Hi there,
watching all kind of video reviews of the wings, the bloggers mention the potential of the wing at low end with lower inflation pressure.
However, I was not able to find any manual on how the pressure reduction of the wing affects the characteristics at low/high wind conditions.
In my particular case, I can inflate the strut (8PSI) and LE (8PSI) separately. While I assume any pressure above the max recommended value is not allowed:
- When should I go with the lower PSI for the strut, if at all?
- When should I go with the lower PSI for the LE?
p.s. my 3 pumps show all inaccurate values, so the same pressure can be 7+, 8 and 8+ on all three pumps. What is the tolerance the manufacturer would "accept"?
Best
Sasha
I'd better search first 
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Wing-Foiling/Wind-Wings/Ensis-wing-low-pressure-for-light-winds-
so my edited questions would be:
- strut pressure always to max?
- experience with pump valve tolerances?
Armie says his XPS wings are better low end with less pressure in strut as bags out canopy a bit. Works on F-One V3 too and maybe other wings with tight canopies.
Tried with Naish Matador LT 4.0 sqm wing in a gusty condition (10-35kn) while pumping to the recommeded 9 PSI, the wing was reacting exposively and immediately to any gust. On the strut there is a recommended air pressure of 7-9 PSI. Right before leaving the lake I decided to reduce the pressure and the wing became softer and less blasting me away when putting at the right angle of attack.
Does anyone have experience with lowering PSI to actually depower/delay the wing? In other words, if I would actually pump the recommended low end 7 PSI, would the wing be more forgiving at the gusts?
I can only talked about F-one, they recommend to deflate from 1 to 2 psi for more power. However I'M NOT convinced.I think the Strike V3 is a very effective wing but technically it needs a different pumping technic vs the older version where it's a big slower scooping action. The wing is stiffer from everywhere vs V2. So a lot did not adjusted to that way of pumping..faster shorter pace and the zone in where you can pump the wing is reduced...you have to find that power zone and work in it. The wing doesn't take much time to reload and it makes it get up on foil faster vs big old scooping method.So now...why deflate the main strut and the leading edge in low wind? I'm not sure, it makes everything less rigid and it doesn't make you leading edge bigger and it doesn't give you a bigger camber in the wing?
Select to expand quoteCLX said
p.s. my 3 pumps show all inaccurate values, so the same pressure can be 7+, 8 and 8+ on all three pumps. What is the tolerance the manufacturer would "accept"?
Best
Sasha
I replaced the pump gauge with digital 0-15 psi which has been very accurate. Most pumps I tested were off more 2 psi
Under inflated wings are horrible to ride. Always pump mine up as hard as I can with duotone pump. Says 8 psi but that is debatable 
They feel way better hard. Insert sad old sexist joke here 
Pump up onto foil better, handle gusts better, point better, etc.
Select to expand quotehilly said..
Under inflated wings are horrible to ride. Always pump mine up as hard as I can with duotone pump. Says 8 psi but that is debatable
They feel way better hard. Insert sad old sexist joke here
Pump up onto foil better, handle gusts better, point better, etc.
I do the same, always a bit more than the recommended.
Select to expand quoteFishdude said..CLX said
p.s. my 3 pumps show all inaccurate values, so the same pressure can be 7+, 8 and 8+ on all three pumps. What is the tolerance the manufacturer would "accept"?
Best
Sasha
I replaced the pump gauge with digital 0-15 psi which has been very accurate. Most pumps I tested were off more 2 psi
are you able to insert the digital one directly into the pump, or require a T-adapter for that?
I tried a mates 4.5 Dlab Unit at 5 PSI instead of the recommended 8. Terrible idea.
Select to expand quoteCLX said..Fishdude said..CLX said
p.s. my 3 pumps show all inaccurate values, so the same pressure can be 7+, 8 and 8+ on all three pumps. What is the tolerance the manufacturer would "accept"?
Best
Sasha
I replaced the pump gauge with digital 0-15 psi which has been very accurate. Most pumps I tested were off more 2 psi
are you able to insert the digital one directly into the pump, or require a T-adapter for that?
You can do it anyway you want.
To see it easier I'd recommend a 90degree fitting. Different brands pumps use different sizes... You will likely need fitting adapters from the hardware store to get it like you want. I put the tee on mine just to compare other gauges.
Lately I just use a electric pump
I also have an electric gauge (same one pictured, but mine is rigged differently). The problem is that depending on the valve, the pressure can spike then fall, which limits the accuracy. I wish all valves would hold the pressure, rather than spiking and releasing.
to clarify, this is a valve issue, not a guage issue.
Select to expand quoteVelocicraptor said..
I also have an electric gauge (same one pictured, but mine is rigged differently). The problem is that depending on the valve, the pressure can spike then fall, which limits the accuracy. I wish all valves would hold the pressure, rather than spiking and releasing.
to clarify, this is a valve issue, not a guage issue.
Yep, I found that slowing down the pumping strokes, ( i mean really slowing it down) near the end gives the good steady wing psi for valve with one way checks in them.
Thanks, so it seems for me I should reduce the pressure to nominal 7PSI on my Naish to have less power and so more reaction time to the gusts.. yep, less powerful, but at least not blasting me away from the board with every gust
Coming back to pressure gauge question: are the digital pressure gauges more accurate?
And what about the electrical SUP pumps? Any risk to blow up the wing, or those are pretty accurate compared to the mechanical pumps with a simple bravo gauge?
I can't stand the feeling of an under inflated wing, even if it's just slightly soft. Getting better at pumping a properly inflated wing IMO is more effective. If I get up a 1/2 knot earlier with a soft wing, I'm irritated feeling the flex for the rest of the session. Maybe lighter riders can get away with it more easily.
I have cabrinha Mantis wings and I usually go .5 psi or more above and the seem to re-act much better to pumping to get up on plane. The higher end suffers, they get squirrelly when over powered. Reduce the PSI when it's overpowered and it can handle the gusts much better, but the low end suffer. I just drop a wing size when getting overpowered. I like using the smallest wings possible.
I have used other peoples under inflated wings and its tougher to pump them to get on foil in my opinion.
I tried to ride underinflated wing. It pumps well. I had no problems getting on the foil. It rides ok. But I was not able to go upwind how hard I tried.
