Airing The Tires/Wheels

Airing the tires is the process of drilling holes in either the tire or the rim to allow air to enter and exit the tire as it encounters bumps and changes in the load it carries. I recommend always drilling your hole in the rim and not the tire. Tires have a tendency to tear over time when they have a hole drilled in them. This may be fine for the sponsored racer who never has to buy tires, but for the rest of us it would quickly become a waste of money. On some trucks the stock wheels may come pre-drilled with a hole, however aftermarket wheels do not usually have a hole in them.

Benefits of Airing the Tires

• More traction, as the tire is allowed to expand under acceleration.
  
  
• Allows the suspension to do it's job without the tire trying to absorb the bumps.
  
  
• Prevents "flat tires" caused by a vacuum between the rim and tire when landing from jumps.
  
  
• Lets the tire become it's natural size, instead of trapped air forcing one tire to be slightly bigger than another.

Airing the tires is not a difficult task. All you need is a drill and a 1/8 or 3/16 inch drill bit. I drill my holes behind a wheel spoke so that they are not visible when the wheel is installed. With the stock rims this won't matter as long as you drill on the back half of the rim. It's also easier to drill the holes with the tire off.

Start by drilling one hole and see if it allows enough air to escape without adding a second. The goal is to be able to squeeze the tires and feel no resistance other than what the rubber or foam insert provides. In some cases, especially with a 3/16 inch bit you may find it necessary to drill two holes in each rim. Once you have made this modification you should see a good difference in available traction. Stability when landing from a jump should also show a noticeable difference.

Below is an example of a 1/8 inch hole in a stock Maxx wheel. There is also another hole opposite of the one shown.