07JeepXK

I think that you should probablly take the advice of the numerios people on the forum saying that it is better to air down and have proof in pictures that airing down actually helped them out instead of the one guy saying to add a few pounds.

BlackNorthernJK

oh I don't know about that...if that's all we ever did then maybe we'd still believe the world is flat...or that the sun still revolves around the earth...
Now personally I don't have the answer, but I'm gonna be testing both here tomorrow before I hit the trails full of snow on Saturday...I'll post my unbiased opinions tomorrow.
I do find this most interesting though and am VERY curious to get to the bottom of this.
Further more..by spending a few spare sleepless hours last night I cruised the net up and down and it would appear that there remains TWO definate schools of thought on this very subject, both sides with great arguments and evidence, I have yet to find a definative answer...but you can do what you want

SaginawMike

I think it would be helpful if the folks that post their results/advice also state the type and size of their tires.

sgmrock

Been wheelin' in my own rigs for 20 + years now, (not Army issue). Snow that will touch your axle or undercarriage, AIR DOWN. Less snow than that, turn off ESP and do donuts in your front yard.... Don't believe me? Stay full pressure in deep snow and freeze your but off overnight... Why do you think cold weather HMMWV and such have a central tire inflation system....it is not for run flat....

Widewing

You gents may have seen this video before...

I very much doubt that the kid aired-down his TJ prior to driving that morning.

I'd say 16+ inches of snow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxQhuwMNOVs


Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Hardness of Goodyear SR-As at 17 degrees F: Shore A 65. BFG MT KM2s: Shore A 85. Measurements taken on tread, three locations.


My regards,

Widewing

sgmrock

BFG makes the best tires (for off road) in the world. And they have lawyers, the above statement proves that.

Air pressure (footprint). vehicle weight, momentum and driver right foot weight all add to the moving through snow factor....

Snap-Off

Exactly =) I learned to drive on a CJ2A and you know how skinny those tires are.... the thing outperformed friends TJs in the snow for the simple fact that their tires couldn't get down to the good stuff!

w squared

+1

Gee...another guy that lives in a place with mountains (and lots of snow) who's figured it out. 12 or 16 or 18 inches of snow will be solved by a good tire and 4X4. Beyond that (once you're dragging your pumpkins) you had better start looking for flotation.

There's a reason that snowmobiles designed for mountain use (deep snow vs. groomed trails) have longer tracks.

Pizza cutters work great...up to a point. If your diffs and the belly of your vehicle will end up high-centering you, then you don't want pizza cutters. Choose your technique based upon the conditions.

goldtr8

If it gets up to 20 deg F tomorrow I will be wheeling in deep snow tomorrow with some friends.

For off road I will be dropping to 10 PSI cause I dont like wheel hop and I dont want to get stuck if I can help it.

Deep fresh snow on a road is totally different than the off road stuff that has been sitting for awhile before you go to brake a trail. I dont know why but this is something that I have learned.

Off road if you sink in you are stuck for awhile.

Widewing

There are types of snow you cannot drive through with tracked vehicles, much less those with wheels.

I've seen Leopard I battle tanks get stuck in extremely dense snow. This type of snow results from repeated heavy snow falls that compacts the previous snow into increasingly dense layers. The bottom layers have the consistency of nearly cured concrete. The tank's flat bottom eventually came to rest on super-dense layers with the tracks whirring around, unable to get a bite. It took two recovery vehicles, chained together to winch the Leopard out. Snow depth was almost 3 meters.


My regards,

Widewing