Tire Pressure for Baja at Silver Lake Dunes with Beadgrips

[Lion77]

So far, my research has yielded around 30-35 PSI for packed sand / dirt baja if you're doing higher speed stuff on non-bead grip or non-bead locked wheels to avoid de-beading. Will also be jumping it, so I dont' want a pinch flat during landing (already jumped it in an undisclosed off-road location at 84 mph and loved it!).

Starting to plan a trip up to Silver Lake Michigan early fall next year (late Sept. early Oct timeframe) and I will have a set of Method 703's by that point (waiting a while just in case they decide to produce the 207 Forged wheels or a +55mm offset, if not I'll buy the Bronco spec 703's in +35mm that are hub centric from FP).

What pressures do people run for higher speed uses with the method bead grips? I'm thinking 25 PSI on methods would be safe for baja in sand dunes. I tend to push the truck performance wise (habit from hot lapping a 2016 Mustang GT), just want to avoid destroying a tire.

Right now, I have the factory bead lockers but given the PITA it is to get the bead locked and the cost of the rings + labor is nearly as much as a set of 703's....hard to justify. I may keep the factory lockers and use them for trails since the beauty rings can be replaced / repainted, so they would make good trail / crawling wheels.

703's would be my street / baja wheels due to the lighter weight (less rotating mass) and bead grip. I ran two sets of tires / wheels on my mustang for different applications (kept the factory wheels for all seasons in colder weather, set of RTR flow forged with Pilot Sport 4S's for track / auto x / summer), and it worked out really well, so thinking the same thing for the truck. I have zero need for lighter wheels when doing trails / crawling since that's not high speed, in fact I'd rather have the forged factory lockers with rings that I can replace for those applications which is why I got the truck with the factory forged lockers.

But for Baja and daily driving? I think bead grips all the way; question is what tire pressure can I push them down to for Baja? 10-15 PSI seems way too low for high-speed stuff / jumps even with Bead grips.

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[Mystic]

I think a lot of concern seen on the internet re: debeading is overblown.

I have Method 703s now, but the OEM wheels/tires were totally fine at 18 PSI for relatively high speed (45-65 mph) baja stuff. Not worried in the slightest now with the 703s.

My Staun rapid deflators are set to ~18 PSI and that seems to be a happy medium for just about any off road situation I'm likely to encounter outside of Hell's Revenge, Rubicon, or the like.

Your contact patch should be as large as possible in the sand, which means going as low as reasonably possible. I think 25 is too high.

 

[stuartmunto]

You won’t be at risk of de-beading until you go below 10psi. Even then, you’ll need to suddenly crank in full lock turning while at a decent speed to de-bead (or get snagged up on something)

I regularly go down to 10psi in soft sand and still travel at a decent pace, I just make sure I don’t put in too much steering angle

 

[BuenaRaptor]

Did you go to Assault school? Think that would help with your trust in air pressure. We ran 28 rear 30 front. And flung those RR as hard as we could into turns with and without braking. I swore I was going to pop a bead but it never happened and it was way harder on the wheels than anything I’ve ever done in Baja. I plan to ride 25psi next time south

 

[Lion77]

Thanks for the info, guys. I do have a full-sized spare like everyone else (well unless you removed it, but I'm keeping mine) so it's not the end of the world if a tire de-beads, but I'd rather not ruin a tire at $300 a pop by pushing too hard on air pressure...yah know what I'm saying'?

I'll probably start out at 25 psi then and see how things go, maybe lower it to 20 psi if I'm having issues with sinking in the sand. I think by bigger concern than de-beading for me is a pinch flat from jumping, but it's good to know that 18~20 psi seems to be a pretty safe bet even on non-bead locks / non-bead grips in terms of lateral loads.

Anyone jump their RR's at 20 psi range without issues? I'm thinking in sand 20 psi is probably fine, but on dirt it would probably need to be around 25 - 30 psi like at Raptor Assault school.

 

[pasali]

Can’t speak to jumping the truck, but I ran 12psi on my 708’s (+25 offset) in Moab. Got up to 50+mph sliding sideways on rough/rocky fire roads and drove it pretty hard on some ledges on Top of the World trail On Hells Revenge we went pretty fast through the sandy sections and had no issues with the rock crawling parts. Never came close to pinching the tire against the rim.
Tires make a big difference in your question as well. 315/70R17 BFG KO2’s (load range C) for me with 3” front / 1” rear lift kit from fordrangerlifts.com.
Load range D or E tires would be stiffer if you want less sidewall flex.
Not exactly Baja, but still a lot of fun!

 

[Lion77]

I'll be sticking with stock K03's, which are also load range C, so about same as what you're running just a bit narrower obviously. 315's would be better for sand though.

BTW: Specifications.pdf

If I went with a slightly bigger tire, which I don't want to do until I'm past the FP supplemental warranty period, I'm thinking 295/70R17's, but that's load range E, so definitely a stiffer sidewall, but that would give me a 33.3" diameter and a less drastic increase in weight (the factory tires are very light, 56 lbs compared to all the other sizes).

So, I'll probably just stick with factory 285/70R17's and eventually pick up a set of Method 703's. Just to confirm, will the Ford Performance 703's for the Bronco fit the hub bore on the RR? They are +35mm offset, which I want to keep scrub increase low, so that jives.

Factory beak lockers are what, 35lbs each? 703's are 28, so that 28lbs total savings in rotating mass in addition to the bead grip capability, those seem like a win / win. Unlike a lot of others, I'm more into preserving the high-speed Baja nature of the RR vs. making it a crawler.

Stock RR can do about as much crawling as your typical stock Jeep Rubicon, which is plenty for the trails around here. Between the FP Pro Cal, TriboTEX DLC on the powertrain and lighter 703's this thing is going to FLY (already is)!

 

[Afkjax]

Runnung stock KO3s with the Ford performance Method 703s (beadgrips). I was just there in June running 14 PSI doing multiple days of hot laps, jumping, drag racing, and test hill. I did not debead or have a single worry the whole trip.

The only thing to keep an eye on is the Trans and oil temps in Baja mode. They shoot up to the high 240s quick and stay there. I found sport mode to be better, never got over 235 temp, and it held the RPMs at a nice cruising level for all the hills.

Comfort steering, baja exhaust, offroad suspension, and sport mode in 4H. Just make sure to swap back to 2H when your back on pavement with all the turns.

 

[Lion77]

If you had a Dodge Ram Hemi and towed a trailor your oil temp would be at 265F and that's considered normal for that truck lol. 240F isn't terrible, my 2016 Mustange GT would hit those temps hot lapping and never had any issues, but I did "up-spec" from 5W-20 to 5W-30 (user manuals for Aussie / Mexico stangs called for 5W-30 due to climate so it wasn't an issue to go slightly higher especially since the cold start viscosity was same).

It was common for the 5.0's to hit 240~250F oil temps on track days without any issues, but I would allow for cool down period if I got past 250F just for added safety, but good to know on the tire / wheel / pressure combo, so I think that about answers my questions.

 

[moproblems]

It's sliver lake, not hard pack. I ran mine at 15 and should have gone lower.

 

[Lion77]

Also been considering using the beadlock function on my factory lockers, but ultimately I think I'm going to get a set of Method's instead.

1. Factory rings + hardware are over $900, but a set of Method's are around $1400....
2. Beadlocks are hard to find installers and costly to get done, not dot approved.
3. Methods offer 90% of the bead-lock capability without any of the downsides.
4. I will likely keep the factory bead lockers for trails and EVENTUALLY buy a set of locker rings which are replaceable in case i get rock rash (likely), then I can run the Methods on street / sand dunes and entry level trails where I don't get rock rash.

That will give me protection if I do intermediate level trails / crawling stuff if I get the itch. Otherwise I mostly do moderate trails, sand dunes and touring / camping type stuff or utility (towing occasionally, home depot runs etc.), so I don't need the lockers and the Methods offer plenty plus they are MUCH lighter than lockers with rings.

 

[iBrad81]

Factory tires and non beadlock wheels and ran it at 15 psi no problems

 

[Lion77]

I kinda wish I had the non-beadlockers. I think the OEM standard alloys are what, ~28 lbs, similar to the Methods. At the time I bought the truck I did not know that the factory bead lockers were dot approved once configured as bead locks. Nor did I realize the actual locking rings + bolts make them a whopping 35~40 lbs just for the wheel!

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