What tire pressure for 35 inch mud terrains in in this fake snow?

[raynyc]

Any one have a recommendation for tire pressure driving around in all this really slick fake snow we have in NYC? I have 35 inch mud terrains , like driving a sled

 

[Texasknowhow]

We've had that in No. Va as well. I'm running my 35" GY Duratracs at 36 psi. Seems about right. Had em at 42 and was just too stiff. This is for everyday driving/commuting.

 

[greentruck]

Lower is better in the snow. Nothing like 12 pounds or anything, but dropping to 30 could be a great help. If they're the old BFG Radial MTs, they've got all the traction of a hockey puck on ice (I know, believe me), so you're gonna need all the help you can get.

 

[itbrokeagain]

Here in Ohio we have about 3 inches of frozen slush and ice with roughly an inch of snow on top of that. Makes things interesting.

 

[raynyc]

Thanks guys going to try it now

 

[91 Cruiser]

20 psi is what im running for snow purposes.

 

[half k cruiser]

Whats wrong with just running them at 35psi street pressure ? Just got a foot of snow dumped on us here and I didn't have any issues getting around.

 

[raynyc]

Whats wrong with just running them at 35psi street pressure ? Just got a foot of snow dumped on us here and I didn't have any issues getting around.

I run mine at 50psi on the street . I will try the 35 lbs

 

[half k cruiser]

I run mine at 50psi on the street . I will try the 35 lbs

Wow, what tires are you running. Do you have any wear issues ?

 

[raynyc]

BFG MT 35 x 12.50
i says on the tire max pressure 50lbs
i was worried it would be to wobbly at 35lbs

Wow, what tires are you running. Do you have any wear issues ?

 

[greentruck]

When I do air down, I don't go to extremes. I think the lowest I had my old MTs was around 18 pounds, but people said 15 is no big deal, it's 12 that gets you in trouble

That's trail use. On the street, higher speeds seem to dictate more psi, even aired down.

 

[NCFJ]

There are just too many variables to settle on one PSI. Different tires, rating and vehicle weights all factor in. In general I preffered skinny tires in the winter that would cut down through the snow rather than ride on top.

That said, for normal street pressure I have always used the chalk method to determine tire pressure on specific vehicles. I have two sets of KM2s on two different vehicles, same size, and they run at different PSI.

 

[91 Cruiser]

BFG MT 35 x 12.50
i says on the tire max pressure 50lbs
i was worried it would be to wobbly at 35lbs

just because it says max 50 psi does NOT mean you need to run it at the max pressure.

@halfk
the reason for airing down is to create a larger contact area with the road, which gives much more traction the 35 psi.

 

[Overland Tailor]

Do a google search on "chalk test"

Easy to do and gives you maximum tire wear life as well as a good SAFE ride.

 

[half k cruiser]

@halfk
the reason for airing down is to create a larger contact area with the road, which gives much more traction the 35 psi.

I know why people do it, I just don't see the necessity for street driving. If your driving a pass up in the Rockies when the snow is still down, then yes, I can see airing down to as low as you can get. For traversing city streets during or after a snow storm, I have never seen the need. Just slow everything down a bit and you will be just fine. I've never been stuck, never slid into anybody and never had a street I couldn't get down. That's on 35'' BF Goodrich AT KO's which really aren't that great of a tire in my opinion.

 

[86tuning]

I run my KM/2 at 35psi for street use. 50psi would be bumpy as heck and unnecessarily harsh. Cost/benefit ratio is out of proportion. Yes, you might gain a few percentage points for fuel economy, at the expense of harsh ride. And you might marginally gain a bit of transitional handling prowess, at the expense of overall grip.

Factory recommended tire pressures are around 32psi for p-metric tires. 35psi for LT will be fine for most loads. Heavily laden? Sure increase the rear pressure a bit more.

When snow-wheeling in deep snow I air down to single digits sometimes.

 

[raynyc]

FYI, i got the truck aligned and the tires road forced balanced this weekend and lowered the tire pressure to 40LBS. its a whole other world now. apparently the tech that did the alignment told me the front axle had to be rotated a 1/2 inch (forward?) to make the geometry work.
my truck drives amazing now , im really surprised at how dramatic the change is.
now onto the sloppy steering !