Thanks for the reply. Can I air down to 5 psi without beadlocks and keep the tire on the rim?

 

I wouldn't suggest going below 10psi if you don't have onboard air and a tank. You might not lose a bead, but better safe than sorry. Start at 18-20psi and if thats not enough, let out about 3psi at a time till yo find that right balance of floatation and control.

 

A/T's would serve you better in soft sand, but M/T's should be just fine. air down alot, and you'll float right over it. i'd run 10-12 PSI in my TJ.

 

I have never run beadlocks, and never had a problem with a tire coming off of the bead. Don't be stupid and try spinning donuts when you are a ways from civilization, but for everything other than that you should be just fine. I beat the crap out of my jeeps on the dunes. 18-20 psi is WAY TO HIGH. You will have lots of problems climbing and just driving around for that matter with that much air in the tires.

This is my old TJ with only 5 psi


Again only 5 psi


Me trying to get stuck


A lot of people have trouble with sand, that is until they overcome their fear of AIRING DOWN.

 

i was only running 24 in my tires on the street, chalk-tested.
what are you people starting with????

 

I haven't even got my tires on the JK yet so I don't know what I start with on that. With my Z71 I started at ten and worked down, with the TJ I started at 6. For the JK on 37" MT/Rs I am going to start at 8 and move down from there. The best way to tell is by the bulge in the tire. If the sucker is wrinkled and flat, then it has too little air in it. If it looks like it did when you drove down the freeway, you have too much air in it. It should have a significant bulge, but not wrinkling.

 

nah, i mean, what are you guys running in these tires on the street that people are airing down to 18-22 psi? like i said, i was running 24 on the street. is this from the factory, or are people going out and chalk-testing, or sitting at their kitchen tables and doing the math?

 

I see, haven't checked the JK yet, but I use to run the TJ at 25 on the street. The Z71 was always at 36.

 

Haven't chalked the JK, but the TJs I was running 28psi street, the XJ 26psi(not sure if the 2psi actually makes a difference but it chalked perfect there so I stuck with it), and my F150 was 34psi ft/30psi rr (had a Toy on 33s but never chalked them and ran it at 30psi). Again... I've been in really soft/deep sand and have never had to go below 10psi in a Jeep or Toyota. You can run 5 if you want, but I like having that safety margin as well as knowing that if I start to bog, I still have plenty of psi in my favor. If you run across some ruts in the sand that you have to get out of, 5psi will likely lose you a bead (I've seen it happen at 8psi in a FS Bronco). The tire shouldn't look flat. If it does... you've let too much out. It should be soft enough to 'bounce' while driving. That will flex the sidewall enough to widen the footprint when needed. Losing a bead in sand is not fun.

 

Damn woolf ... after looking at the pics (didn't see them at 1st) I may have to give lower pressure a shot! Maybe the air underneath compensates for the lack of in the tires!!! hahahaha.

I was gonna add that you must've been running 7or8inch wide tires on a 12.50 but I can see you aren't afraid of running wide 10inchers. If you were running 5psi on that setup and never lost a bead, I might have to give it a try this year just to prove myself wrong.

This is my YJ on a nice hard packed day (the sand here changes more than I change my socks!) and I'm at no less than 20 here. I never had to run the YJ low because the STS's RULED in the sand. If they didn't drive like poop on the street I'd get another set.