Here's a trick so cheap its FREE! I figured this out the hard way, but I sure wish someone had told me this trick when I first got my 4x4. I spent a lot of time digging my way out of situations I could have driven out of. The trick: Use the right air pressure for the job.

Many people don't give much more thought to air pressure other than filling up the tires to the pressure stated on the door jamb or printed on the sidewall. That's fine for street use, but things change when you get your truck off the pavement.

Manufacturers (of truck and of tires) set their pressure recommendations based on vehicle weight and tire size with the aim to get the decent highway ride, good gas mileage, and tire longevity. Off-highway traction is generally NOT used in the equation. If you've never played with your air pressure off-road, give it a try.

Lowering your air pressure increases the amount of rubber gripping the terrain, and therefore increases your traction. In fact, halving your air pressure will generally DOUBLE the amount of tire touching the terrain. There have been several instances where I have been stuck due to lack of traction on muddy or loose hills or on snow, only to find I can drive myself out by removing much of the air pressure from my tires. Just a few weeks ago a friend and I were wheeling in the Cascade mountains and we came across a steep, loose bulldozer track that neither of use could climb at our street pressure of roughly 30 psi. I lowered to 20 psi and tried again - this time I got further up. Finally, I lowered the pressure down to around 12 and crawled right up. The other rig with me did the same. Later that weekend we found that low pressure worked great for wheeling over snowfields. In addition, I tend to get fewer punctures running over sharp rocks when my pressure is lower.

Give it a try -- if you've never tried wheeling on low pressure you'll wonder how you ever did without it. But be careful of a couple of things: If running real low pressure, don't drive too fast - you could heat up and prematurely wear the tire. Also, the tire is more susceptible to coming off the bead during high-speed cornering. Another point should be obvious: you gotta have a way to air the tires back up before hitting the pavement. I use a 12V compressor which is slow, but it works. You also loose some clearance by airing down, so it won't help you get unstuck if you're high-centered.
 

BACK to the main Cheap Tricks Page