Yesterday I was watching some videos at ATVTV.com and they were testing tires and said that on the trails they start out at 2psi. I was just surprised they'd run that low. Wouldn't that make more drag on the tranny? I know you can play around with the psi from what the manuals say, but isn't that really too low?

 

I bought a new Honda Big Red 3 wheeler years ago, and the correct tire pressure for it was 2.2psi. I know tires have changed a lot since then but I never had any trouble keeping them at that pressure. It was like riding on 3 marshmallows.

 

The lower tire pressure makes it easier to break the bead loose especially when cornering. I run 5 pounds on my stock tires because that's what Polaris says to do.

 

I have tried 3 for certain types of riding but in general 5 lbs. is a good round figure I use.

 

A lot of it depends on the combined weight of rider and machine, along with the ply rating of the tires. If you have a 6 ply tire you can run at a lower air pressure than a 3 ply tire with the same weight on it. The higher the ply rating the stiffer the tire in most cases. Also, what might be just right for me riding an Outlander Max with my 350 lbs. is probably not right for a guy who weighs 180 lbs. on a lighter quad. I try for an all around pressure that molds a bit over the rocks but is stiff enough for some snow and mud to dig down to hard ground.

 

Moose is right on the button. There a lot of factors to consider. It may be hard to believe, but tire air pressure can make a huge difference on how your atv handles. When I ride really loose sand, simply dropping from 5 psi to 3 psi make my quad hook up and handle much better. In the snow I drop to 2 psi or 1 psi. On hard pack or wet sand, where traction is not really an issue, I run the manufactures recommended pressure. There is a definite risk of breaking the bead loose when running tire pressure that is too low. Play around with different pressures until you find something that you like.

 

my Mayhems are so stiff i'm pretty sure i could run them without air and not even notice but i keep them at 5psi