Warning: Airing down too much can actually hurt your traction on loose sand

I was at Moab last month and kept getting stuck on a sandy climb with my Jeep on 33s. Everyone says air down to 12 psi for sand, but I tried 18 psi on a hunch from an old BLM ranger I met at a gas station. The rig actually hooked up better and didn't bog down in the soft spots. Has anyone else found that super low pressure kills momentum on loose terrain?

2 comments

2 Comments

noranguyen2d ago

The BLM ranger knows his stuff. I saw the same thing at the Oregon Dunes last year with my F-150 on 35s. At 15 psi I was digging holes everywhere, the tire sidewalls were just folding over and killing my forward bite. But at 20 psi it was like a totally different truck, the tires kept their shape and just pushed through the soft top layer. Did you notice any difference in your steering response up at 18 psi versus where you were stuck at 12? That heavier steering is usually a good sign you're getting the tire working the way it should.

jesse_nguyen2d ago

The BLM ranger thing reminded me of a time in Death Valley. I was running 15 psi in my old Tacoma on 32s and I swear the tires felt like they were trying to climb over themselves. Every time I hit a patch of that fine volcanic dust, the sidewalls just squished out and I lost all forward motion. I bumped it up to 22 psi just to see what would happen and the tires started biting through the dust down to the harder stuff underneath. Steering got heavier but I could actually steer where I wanted instead of the tires just wandering. There's definitely a sweet spot where you're not too hard to bounce but not too soft to just fold over.