Power Kite Forum

Tire pressure?

soliver - 19-5-2012 at 09:13 PM

Just curious, is there an optimal tire pressure for a kite buggy,

I realized today that I got my bug a few months back and the tires were already inflated. It never occurred to me to check the pressure. (they're barrows)

So beyond being flat, or excessively low, does it matter?

Now take into consideration, I haven't yet taken the time to actually look ON THE TIRES like a bike or a car, but hey it's midnight and I'm in my t-shirt and undies laying in my bed,... who wants to go do that when I can just ask you guys?!? :lol:

DAKITEZ - 19-5-2012 at 09:59 PM

when you look at your tires you will most likely see like 50 psi max or something to that extent. But when you look on the rim you will see something like 2 bar. LOL do you know what 2 bar is?

1 bar = roughly 14.5 psi

I usually run my barrows around 20 - 25 psi . Becareful if you are some place like the desert where it gets excessive hot because the increased pressure from the sun will cause over inflation and blow tires off the rim. This never happened to me .. I just heard about it :rolleyes:

Cheddarhead - 19-5-2012 at 10:03 PM

Typically the skinnier/smaller the tire the higher the psi rating for a given load. Different sizes have different psi ratings. Just about all manufactures have a max pressure rating printed on the side wall. My rear tires are 18x9.5x8 which are WAY larger than barrows and I believe carlisle recommends 24 psi for those. Yours may be higher, but there is always exceptions to the rule, such as tires with higher load ratings like the ones on semi's. Lower tire pressure won't necessarily hurt anything, you'll just have more rolling resistance but a softer ride.

BeamerBob - 20-5-2012 at 09:14 AM

Yep, more pressure makes a harder faster ride and less likelihood of rolling a tire bead off (never seen this happen). Less pressure gives a softer ride but increases resistance. You could also argue that higher pressures reduce traction on some surfaces by reducing the tire's contact with the ground.

Not only can you blow a bead off your rim with too much pressure, you can also break the rim.............. explosively......... by airing it up too much.

arkay - 20-5-2012 at 11:16 AM

Depends on the tire and surface and what you are trying to accomplish. You'll get a harder ride with more pressure as bob points out, and on surfaces like sand you'll dig into the same more as the buggy weight is distributed over less area. So you can lose on sand with too much or too little pressure, that is if speed is what you are after. For a general good time, just make sure you have air in your tires ;)

"Typically" I've hear that people run their big foots 5-10 on sand and barrows at 15-20. You'll get a nice squishy ride too ;) On harder surfaces add another 5-10 psi.

I run 8.5 on my bigfoots on sand and 15 on the barrows.

rocfighter - 22-5-2012 at 04:42 AM

I keep TheKidds barrows about 20psi. Were as my 19x10x8 ATV tires call for 3-10 psi I run them with tubes about 6psi

soliver - 22-5-2012 at 05:58 AM

Thanks guys, I looked at the tires the other day while loading up to head to the beach. They are barrows and they say 20 psi.

I'll be on Jekyll tomorrow with Angus :singing::singing::singing:

I'm not sure that I have a pressure gauge with me and they've been working just fine so I probably won't bother with it too much. I may consider changing the pressure to 15 psi (if thats not where they currently are) later on.

Many thanx!!!!!!!