Jeep Off-Roaders Share Tire Pressure Deflation Methods

JK-Forum members share the best methods to remove air from tires before hitting the trails.

When you take your Jeep off-roading, one of the key steps before hitting the trails is to let some air out of the tires. Having under-inflated tires on the road might be dangerous, but in rough terrain, tires with a little more “give” to them make for better grip on uneven footing.

JK-Forum member TrailRecon recently posted in the video section, asking other off-roaders what methods they use for letting the air out of their Jeep tires when they head into rough terrain. He included the video above, explaining the system that he uses to deflate his tires and pointing out the fact that simply using a tire pressure gauge to slowly let out the air can take several minutes per tire. He walks us through the function of his deflators of choice and for those off-roaders who haven’t used a setup like that, it is a very useful clip.

As the thread continues, a handful of members who off-road their Jeep spoke up to mention their deflator brand of choice, including Staun, TeraFlex and ARB, shown above courtesy of the image posted by 63expert. This is all great information, but forum member jchappies offered the most interesting information in the thread – especially for those DIYers in the group.

“I’ve used the set-it forget it deflators and for the most part they work but they do fail too and aren’t very accurate tire to tire. The ARB style where you pull the valve core works really well and is fast. But with all those that I have used I ended up building my own 4 tire inflation\deflation setup. I hook up all 4 tires and can have them deflated in 4min (30lbs to 15lbs). I can also inflate my 4 37’s in 2.30 min with my shop compressor or CO2 or my OBA takes about 5min(that’s all 4 tires)”

As you might expect, several members quickly asked about that four-at-once deflator system, so jchappies posted the video below, showing his system in action on his Jeep Wrangler.

Here also offered a parts list for those members who want to build their own system similar to his:

“I deflated all 4 tires to 10 lbs, it took 2:30 to inflate ALL 4 37in tires to 30 lbs. My compressor is 5 CFM@90psi to compare to yours. I had some of these parts so it was cheaper for me.
1: 1-50ft of 3/8 air hose- Home depot 13.00
2: 4-lock-on air chuck (closed)- Amazon 10.81ea
3: 3- Barb “T” 3/8×3/8×3/8- Home depot 6.00ea
4: 12-1/4to5/8 hose clamps- Home depot 5.00 a bag of 10
5: 2-3/8 barb to 1/4ntp brass-Amazon or home depot 3.60ea
6: 1-1/4×1/4×1/4 NTP brass “T” Amazon or home depot 7.00ea
7: 1-1/4NTP valve-Amazon or Home depot 3.50-7ea
8: 1-1/4×1/4 brass barrel- Amazon or home depot 3.00ea
9: 1-1/4 NTP air gauge rear mount-Amazon 10-20.00ea

I had a lot of this stuff laying around besides the hose and air chucks to complete it it was pretty cheap but going out to buy everything can be upwards to 100.00.”

If  you go off-roading with your Jeep Wrangler and you are tired of spending 10 minutes letting the air out of your tires before you hit the trails, check out this thread for a list of popular brands of tire deflators as well as a great DIY on how to make your own.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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