Tire pressure

[SciBorg Dave]

What tire pressure have team found best to use with Andymark 8 inch pneumatic tires ?

[BJT]

Right now, on an 8 wheel drive with the center 4 dropped 3/16 inch, we have 20 psi in the center 4, and 10 in the outer 4. So far looks like its going to work. Just get it running and vary the pressure up and down till you see what works.

[s_forbes]

From other hobbies involving tires, I would guess that you want to go as low as possible while avoiding pinch flats (where the wheel rim contacts the ground, pinching the inner tube and putting two nice little holes in it). Low psi gives better cushion, but too low and you'll pop tubes. This will vary depending on your robot weight/geometry/driver aggressiveness.

We were close to 15psi in all of our tires during this test, and came close to pinching the tubes. I would guess that ~20-30psi would be more desirable if you intend to ram the defenses.

[JB987]

And remember, low pressure tires don't allow your robot to turn as easily as more inflated ones will.

[Mr V]

I'd say there is no universal tire pressure that will work well on every robot.

The contact patch of the tire is dependent on the ratio of the load on the wheel vs its pressure. A light robot with lower pressure will have the same contact patch as a heavy robot with higher pressure.

I'd also suggest that it may be a good idea to run different pressures for the wheels that are dropped vs the other wheels assuming you have a 6 or 8wd with a dropped center(s).

[doctorflems]

Another solution to your problem is to, instead of using an inner tube, use a foam rod. That way, there will be no pinch flats and plenty of cushion. Besides, if you are going to ram the defenses, you will want minimal bouncing.