!
The concept here for airing down is simple. Less air in your tire makes for more of the tread being in contact with the ground. More tread = more traction. It's that simple. This isn't to say your tires won't perform if they are not aired down - but they definitely won't perform as well as they could. Remember the last time you tackled an obstacle and your tires spun up the dirt before they grabbed hold and got you through? Go try that same obstacle again aired down, you'll be surprised what the extra 25 - 30% of traction will do.
2 - Shock Absorption
If you've ever driven down a rough trail with fully aired tires, you probably found your self being thrown all over the cab. You know that awesome suspension you put in your rig to increase capability and give it an awesome ride? Well, that upgrade is going to be heavily negated if you're trail running at full pressures. Airing down allows your tire to work for you, absorbing a great deal of the shock when running on uneven and harsh terrain. This makes for a much smoother and enjoyable ride.
3 - Vehicle Wear and Tear
You know who else wants a comfortable run off the beaten path? Your rig. Airing down does just that. The same jarring you feel when you smash into a rock or hole when off road is felt by your vehicle as well. Your drive train and suspension grimaces right along with you with each clang and bang you're vehicle makes along the way. Do your rig (and you) a favour and make sure you air down to prevent this accelerated wear and tear.
4 - Tread Lightly
Have you ever been on a trail that has excessive "burn patches" or ruts? You will often see these in areas where there is some kind of resistance, such as directly before an obstacle, where your tires are really working to propel your vehicle over. A lot of this damage can be resolved by airing down.
As noted in #1, when you air down the contact patch on your tire expands, resulting in more traction. This extra traction can often be enough to allow your tires to work as they were intended, versus struggling to get enough traction to get you where you're going and damaging the trail as a result.
5 - Avoid Trail Flats
Have you ever jacked up a vehicle 20 kilometers back in the woods and tried to change a flat? It's not fun. When you air down you allow your tires the ability to conform to their surroundings. Like a snow shoe, the larger footprint or an aired down tire makes for a greater disbursement of weight. This means driving over sharp or jagged rocks is much less likely to cause a puncture in your tire.
Be Aware
Clearly we are big fans of airing down off road, for all of the reasons noted above. That said, you need to know your rig, know your tire and wheel configuration, and ensure you are operating within their ranges. Some key things to consider here are:
1 - On road is not off road. What do we mean by that? As noted at the beginning of this post, your tires have manufacturer recommended pressures for maximum on road performance. These should always be followed when operating your vehicle on public roadways both for your safety and everyone else on the road.
2 - Accurate airing down. If you are going to air down you need the tools to do it. This means something to accurately read tire pressure, something to release air pressure from your tire (we recommend Coyote Tire Deflators, available in our online store!), and something to re-inflate your tires at the end of the trail before hitting the pavement home.
3 - Know your capability. If you have E rated tires and bead-lock wheels, you can run at much lower pressures than a standard wheel/tire setup. If you don't, be smart and know your limits. Airing down is a great way to get you further off the beaten path. If you go beyond your equipment capability you risk blowing a tire bead way back in the trail - and then that extra distance from home seems like a less than stellar decision. Know your gear!!
If you made it this far, thanks for reading. We hope you found this information useful and use it to help you safely get a bit further off the beaten path on your next adventure!
Please let us know if you have any info to add in the comments!!