David Wilson, director and lead instructor at Adventure 4WD has been a 4WD trainer since a time before the internet. He lives and breathes life off the beaten track and is passionate about sharing his knowledge. We want to help Dave spread the word, so every Wednesday; Toyo Tires will be sharing one of his snack sized 4WD tyre tips.
You can tell a lot about whether a tyre has been correctly inflated by simply looking at its tread face..
A tyre that is over-inflated (about 90% of 4WD tyres end up this way through poor advice) will wear out its central tread area before the rest. An under-inflated tyre will wear the shoulders on inside and outside faces.
A correctly inflated tyre will be evenly worn across the full tread face with even tread depth evident. Don’t be suckered into running high 30s or 40s or heaven forbid higher psi, on vehicles that are lightly laden.
You’ll accelerate wear, increase your puncture risk and extend braking distances.
Check your tyre placard for your starting pressure point and adjust from there depending on your load and/or speed and terrain you’re encountering. With pressures set correctly and monitored regularly, along with wheel alignment you might be able to max out your Open Country A/TII’s at 80,000kms or even more. That’s economical motoring if ever I’ve seen it!
