Vent my tires or no?

[cfritznewton]

Finishing up a bomber kit build (my first) the wheels have venting settings but the manual says you can also optionally vent you tires using a leather punch. What's the pros and cons? And if I do it, how many holes to punch and wher

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[Browneye]

I did not vent my bomber tires and so far they've been fine. I don't recall if the LURC wheels are vented or not.

On all my 1.9 crawler rigs if I don't vent them they blow up when we go up to the high desert, and then collapse when we come back. Very unreliable.
So I vent when necessary, stick an exacto in the middle of the tread at 180* Let's air in/out, keeps most other things out.

The downside is if you like to swim your rig and have open cell tire foams they'll soak up and hold water.

[Crawler Cads]

Venting allows the tire to conform to the terrain and in most cases is what you should aim to achieve.
I vent with a leather punch, 2mm on opposite sides of the tire. Some will vent with 4 holes etc..
Recommend going to crawler innovations to read up and select a suitable set up for your application.

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[Pjking]

Originally Posted by Crawler Cads

Venting allows the tire to conform to the terrain and in most cases is what you should aim to achieve.
I vent with a leather punch, 2mm on opposite sides of the tire. Some will vent with 4 holes etc..
Recommend going to crawler innovations to read up and select a suitable set up for your application.

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Agree, I believe tires should always be vented. Using a leather punch will create a round hole helping to prevent a tear. I’ve trashed my tires without having a problem

[Col_Sanders]

I always vent my tires with either 2 or 3 holes using a leather punch. Leather punches are cheap at Harbor Freight.

The benefit to venting tires over wheels is that if you do happen to run through some water, the centrifugal force will help push some water out while driving, you can squeeze water out by hand, and when you park the truck you can park it with holes down and it will help drain the water. Open cell foams degrade when they get wet, but much worse if they stay wet.

[Adams]

I vent all my tires. It keeps them consistent. I dont run in water that much but if I do I break my wheels down and dry the foams.

[Browneye]

IMO you don't need a hole the size of a leather punch, but whateve's. It's for air - if the hole is big enough then all manner of debris can get in there.
And regardless of how it's vented, if the foam is open cell and it gets wet it will NEVER dry out in there - it needs to be disassembled and dried out if it gets wet.

I've never had a toy tire split. EVER. If you turn one inside out that is slit and try to tear the hole larger you can't even do that. They're very tough.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

I always vent my tires and seal any holes in the rim.

It allows the tires to conform better and by using some wheel spin you can fling a portion of the water out so your foams aren't completely soaked. They do still retain some water though so I've actually switched to running dual stage foams; I use Crawler Innovations (a few other companies make them as well), the main concern is that you have a closed cell inner ring for water resistance and and an open cell outer ring for conforming.

[Alexander_0_1]

I vent when applicable, some wheel/tire combos I have aren’t for rocks, some are for mud, or snow, and I’m not likely to vent those.

[Inspector86]

I never vent my tires and they conform to the terrain just fine.

[Browneye]

The red Blazer is killer.

[dr frankenstyle]

Just my 2c ... I vent my wheels, not the tires. I occasionally run thru shallow puddles, and sometimes snow, but by venting the wheels, the water has to be deep enough to at least get to the wheel to even threaten a problem. And IF I plan to run in deeper water I can pop a piece of electrical tape over the holes to keep the water out. I just put a pair of Li'l Nova foams in the front and plan to get a pair for the rear, that should make them even more water resistant with wheel vents. I just pinch out a little notch from the inside of the foams at the holes so they can breath.
Again, just my 2 cents .... I'm no expert.

[allanon1965]

I don't vent my tires or wheels, I run CI foams or pro-lines where I feel the need...I use the lil nova 1.9 dual stage foams and run a size down with soft and medium foams..this way my tires will conform to any rock shape and not have water getting in. The look like radial tires with the bulge on the bottom of the tire. My 2.2 I use double deuce foams set up the same way, let me tell ya, they work great! Reminds me of a bean bag chair that conforms to your body as you sit in it.

[Nova's Ark]

Always vent the tire and here's why, how to do it, and what to use:

[cjhike]

I used to vent mine all the time, however have not on the last couple sets of wheels/tires and they perform/conform great. Going forward I am likely done with venting.

[Browneye]

@Nova's Ark - dead link. Or maybe my Surface just won't display them. Got a link?

But yeah, while the next vids are nice they don't justify not venting tires. Not even close to comp conditions.

[Nova's Ark]

Originally Posted by Browneye

@Nova's Ark - dead link. Or maybe my Surface just won't display them. Got a link?

But yeah, while the next vids are nice they don't justify not venting tires. Not even close to comp conditions.

Crawler Innovations You Tube Channel

[mewalsh100]

I also always vent my tires. The key is to use a nice leather punch to get a good, smooth hole. I found mine at Hobby Lobby for like $12, and it has 6 different punch sizes on it. I would definitely not reccomend using any type of blade as this will make the tire prone to tearing in that area.

[roadrashracing]

I don't vent, but also run water to.

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[tjohanne]

I seriously wish all tires and wheels came pre-vented and hole punched from the factory, so that this question didn't have to come up again and again..