Tyre Pressures - Airing down for Off Road use
Published by Peter Harris on 24th Jan 2017
We all love to drive, we all love to go off-road, we all love to tour and we all love our cars! But many of us forget the importance of regulating our tyre pressures. It is crucial to regulate and maintain tyre pressures in our vehicle to increase the longevity of various vehicle components and most importantly, safety! Driving with over or under inflated tyres could result in serious damage to our vehicles and even deadly accidents. In order to grasp this phenomenon better, it is essential to first understand the need for letting out air from your tyres.
Added Traction
Yes, contrary to a lot of individuals believing otherwise, airing down your tyres will give you a lot of extra traction when compared to a fully inflated tyre in off-road and difficult driving situations! So how does this happen? Airing down your tyres increases the surface area which comes in contact with the tyre, resulting in added traction. Many might think that the increased surface area of the tyre is a result of a wider tyre mark when deflated (as shown in the picture to the left). This is a common misconception which many of us have fallen for. In fact, it is the lengthening of the tire foot print which results in a bigger surface area in contact with the ground below. Looking at the image on the right, it clearly shows that when any given tyre’s pressure is reduced from 100psi to 43psi, the surface of the tyre touching the ground increases from 8 inches to 13 inches.
Lesser Damage to Engine and Transmission Components
Since the vehicle will now have added traction when off-road, the engine and transmission will not have to rev at higher speeds to enable the vehicle to power through obstacles. This will result in lesser wear and tear of the engine and transmission components.
Better for the Tracks – ‘Tread Lightly’
This, in my opinion, is the most important reason to lower our tyre pressures. Our all-terrain and mud-terrain tyres are designed to bite into the terrain to pull the vehicle forward. When these tyres lose traction and dig up the terrain, it actually causes a lot of damage to the tracks, which would normally take a lot of years to repair itself naturally. When the tyre pressures are lower, the vehicle achieves access to added traction which would curtail free spinning of tyres. In the spirit of keeping our tracks open and accessible to everyone else, Tread Lightly!
Better Management of Unsprung Weight
Unsprung weight of any vehicle refers to the weight of all the components which are not supported by the suspension. This includes components like the tyre itself, the wheel and axles, amongst other things. Adding up, the weight from these components is significant! By airing down, the tyre starts absorbing more bumps and corrugations on the road, turning into a suspension system for all the unsprung weight. This will put lesser strain on the suspension system and lesser vibrations travelling through the all the unsprung components of the vehicle, resulting in longevity of the vehicle in general.
Better Ride Quality
If nothing else motivates you to air down, this one will! In addition to all the above points, airing down also results in a more comfortable ride quality. Since airing down will result in the tyres also working as a suspension system in addition to the vehicle’s suspension system, the ride will be much smoother and way more comfortable!
It is important to note that airing down your tyre, if not done correctly, has its disadvantages as well! They could include damaging the bead, damaging the rubber or even damaging the wheel.
Stay tuned to learn about how to correctly deflate your tyres, what equipment to use and the advantages of using bead locks!
- Sujay Vasist, All Four x 4 Spares Researcher & Content Writer
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