Sprinter Tire pressure

  • HTML tutorial

Dan Tracy

Rank V
Launch Member

Advocate III

1,603
Watsonville, Ca
Member #

1768

I drive a 2016 4x4 Sprinter. On-road pressures are 55lbs in front and 70 lbs in rear. When I leave the pavement I am never quite sure how low to go with my tire pressures. I typically drop them about 15 lbs and hope for the best. I am usually on forrest service roads or "moderate trails". This beast is not a rock crawler.
What are your thoughts on off highway tire pressures for this application?
I have onboard air for re-inflation.
 

Shakes355

Rank V
Launch Member

Traveler III

1,515
Bellingham, WA, USA
First Name
Chris
Last Name
Adams
Member #

24526

So your tires are E rated 10 ply I would assume. A lot depends on your travel weight, but most of the time it has to do with tire construction and intended speed.

The load capacity of your tires is based not just on total weight capacity, but also temperature. More sidewall deflection means more heat. Under inflating 10 ply road tires close to full gvw at highway speeds can significantly shorten their life and increase the risk for failure.

At low speeds, theres generally less concern as friction increases with speed. Many off road AT/MT tires are designed with lower inflation in mind. The tread compounds an construction are more suited to this deflection than gneral over the road highway tires which are designed for vertical load carrying and lateral stability at speed.

First step would be to calculate your total weight and find the pressure rating for that tire at that load. This will give you the best tread wear on paved surfaces. Then adjust your pressures down visually for off pavement. The goal would be for full tread contact. You can see your sidewall corners start to wrap down towards the ground. It's got to be pliable enough to contour to the uneven ground, but not soft enough to risk unseating a bead in off kilter situations. The closer you are to gvw, the better to stay on the cautious side of 30 psi. unless you've got beadlocks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: FluentStudent

velo47

Rank VII
Launch Member

Member III

6,184
Albuquerque, NM, USA
First Name
Matt
Last Name
Harland
Member #

21731

Ham/GMRS Callsign
W3TAX
I usually take mine down to around 30 to 25 psi offroad. They are 265/70/17 BFG KO2s. I would feel comfortable going lower if necessary.
 

Dlnuckolls

Rank V
Member

Off-Road Ranger I

1,503
Shepherdsville, KY, USA
First Name
David
Last Name
Nuckolls
Member #

27074

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KO4WHV
I run Nitto 275/70/R18 and they do well when I air down to around 18-20 for off pavement driving. Depending on the terrain and your comfort, you can lower it to what makes sense for your rig.

There is no real “magic” number, it’s more about keeping enough air in the tire to not break the beads, and low enough to smooth the ride. Having onboard air makes it easy enough to try a few different levels and see what works best for your situation.
 

K3V3N

Rank II
Launch Member

Contributor II

327
Utah
Member #

12056

What I use for reference :)