I've read that before, but can offer no personal experience with it. Tom Shepard makes no difference regarding tire brand. However, with the Duratracs you can definitely see that the sidewall bulges out quite a bit more down at 15--making them more vulnerable to getting a rock cut in the sidewall. You might do a similar comparison with the Toyos and see how that works out.

 

Regarding airing down. I frequently air down to 10psi. 10 is my go to number for any time that I hit dirt. Has been a common practice for me ever since I can remember and has never caused any issues. Yes it may take a little longer to air up but the benefits are worth it. The vibration absorption of rough rocky and wash boarded roads is definitely noticeable from 10-15psi. That in combination with my reservoir shocks allow me to travel on roads or trails that are less than comfortable without excessive noise. As well as the jeep, my trailer gets aired down to 10 as well.

The only time I go lower is in deep snow where more sidewalk bulge is beneficial.

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I'll do so. Thanks! Maybe I'll just reset my deflators to 20 psi and see if I have issues. Thanks again!

 

26 psi on the street????? Isn't that a tad low?

 

depends on the tire the Goodyear kevlars with the stiff sidewalls demand that kind of pressure.

 

What tires are you running? Have you ever compared the ground clearance difference between 20 and 10 PSI? With the Duratracs, which are known for having a soft sidewall, it's like I'm running a tire size or two smaller to air down below 15. But it is a cushy ride, LOL!

 

This would be through three different tires. First were Mickey Thompson MTZ's second were Cooper discoverer STT's and Now I run the Interco TRXUS MT's. Of all the tires the Mickeys had the softest sidewalls and probably lost about an inch. The Coopers and Interco's not nearly as much. The new tires have a fairly stiff sidewall and an E load rating: at 10 they have a small amount of bulging but not excessive. I run 37's so any ride height loss is negligible.

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How do you like the TRXUS MTs? I ran Interco's SSRs in 33" & 37" on my YJ but that's been almost a decade ago.

 

So far I am very impressed. For a more aggressive tire they are very smooth and quiet. Great traction on wet rocks and mud. In the snow, they helped me walk right up a hill that others were using their lockers on.

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33" or 285/75/16 Toyo MT aired down to 10.5 PSI last summer:



That's on a 2-door JK, with no doors or top, lightly packed for a day of running Jeep trails near Liberty, WA.

Normally when I'm "overlanding" I stick to about 18 psi. The sidewalls on the Toyos are stiff - it is of course a 10-ply rated tire. I like them a lot. Siped, they do pretty well in the snow and ice too. Pretty well, not the best.

Regards, Guy