Power Kite Forum

Tire pressure and truck torque

shaggs2riches - 7-4-2010 at 09:22 PM

So I finally got my mbs pro 90 that I've been waiting 2 months for.
I'm doing some field work this week as such found a sweet area just beside a massive dried up salt lake flat. I'm going to be bringing the board and kites with me tomorrow, but just curious to know what people normally inflate their tire pressure to, and where I should set the trucks turning at. The area is a really flat hay field, that is cut right to the ground. If not there we might try out a fairly packed beach on our way home. Been eager to try this and just want to make the ride as enjoyable as possible. I weigh 183lbs if that changes anything.

Thanks A Lot
Shaggs

Kamikuza - 8-4-2010 at 06:45 AM

I inflate my tyres to the max recommended ... dunno if that's good or bad. Got a wee compressor that plugs into the cig lighter socket in the trunk of my car :D
Trucks is probably to some extent a personal thing - tight enough that it's stable at speed but loose enough that you can turn.

That's my 1.75 yen's worth ;)

PHREERIDER - 8-4-2010 at 07:25 AM

to slow the board down ---run the tires slack and flabby( if you need that)

to help with control ---------loose trucks to start, tighten up as speed/confidence goes up

to speed things up----------increase tire pressure will also make powerslides easier and little slippery.

practice hopping in and out of the bindings(with and without the kite) should be free and natural. don't look at your feet! look at the horizon always!


hay --maximum tire pressure
packed beach (any soft stuff sucks)-- fast and slow as above

revpaul - 8-4-2010 at 04:57 PM

i (185lbs)had the same board as u.
beware...
after inflating tires to about 3/4 of max. i gave it a quick shake down. i rolled 'slowly' up and down my drive a few times and thought to myself that it did not turn quick/tight enough.
i decided not adjust trucks just yet and hooked up to a kite at the local field. under power (19 SA2) the thing carved like a muther. i might have tightened trucks if i kept it.
also.. remember to fully deflate the tires on those "twistar" rims before changing.
and like Phree said keep the bindings easy in/out. that tip cost me a broken ankle.
Paul

Kamikuza - 8-4-2010 at 05:41 PM

Yeah good point about the straps too ... I took the Rebble 5m out in Epic™ wind on erm Wednesday? and got lifted off the board - pointed my toes and went skimming across the grass nicely :) could have been real bad had I been strapped in tight.

Loose enough to easily bail is better and you can twist your feet to lock them into the bindings.

shaggs2riches - 8-4-2010 at 06:49 PM

LOL...

Thanks Guys! So I took the board out after work this afternoon. Definitely wish I would have got this info before I left this morning. I had the wheels set to 35psi and must not have been enough. Might have been the whole situation though winds were 15mph gusting to 20, but picked up soon after we started (I was using the 6m access). I did several face plants trying to find my line then when I found it I ripped for about 60 meters and skidded sideways and did another face plant. Decided that it wasn't right to be out there and packed up. The loose dirt on top of the ground made it really difficult. Not the same as snowboarding like I thought it would be. Gotta learn that the wheels won't slide out the same as a board on snow. Will pick lighter winds to learn on for now on.

On a different note though; I, got a totally new respect for what we do. I have had the access out in conditions like that before but a few sudden gusts that were more likely up to 30mph is what killed everything. We had the wind meter out and it said 16mph so I decided to pop a couple small 3 foot jumps. That was fun but on a third jump I got my first big air!!! Anywhere between 15 and twenty feet to be exact. :o When it first happened I was just thinking to myself redirect, redirect. I focused as much as I could and when full height let out a yell, then the kite brought me down fairly gentle. I still took 3 steps and tumbled but all was fairly smooth. Scared the hell outta me at first but shortly after I was grinning ear to ear. Want to experience it again but definitely want to progress to more like 8 or 10 feet till I get the hang of it.

Anyway sorry for the rant just need to get the stoke off my chest. Thanks again for the help much appreciated.:spin:

shaggs

revpaul - 9-4-2010 at 07:36 PM

loosen bindings.
i found a tut video made by MBS describing binding tightness. basically he says bindings(straps) are or mainly for keeping board attached to feet during airtime. he demonstrated his point about keeping bindings more loose than tight by leaving straps completely undone and static jumping with the board. you twist your feet against the binding posts to get the necessary lock.

ikemiester - 11-4-2010 at 03:42 PM

I find I get a little more traction with my core 90 on sand with less pressure, and that's how I like it... personal preference is all

Hardrock - 11-4-2010 at 03:55 PM

Good stuff.:thumbup:

Dust Bowl Shredder - 18-5-2010 at 04:00 PM

I just got a pro 90 also and will be going out with some smaller kites at a soccer field complex here shortly.Reading this got me pumped up too.
Nice to know about the bindings as I was wondering about that as I jumped around on my driveway.The twist action to hold the board in loose bindings came naturally to me but still I wondered about how tight they should be.