Popular Post Frederic Posted January 6, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 When starting as an off-roading enthusiast in UAE, you will come to hear about deflating your tyres, and setting your tyres to the right tyre pressure is one of the first things you will need to learn to master. The main reason for deflating your tyres is to obtain a longer footprint in the sand, and that enables you to drive on the sand, instead of digging into it. Tyre pressure is defined in PSI (pounds per square inch) or Bar. You will find both readings on your pressure gauge. In UAE most people use PSI, and the gas station compressors also use the PSI identification. Below you can see the corresponding PSI and Bar readings. As a beginner level offroader, you should reduce your tyre pressure to about 15 PSI. This is low enough to enable you to drive in the dunes without the risk of the tyre coming off the rim. This 15PSI is also perfect for on-road-tyres. After a few drives, and depending on the terrain, or if you have offroad tyres, you can slowly deflate further down to 10-12 PSI. Take note that the risk for having a pop-out will increase, so don't be afraid to post your questions on the Carnity website or consult one of the marshals if you are not sure about your tyre pressure. There are different ways of deflating your tyres, and each have their advantages and disadvantages. The more you will practice, the sooner you will find out what works best for you. How does a stem valve looks like ? The stem valve is consisting out of 3 pieces. The body, that is made of flexible rubber, the core, and the valve cap. Take note of the following: - The rubber valve body wears out over time. Once you start to see cracks, it is advisable to get it replaced at the nearest tyre center. - The valve core is a tiny component with a small rubber gasket. If you remove them on a weekly basis, the gasket slowly wears out or the core can even break. Carry 5-10 spares in your vehicle. The tyre center often give them for free. - The valve cap keeps dirt and sand from entering into the valve, so it's advisable to always screw the cap back on. The process of deflating / inflating goes by either pushing in the valve core, which allows air to be released, or by removing the valve core, which is a much faster option. How to check the tyre pressure ? Verifying your tyre pressure is really easy. Get yourself a pressure gauge, and push it against the tyre valve, or screw it on (depending on the model). You will see the reading in PSI or Bar. The digital ones are fine, but one day the battery will be empty, so a good old analogue is preferred to have as well. PS if you find that your gauge has difficulties reading the tyre pressure, and you really need to push it hard onto the valve, this is an indication that the valve core is worn out. Replace it with a new one and you will see that this will solve your problem. Which tools to deflate and how much time will it take ? 1) Set of keys, a rock, or anything you might find in your car (+/- 15 mins) PROS: CHEAP and plenty of stuff available CONS: Takes a very long time which you could use for a smoke or a chat and risk on damaging the valve stems. 2) Valve Chucks (4-5 minutes) Buy 4 of them and stick them on all tyres simultaneously and then wait about a few minutes (as per your type and size of tyre) to arrive at around 17-18 psi. Then take one tyre at a time and use your pressure gauge to further decrease and finetune the pressure of each individual tyre. PROS: Fast and Cheap CONS: none that i know off. 3) Stem removal tool (2-3 minutes) Available in most hardware shops. Enables you to remove the valve core stem so the tyre pressure comes down very fast. PROS: Very Fast and Cheap CONS: Be careful not to lose the stem as it can blow out. So taking some spare is advisable. Be careful not to deflate too much as it really goes fast. Use a stopwatch and learn to find the perfect timing when to screw it back in, and then double check with a pressure gauge. 4) Rapid Tyre deflator and pressure gauge ( 4-5 mins) This tool enables you to loosen the stem, quickly deflate and immediately take a pressure reading. PROS: Professional tool for reasonable price, pressure gauge and deflator in one tool. CONS: Might take a bit of practice to get the hang of it. The fake chinese ones are failry unreliable. As with all tools and gear, we advise you to practice a bit at home to become familiar with them. It is also recommended to carry two pressure gauges, so you can compare them with each-other and double check your readings. Often we have seen pressure gauges giving accurate readings at high pressures (35) but very inaccurate results at 10-15 PSI which requires a good quality gauge. Do give us your feedback on your favorite tools ! 14 1 1 1 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikumar Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 For me, the simple deflator (Point 3) is the best way to deflate. I just feel the released air pressure on the back of my hand to judge when I should put the valve back in. Have got it reasonably figured upto an accuracy of 1-2 psi. Kinda makes my work easy instead of checking each tyre with a pressure gauge, though this method has failed me in the last two drives and I did have to take out the pressure gauge. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rahimdad Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 @Frederic Nuyttens thanks for posting a very interesting topic. Like @skumar83 I prefer the valve remover, as you rightly put it have to be very careful not to loose the valve. Unlike @skumar83 even after over 10 years of off-roading I keep my pressure gauge with me to use science instead of doing guess work. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 Nice topic and indeed you covered almost all type of deflator for offroading except one more which I have used: Staun. People love their automatic deflation to precise psi you set them, but I couldn't master that PHD after months and lack of patience made me choose stem removal - fast, easy and F.Cheap. Carry valve stem whole strip that has 20 (i guess) and it cost 5 AED. After little practice, I stopped losing them and hardly replace new stem ever. If someone or Staun can set their deflator to 12 psi and ship them, I wouldn't mind trying them again as they sound too good to be true, but yes time-consuming. 6 1 1 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmanuel Posted January 6, 2019 Report Share Posted January 6, 2019 1 hour ago, Gaurav said: Nice topic and indeed you covered almost all type of deflator except one more which I have used: Staun. People love their automatic deflation to precise psi you set them, but I couldn't master that PHD after months and lack of patience made me choose stem removal - fast, easy and F.Cheap. Carry valve stem whole strip that has 20 (i guess) and it cost 5 AED. After little practice, I stopped losing them and hardly replace new stem ever. If someone or Staun can set their deflator to 12 psi and ship them, I wouldn't mind trying them again as they sound too good to be true, but yes time-consuming. I also gave a try then gave up after 5 or 6 attempts, for the same reason. The only thing I will regret is the nice brass quatuor music you can hear when you deflate. 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 BTW, just a side note that newbie coming on drive doing the deflation with keys or stone and thinking its 14 psi when their knees start to pain is a wrong approach. The newbie should borrow the gauge from others if they don't have so that they can see whether they are running on 14 psi vs 22 psi, that makes a whole lot of difference in sand. 3 1 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocreative Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 +1 to the Rapid Air Deflator. It follows the same valve-pull technique, but with a more cleaner and safer approach. Also it's handy that the gauge is attached to it so you do not have to deflate, check with gauge, deflate again...etc. Bought mine from Ace hardware. Quick and efficient. Lovin it. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocreative Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 15 hours ago, Gaurav said: Nice topic and indeed you covered almost all type of deflator except one more which I have used: Staun. People love their automatic deflation to precise psi you set them, but I couldn't master that PHD after months and lack of patience made me choose stem removal - fast, easy and F.Cheap. Carry valve stem whole strip that has 20 (i guess) and it cost 5 AED. After little practice, I stopped losing them and hardly replace new stem ever. If someone or Staun can set their deflator to 12 psi and ship them, I wouldn't mind trying them again as they sound too good to be true, but yes time-consuming. I have used these too. The method to set these is easy. My 2 cents - Pros: Can deflate all of them at once. Cons: Takes long as it deflates slower once the psi lowers. Not always accurate. The "programmed" setting can get loose in the bag. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaurav Posted January 7, 2019 Report Share Posted January 7, 2019 13 minutes ago, Jocreative said: Cons: Takes long as it deflates slower once the psi lowers. Absolutely frustrating, and I forgot to mention that. Thanks @Jocreative 14 minutes ago, Jocreative said: The "programmed" setting can get loose in the bag. I never knew this secret before and always thought that last time I did some goof up. Damn bag. Maybe they need to develop some locking setting spring mechanism than just simple twisting. 1 1 Let's root for each other & watch each other grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javier M Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 (edited) On 1/6/2019 at 11:42 PM, Gaurav said: Nice topic and indeed you covered almost all type of deflator except one more which I have used: Staun. People love their automatic deflation to precise psi you set them, but I couldn't master that PHD after months and lack of patience made me choose stem removal - fast, easy and F.Cheap. Carry valve stem whole strip that has 20 (i guess) and it cost 5 AED. After little practice, I stopped losing them and hardly replace new stem ever. If someone or Staun can set their deflator to 12 psi and ship them, I wouldn't mind trying them again as they sound too good to be true, but yes time-consuming. I can relate to this I was using the JT Brooks deflators but I could not get them to work right no matter how many times I practiced I always got over-deflated in one tire. This last weekend I tried the IndeFlate Tire Inflator and Deflator and I loved it, I finished deflating first than the other cars around me and it took me around 5 minutes to inflate all 4 tires. The only con is that it seems a little overwhelming and bulky at first to see all the hoses but once you get the hang of it you finish very fast. This allowed me to install my flag while I was deflating so two birds with one stone. Edited February 4, 2019 by Javier M 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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