Is the air pressure you have in your tire dependant on the terrain you are riding or the load you are carrying?

The stock trailwolf tires on my 02 Quest 650 have a recommended minimum air pressure of 5.0psi and a maximum 5.5psi (front and back).

What should I have the pressure at? I'm always riding with a heavy load (myself, both racks loaded).

The majority of my riding takes place on trails, old seismic & fire roads, etc. here in the mountains and foothills of Alberta and British Columbia. Lots of roots, stumps, ruts, rocks, etc.

What should I have my tires at? 5.0psi? 5.5psi? something in between? should the front and rear be the same?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

Canadian Viking-
Both. Tire pressure will vary depending on both terrain, and load weight. I've found with my 27" 'Claws that 6.5 lbs. up front and 6 lbs. in the rear works best in about all conditions-both trail and weight. I carry heavy weight all the time, so terrain is about the only thing I worry about. At this pressure, the ride is fine and I still have great traction. I'd probably air down a bit for sand to get a bigger footprint, wider floatation, then air up in mud and snow. I'd experiment a bit with what you feel is best under the load. If you ride without the weight occassionally, your tires will be fine at that same pressure as well, so nothing to worry about. I'm a little surprised those tires are only a half-pound variance between min and max pressures-my old stock tires I think were a 3 lbs min and 5 or 5.5 lbs max- only .5 pound difference seems a little small. You'll never tell the difference with less than that, so I would pick one you feel comfortable with, and stick with that.

Best of Luck,

Mike