Best washboard pressure

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Shane Drummond

Shane Drummond

10 Year
Joined
Sep 6, 2012
Threads
7
Messages
164
Location
Harare, Zimbabwe
Hi Mudders, I am off to the Zambezi River again, but for a week vs a day like last time, my question is, running 31's or 285/65-17's, and loaded as much as AHC can comfortably take, what should my tyre pressure be when I get onto the 100km bad washboard & loose stones stretch from the highway to the camp?
 
when im in baja ripping down the endless washboard roads, frequetly for 100+ miles, on my 285's, and fully ladden with gear, i keep the fronts at 15psi & the rears at 18 or so. Still plenty of air, but soaks up all the nastyness & feels like a caddy....been running like that for many years...others will tell you different, its all your preference. Never had a tire separate a bead either, and i get up to 70mph.
 
I like 18-20psi max for really really bumpy washboards....it will keep your kidneys from bleeding. :) I have 286x65x18
 
The answer will depend on the brand and type of tire you have.
I could run my Toyo MTR's down to 10 or less, my current Michelin AT2's run best on washboard at around 13psi. The stock OEM Michelin tires were fine at around 17psi.

In general the heavier and stiffer the sidewall the lower you will need to get the pressure for a smooth ride. I'd start around 17 and see how it rides.
 
I would suggest experimenting. I have found 20PSI to be a good compromise between stability and comfort. I have ran 12PSI and the ride was incredibly soft, but I felt like I was steering a dump truck,the steering was all over the place and sidewalks rolled so much on the corners it was scary. Too much air in the tires can cause chunking, bruising, and harsh jolting ride. Too little air pressure can cause excessive side wall rolling, more heat on the sidewalls (depending on speed), and a much slower reaction to sudden turns if something jumps out infront of you, or you don't see a corner and enter too fast.
 
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Wow, you guys all run such low pressures over washboard! I can't believe anyone hasn't yet had any sidewall issues with running higher speed cornering etc. I usually run 40psi on dry pavement on my E rated series tires, and run approx. 23psi on washboard gravel roads (up to 70km/hr). I would think anything lower than 18psi would be very risky at higher speed unless there's not a ton of tight cornering...
 
Depends on truck/tires/wheel size.

For me:

Higher speed washboard. 18F, 20R
Technical low speed: 16F, 18R

18" wheels with 285 BFG AT. I would think I could comfortably knock a pound or 2 off if I was running 16s.
 
I usually run 25psi as stated on my tyres, but dropped to 15psi for the washboard and it made a nice difference, no issues with the bead coming off and the 2 hours of washboard were generally ok, speed was about 100km/h on the washboard, any less than 80km/h was very unpleasant and some loud pinging from steering column hitting the steel tube in the dashboard
 
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4 yota's, most common vehicle in the valley is a Landcruiser, and most hunters use the 70 series, & fishermen the 100 series
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jonharis said:
Depends on truck/tires/wheel size.

For me:

Higher speed washboard. 18F, 20R
Technical low speed: 16F, 18R

18" wheels with 285 BFG AT. I would think I could comfortably knock a pound or 2 off if I was running 16s.
Click to expand...

That seems really low to me. Ive run lower in sand on a light vehicle. Any flats or crazy handling at proper washboard speed, say 65 all day?
 
TwiceWithHair said:
65 mph washboard!? Sounds scary...


...via IH8MUD app
Click to expand...
It varies, sometimes you have to go 50, sometimes 65. But at some speed the ride gets smooth, except in Saline Valley. There is no speed that smooth's the ride in Saline Valley.
 
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