How to Air Down Your Subaru Tires for Off-Road Driving

One of the easiest ways to improve off-road traction is also one of the simplest: air down your tires before you hit the trail.

Reducing tire pressure allows the tire to become more flexible and conform to uneven terrain. Instead of bouncing and sliding across rocks, roots, and other obstacles, a properly aired down tire can spread out and maintain better contact with the ground. Lower tire pressure can also make for a noticeably more comfortable ride on rough trails.

Most Subarus run tire pressures somewhere around 30 to 40 PSI for normal street driving. That pressure is important for proper on-road handling, fuel economy, tire wear, and load-carrying capacity, but it also keeps the tire relatively stiff. When you take that same tire onto a rough trail, reducing the pressure allows the tread and sidewall to flex and conform to the terrain.

What Tire Pressure Should You Run Off Road?

There isn't one universal tire pressure that works for every Subaru or every trail.

The right pressure depends on several factors, including:

• Vehicle weight

• Tire size

• Sidewall height

• Wheel size

• Tire construction

• Terrain

• Driving style

When you're heading out with a group, it's common for everyone to compare tire pressures before hitting the trail. For a general trail day in one of our RalliTEK vehicles, around 18 PSI is a good starting point.

That doesn't mean 18 PSI is the correct pressure for every vehicle. It is simply a pressure that has worked well for us on the vehicles and terrain we've tested.

RalliTEK Outback

Our RalliTEK Outback runs 245/65R17 tires and is a relatively heavy vehicle. For trails in the Tillamook State Forest, I typically aired the tires down to around 18 PSI.

The tires performed very well at that pressure, and the additional flexibility made a noticeable difference on the trail. There were a few