Find your perfect tire pressure for road, gravel & track w/ new Silca Pro Pressure Calculator (2024)

FAQs

What PSI should gravel tires be? ›

When the road surface is pothole ridden gravel heavy tracks – it will work in your favor if you drop your tyre pressure slightly from bitumen roads, to something around 26-30 psi.

The placard or manual should list the appropriate psi for both the front and rear tires, as they may be different. Most passenger cars' psi requirement will be between 30 to 35 psi, but several vehicles fall outside of that range and every vehicle will have specific requirements.

Road Bikes

A typical range for these would be between 80 and 130 psi, although racers can sometimes go as high as 160 psi. Quick tip if you're caught inflating a road tire without a gauge and need to ballpark it: at 100 psi, a tire can barely be compressed with your thumb.

Sand or Loose Gravel: Aim for 12-15 psi to increase your tire's footprint and prevent the vehicle from sinking or slipping. Rocky Terrains: A pressure of 15-20 psi can help your tires wrap around rocks and avoid punctures.

In any case, tires should not be used at pressures below 1.6 bar (24psi). Using excessively low pressures would bring about the breaking of the tire due to excess force on the sidewall or unseating from the rim. “Hot” working pressures are usually in the range of 2.2 – 2.5 bar (32-36psi).

General Guidelines for Off-Road Tire Pressure

For more challenging terrains like deep sand or mud, dropping it further to 15-20 psi can increase traction. On particularly rugged terrains with rocks or sharp objects, stick closer to 25-30 psi to prevent punctures.

Gravel roads

We recommend setting your tyre pressures to 1.8 bar (cold-tyre) and not exceeding 100km/h once you've deflated your tyres.

In conclusion, tire pressure is an important factor in keeping your vehicle safe and performing optimally. The recommended tire pressure for most vehicles is between 30-35 PSI (pounds per square inch). A tire with a higher PSI rating such as 40 can have both benefits and risks depending on the driving conditions.

How close to max PSI should your tires be? ›

For instance, if 35 psi is recommended, and the maximum safe pressure listed on your sidewall is 44 psi, you can safely put 38 or 40 psi in your tires. You can even go to 44 psi. You'll experience a harder ride, but you won't create a blowout danger.

One of the biggest risks with overinflated tires is experiencing a blowout. Tire blowouts can easily cause you to lose control of your vehicle and make it much harder to brake within a shorter distance, not only posing a safety threat to yourself but to others on the road, as well.

Running your tires at the correct pressure is important because it keeps you safe, cuts down your gas bill, and makes your tires last longer. Each vehicle has its own specifications for tire pressure, but most fall between 28 and 36 PSI (pounds per square inch).

For slow rock crawling, you can go lower, but try to stay at or above the low-to-mid double digits (e.g., 12-15 psi) without beadlock wheels. Otherwise, you risk losing a bead unexpectedly bumping into or over sharp rocks or fallen tree limbs. If you have beadlocks wheels, you can go even lower into the single digits.

For most 4x4, you'll probably find that a PSI between 14-18 will do the trick, although you might need to lower it a bit further for certain terrains. Note: If you notice your vehicle beginning to strain, bring it back up and reduce it by smaller increments until you reach a comfortable level.

For slow rock crawling, you can go lower, but try to stay at or above the low-to-mid double digits (e.g., 12-15 psi) without beadlock wheels. Otherwise, you risk losing a bead unexpectedly bumping into or over sharp rocks or fallen tree limbs. If you have beadlocks wheels, you can go even lower into the single digits.

The recommended fat bike tire pressure for gravel is generally between 8-15 PSI.