And is this the same for snow?
Thanks.

 

my guess would be b/c if your tires have low air pressure in them you get better traction..if they are aired up to where they are hard they will spin easier. Correct me if i am wrong.

 

DING DING DING YOU ARE RIGHT !!!!!! but formud air em up !!! PS Zeebo says "in sand the wider tire ALSO offers more flotation and less sinkage."

 

Yes, low pressures work well in snow too. I run all winter with 1 to 2 pounds. The tire flattens out more on the bottom giving a bigger "footprint" for more traction and flotation. With the soft snow (or sand) you don't have to worry too much about popping the tire off the bead on a rock or something.

 

ya, i always lower the prssure of my tires in my bikes and quads when i ride in the sand, it works a lot better!!

 

You are supposed to air them up for mud??? are you sure about that? I thought with the lower air pressure you get better traction and isn't that what you want in the mud?

 

Yes letting air out of your tires will give you more grip in mud but airing them up will give you more ground clearance and that is usually more beneficial in mud. Mud experts are free to correct me if im wrong[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

So they float and don't dig!!!!!!!
Go drive your car on the soft sand and watch it sink, then lower the air from 35psi to 10psi and go speeding past the 4wd's w/ full air pressure.

 

You air down your tires in sand for flotation. No matter how deep you dig in(dry)sand, its still just sand. Traction doesn't change, and the deeper you go, the harder it is to climb out of the holes your making. Thats not true with mud or snow. A tall, thin, hard tire will dig in and get the traction you need from beneath the surface where it is more likely to be "solid". Much the same as a wide tire will hydroplane on a wet road faster then a thinner tire. The thinner tire will cut through the surface and grab the traction you need from below.

Rick

 

GrizRick, you're right; to a point. Using narrow tires to dig down to solid ground works IF the mud or snow is not deeper than your ground clearance. That's why it works well for most street vehicles on shallow snow or mud. But, if it gets deeper than that, digging down will just get you high centered. Since getting stuck isn't an issue for most 4wd quads until the mud/snow gets deep anyways, my personal prefference is to aim for flotation. If steering control or hill climbing in shallow, greasy mud roads is your main concern, then the narrow tires may be the way to go. Just my 2 cents worth.