BOV Tires

Tires are man’s best friend.

Tire Size:

Big wheels and tires may look impressive but a BOV is not a rock climber or a street racer.

So unless you plan to alter the drive train, suspension and brakes of your BOV do not use tires which are more than 10% larger than the original stock tires supplied with the vehicle.

I use the following link for tire comparison; http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit

Under normal conditions i use Cooper Discoverer 30x9.5 R15 A/T tires on my BOV

However i plan to switch to Bridgestone Dueler 31x10.50 R15 A/T’s.

Both tires function very well in both street and off-road situations.

Links:

http://www.1010tires.com/tech.asp

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/AT-MT-Tires/AT-All_Terrains.htm

Tire Pressure

Note: It is the air inside the tire that supports the vehicle, not the tire!

Since tire pressure will affect…

• Traction & braking

• Load capacity

• Gas mileage

• Susceptibility to hydroplaning

• Tire wear and failure

• Power

• Vehicle handling & stability

• Ground clearance

• Steering response

probably the best thing to do is to set the tire pressure to the recommended value.

You can find this value on the side of the tire.

Also you could write it down on your lubrication chart for reference.

Links:

http://www.off-road-outdoors.com/tire-pressure.html

Determining Best tire pressure for your BOV

In a save situation you can determine the best tire pressure – with specific load - using the following instructions:

First inflate your tires to the recommended pressure, then place a chalk line across the tire tread.

Drive ahead a few meters and see where the line first wears off.

Too much air pressure and the center wears first, too little and the outer edges wear first.

Keep experimenting until the chalk wear is even all the way across.

The result is your best all around tire pressure.

Check your tire pressures often with a good tire gauge.

Visual checks don’t work.

Keep in mind a tire rated at 2 bar will look about the same at both 1.4 bar and 2.75 bar given different loads…

It is very important to keep all four tires at the same air pressure for better handling and safety.

Tire Repair

A tire repair kit should be on your BOV outfit list.

Make sure that you have practiced fixing a tire using your kit at least once.

Link: http://www.4x4review.com/Reviews/ProductReviews/Accessories/SafetySealOffRoadTireRepairKit/tabid/188/Default.aspx (with instructions)

For info on an on-board compressor see separate page.