Is it safe to air down BFG KM2's (255 75R 17) tires to 20 psi for offroading, or does someone recommend a different air pressure?

 

I've got BFG km2's and I air down to 15, but that's just me. May want to wait for someone to answer who's been wheelin longer then 6 months......

 

I go down to 12. On stock wheels. I haven't had any problems.

 

I have 35x12.5x15 on a 15x10 wheel which everyone says will cause you to lose beads faster then an 8 inch wheel. I torture my poor tires and have yet to lose a bead.

 

you should be fine to air down to 12 psi with out beadlocks. I've only lost one bead on a tire and it was when I was below 12 psi and no beadlocks.

 

Yep. I run mine at 12psi as well. You should be fine at that pressure.

 

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I'll probably try 20 psi first and see how I like it, and if I get brave enough I'll try going lower.

 

I run around 26 on gravel roads, 20-22 for normal off road and 15-20 for soft stuff. Went down to 10 psi once when stuck in some very lose gravel at a river mouth Only blown one bead in some deep tapered ruts because my track width is slightly wider than most other local 4wds. Going to play in some deep gravel this Sunday so will be down ton 0-15 but nothing to pop a bead on so should be OK

 

12 PSI for my 35 inch KM2's for the trails. I run mine at 30 PSI everyday as my daily driver.

 

255/75R17 is the equivalent of a 32x10R17 or so... not sure what wheel size you have, but you should be able to go 12 psi with no problem whatsoever. Beads tend to go when you put a lot of weight on one tire that has been aired down significantly, such as when articulating in big rocks or in uneven terrain. Wider rims tend to blow beads easier than narrower, in my experience, but it depends on the tire size matched to it.

For most wheelin, I air my KM2's (35x12.5R17) down to 20 psi right off the bat to take the harshness out of the ride, then go down in 5 psi increments from there. Mud and rocks, about 15 psi is typical. For wheelin in snow, I air down as low as 5 psi for maximum floatation.

Of course the main thing is that if you air down, at all, for any reason, you should always have a way to air back UP again, AND have the ability to reseat a bead under trail conditions if you have to. There are probably tons of threads about all the different ways to reseat a bead on the trail, but most require a source of compressed air strong enough to not only inflate the tire but force it back on the rim again (with some help).