Defender Tire Pressure?

[supersix]

When I got my Defender, it was loaded with 30psi in the stock Big Horn 2.0 tires.  After some research I dropped all four tires down to 18psi and it rides so much better. 

What pressure is everyone else running?

 

[spartan45acp]

I have a 2019 Defender HD10 XMR and it comes with 30 inch ITP Cryptid tires.  Factory settings are 14 lbs in the front and 26 lbs in the rear, however I too am wondering if the pressure should be changed to a lower value.  Not so much in the front but the rear tires are 26 lbs.  I guess it would depend on whether or not I am loading the box up or not.  So far I have only put a couple of 20 L fuel containers and a chainsaw in the box so lowering the rear a bit might be a good idea.

[spartan45acp]

I just tried my Defender XMR  with 12 lbs in front and 18 lbs in rear and it still a bit rough.  I don’t want to go too far below factory since I am not running a bead lock rim.  Anybody running the same rig with lower pressures?

[supersix]

Welcome to the forum @spartan45acp!  Congrats on the XMR, it's one awesome looking machine.

I've heard of guys running them as low as 10lbs but not quite sure what wheel setup they were running.  I would try 15 & 15 and see how it feels.  

 

[Dragoon]

I'm surprised that the factory settings call for that much between the front and rear tires. I assume it's because they have to run a tire pressure for a full payload even though that rarely happens for most. I run 15 psi front and rear in my HD10 Max and I haven't had any issues. It rides much better than when the tires were inflated to well over 20 psi.

[spartan45acp]

I am assuming the same thing so I am going to set it to 12 lbs in the front and maybe 14 lbs in the rear.  Maybe work my way down to 10 lbs for all.  If I load up the box I will just add more to the rear tires.

[Dragoon]

That sounds like a good plan! Let us know what pressures you settle on.

[spartan45acp]

I lowered the pressure to 10lbs on all sides and it seems to be working fine in snow. 

[Dragoon]

Glad to hear it! I REALLY miss riding in the snow 😪

[Mark]

I run mine at 16 on the front and 21 on the back.  Seems like everywhere I go there is a rut/washout on one side of the trail and the machine is running at a pretty bad cross slope.  I worry the tire will come off the sidewall if I go too low on the pressure.

[spartan45acp]

I get what your saying about the tire rolling off the rim.  However when I stood back to take a look at the tires with 10lbs of air, the side wall looks as stiff as it did when it was loaded to the factory max and the tires are so solid.  I figured I would run them this way for awhile.  So far no problems except now the snow is so deep it put a stop to my driving until I pick up a set of tracks.  Maybe there is a big difference in the way the ITP Cryptid tires and the Big Horn 2 react to lower pressures.  All I can say is that the ITP Cryptid tires seem to work great with 10lbs on all 4 corners.  

[Mark]

I may have to experiment a little with the lower pressures.  So far the only downside of the pressures i'm running has been the ruts I get in my yard.  I think a lower pressure would help with that.  I have plenty of traction in the mud or steep rocky slopes I need to climb and I frequently drive at 60 mph on paved roads that go through my deer lease  and this thing drives as good as my pickup at those speeds so i've been reluctant to change anything but if it still handles good at lower pressures and doesn't dismount itself in the cross slopes it would be nice to reduce the ruts in my yard.

[spartan45acp]

Just a quick update on my tire pressure experience at 10lbs.  The other day I went out for a few hours on the trail that had plenty of snow still on it as well as some spots that were just mud.  When I got back home and washing off the rig I noticed that one of the rear tires seemed a bit low on air.  When I checked it...the tire gauge read 0 lbs.  The side wall on these ITP tires are so strong that even with no air it didn't look that flat.  So upon further investigation I noticed the bead was off the rim on the inside of the wheel.  So I guess I will be adding a bit more pressure to these tires.  That brings me to another topic....anybody running double bead lock rims?

[Dragoon]

Good to know, thanks for reporting back!

[spartan45acp]

The saga continues.  I tried to ratchet strap the tire and fill it with air but no joy.  So I took it out to the dealer and they tried to put the tire back on the rim but no joy.  The rim was punctured and had a small hole on the inside. The dealer said they usually get one or two every year come in like this.  They figured a sharp rock got jammed on the inside of the rim and punctured it.  So now I am waiting for a new rim and of course warranty will not cover it.