Tire Pressure Guide For Overlanding

[Irish Yankee]

I have over 20,000 miles on my rig since I bought it in 2019 but with almost zero overlanding. I’m looking for some simple advice. As a newbie I don’t anticipate “extreme” road conditions but will be looking for moderate type trails as I head across the country from the east coast. Throw in a few sandy beaches and that’s what I hope to tackle. I start my journey next week.

How do I know what tire pressure I should set based on the road conditions? The only overlanding I’ve done is last December at Cape Lookout, NC where I deflated down to 16 PSI. I have a 2019 Ford F250 Super Duty with LT275/70R18 tires. Per Fords recommendation on the door jam the PSI is 60 on the front and 65 on the rear which is where I run on the hard roads. My rig weighs in at roughly 10,000 lbs fully loaded.

Is there any sort of chart or quick reference guide I can use based on the road conditions? Thanks for any advice.

Irish Yankee

Irish Yankee
2018 Wolf Creek 850
2019 Ford F250

[Alex Blasingame]

I found this chart that will tell you the weight rating at a given pressure for your tires.

Pressure Chart
For max pressure you should be using the rating printed on your tire and it sounds like you have “E” rated tire which is 80 psi. The rating on the door jam is only for “stock” tires. If you do have E rated tires you been under inflating your tires for asphalt/hard surfaces.

Choosing the correct tire pressure for your rig will depend on road condition, your weight and truck suspension. These are different to each rig.

I have a 2007 F250 carrying a Bunduvry camper a little heavier than your rig and the most I would air down is 35 psi.

TCA has several write up on some moderate off the highway trails you may find interesting.

[Author]

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