Friday, Apr 24, 2009 at 12:25
Hi Davo_60,
Your comfort and not vibrating everything to pieces is one of the reasons for reducing tyre pressures.
Slowing down is a must because lower pressures allow the side walls of the tyres to flex more which in turn increases heat build up in the carcass of the tyre. Travelling fast with low pressures on the bitumen will shorten the life of the tyres and dramatically increase the tyres air pressure (you end up running on the centre portion of the tread) and travelling fast off road will lead to a loss of control.
Slow speeds off road keep this heat build up to a minimum. Going slower also allows the softer tyre to flex and roll over bumps and rocks and stay in contact with the road surface where as a stiffer tyre will hit obstructions and lose contact with the ground as it bounces or blows out because there is no give.
Lower pressures, with a lot of off road driving, probably reduces the life of the tyres a little but keep in mind the advantages of better control and comfort. Once a tyre has damage to the side wall it's buggered whether it's new or has done 40 000 k's.
SB
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