Tire Pressure and a story about tire pressure

[John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided>]

>Lower is better.  But tire pressure is a 'black art'... and falls into 
>the "Stick vs. auto" and "Detroit vs. ARB" and "Jeep vs. LandCruiser" 
>debates..
>
>- -Tom Mandera, Helena MT

Well said, Tom, it is a black art. I've seen lots of rigs with their 
tires not "aired down" far enough, but can't remember ever seeing one 
with the tires too low. 

I know that some guys must "air down" too far, but I don't recall ever 
seeing that. I've also seen and experienced damaged rims and sidewalls, 
but none of those can be attributed to too-low tire pressures. 

I've mentioned before that one of the best experiences in my life was out 
on the beaches South of Cape Hatteras, but I was in my Grand Cherokee and 
really didn't want to have to find some place to air up after we were 
through playing. I knew better because I've been messing around in 
California sand for longer than Tommy's mother has been alive, nah not 
that long, but I was looking for a more dramatic comparison than my usual 
one with Tom's youth. 

Anyway, I got down in other guy's ruts and bottomed out so that all 4 
tires just spun free. Not much point in reducing tire pressure now. A 
father and son came along in a 2WD pickup with bulgy side-wall tires, 
took pity on me, commented that my winch wouldn't do much good unless I 
got something to winch to, whistled at a guy coming by in an old Datsun 
4WD, told him to get in position for anchoring, and pulled my winch cable 
for me as I let the air out of my tires so that when I got off high 
center I wouldn't repeat the episode. I winched myself about 3 feet kind 
of sideways so that I was off the high center, thanked all concerned and 
drove off with no more trouble. 

If the circumstances had been reversed, I would have helped them, but I 
would also have laughed at the dummy that hadn't "aired down" and had a 
winch he couldn't use in his expensive vehicle, but those guys never even 
snickered. I thank them and I owe them. 

Five years later, on this last trip we made, it was reinforced in my mind 
that most Southerners are really nice people. (Maybe all, but I didn't 
want to overgeneralize)

John H. who even has the "airing down" adaptors so he can put them on and 
they let the air pressure down automatically, if he bothers to use them.