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.
In case you hadn’t noticed, tyre pressure reduction is the secret to successful off-roading.
There are all sorts of gadgets created to assist in airing down. Some screw onto the valve stem then remove the valve core, so you can check the pressure until you arrive at your preferred setting. Screw the core back in place and voila, job done.
Others screw onto the valve stem and immediately go to work, depressing the valve core and letting air out until they hit their set level. The old-fashioned way, sees you with a gauge and a sharp point, perhaps a small stick or the end of a key, manually extracting the air. If doing it this way here’s a tip learnt from years of practice.
If you’ve got a full size 265 tyre in either 16 or 17 inch fitment, counting out a minute of air from 36psi will get you down around 20psi. Just watch the second hand on your watch and count out that minute. Not enough? Another minute will take you down to 12psi or thereabouts. Your mates will watch you in awe and you’ll become the “tyre whisperer!”
