Pismo III May 2005

[tower]

Roxie, I dropped 'em down to 18 psi. Obviously I could have gone a lot lower and I'm sure my floatation would have improved. But I was concerned about 2 issues.

Stories abound generally, regarding getting sand caught between bead and rim and thereby sustaining slow leaks on the tires. This especially fine, light sand got into EVERYTHING. I needed to detail when I got home. Going to a tire shop to have all 4 tires pulled, cleaned and remounted isn't that big a deal, but since I was only wheeling for a day or two, it seemed excessive.

Also, powersliding (hitting the gas to spin the tires while sliding laterally) is common in sand. If your pressure is really low, pop goes the bead off the rim! I don't know what pressure Jeff B was running when he did his triple roll in the bowl, but all 4 tires came off their rims.

If I had beadlockers I probably would have dropped to 12 or 10psi; certainly not below 6 or 5.