PSA: Deflate Your Damn Tires

Just learned something new up in Nantucket, thought I’d share for my fellow city stickers up here. If you decide to or just sort of inadvertently find yourself driving on a beach, before the sand gets too sand-like, deflate your tires a good 15 psi (I guess maybe wing it if you don’t have one of those pressure gauge thingies handy) or the park ranger who comes out to save your ass will be a little judgmental when he hauls you out.

“Why didn’t you deflate your tires!” Deflate the tires? Ohh like snow tires, how they’re kind of bouncy? Sir, look at me; obviously I’m a rookie, cut me some slack.

Also, when it’s becoming clear that you’ve managed to get yourself stuck, just give up, don’t try to mess with the 4×4 differential or whatever and keep rocking. Don’t dig deeper, don’t burn out your clutch. Just give up, you’re done.

Then get out and take a few pictures — I’ve found that self-deprecation will score you some facebook likes which, other than of course scoring pageviews, is what life is all about.

Oh and when exiting the beach, refill your tires. Dropping 15 psi, whatever that means, sounds significant and the way I figure the things were presumably at the original pressure, which I’m hoping is roughly 33 give or take, for a reason.

Doug Simmons