New air down twist

unihall · 04-26-2009, 04:54 PM

So I finally got the cash together to get some new tires. I was down at the local tire shop and the guy tells me that I can't air down a tire that has only two plys on the side-wall. He claims that the tire will definitely come off the rim unless I have bead locks. This is news to me and I am thinking he is only trying to sell me BFGs which he claims all have 3 ply side-walls. Does any body have any ifo on this for me.
Thanks

**RockWoRM** · 04-26-2009, 05:36 PM

Depends... are you going down to like 4 lbs or something?

I would'nt do that on a 2 ply, nor would I waste $$$ beadlocking a 2 ply.

anywho, it depends on the tire size, the wheel width, and the psi you plan on running. If your planning on doing some serious off roading anyway, may as well buy some decent meats to begin with... good tires WILL make a difference!

WRM

Castr8r · 04-26-2009, 11:07 PM

I see it done a lot- two ply sidewall radial tires aired down to 12-14 psi without unseating the bead. I take my BFG MT's down to 11 psi, and am going to experiment with going lower. By the way, I've seen more sidewalls cut by sharp edged rock in the BFG brand than any other. Don't overthink this; it's just coincidental. Any tire that is aired down will expose more sidewall to potential damage, so you need to decide if the traction advantage (which is considerable) is worth it. Just my two bits worth...

**Joe Dillard** · 04-26-2009, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unihall

I was down at the local tire shop and the guy tells me that I can't air down a tire that has only two plys on the side-wall. He claims that the tire will definitely come off the rim unless I have bead locks.

Perhaps he's secretly an internet troll or just put down his crack pipe.

I guess anybody who runs the Interco TSL SSR Radials are in for a big surprise.

While they are not known for their sidewall strength, I've known plenty of folks who've aired 'em down some that didn't have bead issues.

Check all their sizes which are 2 ply sidewall here (over 40, 2 ply sizes):

http://intercotire.com/tires.php?id=9&g=1

Check the TRXUS MT as well - plenty of 2 ply sidewall tires that I'm sure lots of folks are airing down.

http://intercotire.com/tires.php?id=11&g=1

Brads_nky_yj · 04-26-2009, 11:43 PM

I run Dunlop Mud Rovers in a 31x10.5x15 flavor on stock jeep rims. They are 2 ply and I always air down to 10-11psi and have never had a problem.