Steel Rims

Thanks olcoolone.
I was only thinking of taking a sixth tyre due to the fact I have Mickey Thompsons fitted, and I had a hard enough job finding someone to supply 18in in Perth. Apparently over East they don't have a problem!! So, I thought I'd have an even harder job in the Kimberley getting my hands on one. It seemed prudent to take an extra with me. So, this plan was fine, then I was watching Your 4x4 this week, and they had a Patrol loose a tyre and the alloy rim was buggered to as it split on the actual rim part.
We did all round Mount Augustus last year on some pretty desperate roads and didn't have any issues. I guess I am just trying to cover my arse and not get caught out, thus ruining our trip somewhat.

The thing is where do you stop.....spare for this and a spare for that.... just in case.

Nissan Patrols losing alloy rims is very common, Nissan had a recall about 12-18mths ago regarding that.

On thing I do recommend is carry a set of wheel studs and nuts, we had a rim come loose on one of our service vehicles and it broke 3 studs and the other studs broke when we undid them...... had to order wheel studs and nuts from interstate.

A TPMS is a good idea as you can see the tyre deflating and stop and save it before it is destroyed.

When we get a puncture when travelling all we do is plug and go... within 5 minutes we are on the road again.

Great to plug and go if you get a hole but what about the 2 inch tear??

Simple.... watch where you're driving, tears in tyres are pretty remote.

We hit a star dropper just above the surface on a freshly graded road in the Vic high country and bent the bead of the rim into a V and put a tear in the tyre..... no jack, no tools and at night, thank god for mobile phones and friends.

Ahhh you think that's the answer, stop looking at the scenery and start looking at the road! Might try it.

Thanks Chris. Great input. I was initially going to take the tyre only to save weight. In looking to save the $'s forgot that the steel would be heavier!!! Arghhh. NUMPTY.

Hi Arsenal Phill,

I agree with Idler, if you are going remote and solo with 18's and can carry the second spare and rim do so. I fitted new well know 18s (wont name brand at this stage as they are replacing the tyres free) a few weeks ago and took 1 spare underneath and one skin on the roof as i knew 18s would be hard to come by, we went into country where we saw no one for 4 days and one of the brand new tyres failed, we still had 400+ kms to get to Alice Springs with no spare rim, very uncomfortable feeling! We made it to Alice and i purchased a second spare rim for $450, prior to leaving i was watching ebay selling them at $90 - $150 so another horrible feeling but i must say the rest of the trip was enjoyable not worrying about spares!
For a spare try Dynamic, there steel rims retail from $100-$140 and weigh 12kg or try Performance Alloys, they make after market 4x4 rims, i bought 5 today as from now on im going bush with 17s.

David

Have to be careful with the spare underneath in rough country.
It's vunerable to tears in the sidewall under there, especially if you're doing a lot of rough kms.

I only do it if I have to because I don't have long range tanks and substitute the second spare on the rear bar for two jerry cans, but I still feel more comfortable with two spares. I carry a tyre repair kit as well, it beats walking or driving on a rim.

Steve

Steel wheels carry a big weight disadvantage. This affects your suspension and means you cannot carry as much to keep within your GVM. Alloys are stronger than steels its just that if you hit anything hard enough the alloys break into pieces whereas steels just bend. The fact is that if you hit something hard enough to break an alloy, a steel will be so distorted as to be unusable anyway. The usual cause of rim damage is driving on unmade roads with a deflated tyre and not realising it in time. Good tyre monitors solve this problem because you are warned the moment a tyre starts to lose pressure. Safety is why I will not be without tyre monitors. Imagine going along a corrugated road without knowing you have a deflating tyre and you come to a bend or have to take some evasive action to miss wildlife or obstacle on the road. You are going to get a big surprise as your vehicle with a flat tyre is not going to behave as you would expect At best you get out of it, at worst you lose control of you vehicle and who knows what happens after that. My life is worth much more than the cost of tyre monitors.

May be with Toy's
Colorado's are sold with either alloys or steels .

Hi Arsenal,

I agreed with idler earlier but disagree with his latest post above! Take the second rim as it will give you "piece of mind!" If you do a tyre in a remote area miles from nearest fixer well then you can carry on stress free knowing you have the second (believe me it can happen). Tyre monitors are great about warning you a few minutes ahead of you realizing you have a flat, they dont solve the issue of fixing it or changing it or if you get another one. Steel rims are only marginally heavier these days, 5-7kg, than an alloy. From memory if you buy 6 steel rims, 4 go on the car hence the car weight and suspension is on the rims, one goes where the initial spare was and the second spare goes on the roof or on the rear, this would add about an extra 10-15kgs to the cars load so how this affects your vehicle GVM i have no idea unless you are taking a Mini Moke!
As in where to store the second spare? Yes it is an effort to get either an alloy or steel wheel onto the roof, my mate and i are both in mid 40s and fit we struggled last week to get my ALLOY up and down from the roof! Hopefully work out a way at home to get it up there and never have to use it!
Another point do not drive on unmade roads without deflating your tyres, just drive to the conditions!
P.S Dont listen to people that claim they have never had a flat or got their last one 45 years ago, these are the people that rarely leave the black stuff and claim they go outback or are the mobile chicanes doing 30kmh everywhere!!

Just a couple of points of clarification. Your GVM is set by the manufacturer and nothing (other than a GVM upgrade) will change that. My point was that you should not be heavier that your GVM so if your wheels are heavier that simply means you can carry less food, camping gear, tools and other and supplies.
In relation to your suspension if the wheel is heavier, then when you are on corrugated roads your suspension components, and in particular you shocks, have to work that much harder to control the extra weight going up and down. Also if we accept that steels are 5-7kg heavier and you have 6 of them then your additional weight is 30-42kg not the 10-15kg mentioned above. Thats a fair bit of gear you have to leave out if you have steels.
It's true that tyre monitors do not fix punctured tyres. What they do do is give you sufficient warning so that the repair in the vast majority of times is plug and not a shredded tyre and possibly a damaged rim, be it steel or alloy. A shredded tyre and rim = $$$'s down the drain and the effort of changing it, possibily of having to get the spare off the roof, and then the hassle of having to get a replacement.
The best thing you can do to avoid punctures in the first place is as David16 said, on unmade roads lower tyre pressures and drive to the conditions. This is where tyre monitors are a great help as if your tyres start to heat up you are going to fast for the pressures you have set.
With TPMS, the screw on valve type are better than nothing but you get what you pay for. They are prone to damage, if they show tyre temp its is not always accurate, and because they have to keep them light for balance reasons they are not as sturdy and do not last as long. The internal ones attached with a band are sturdy, can cater for more than the road wheels, give accurate temp readings, and within seconds of turning on the ignition you know your tyre pressures and temp. I have a nine tyre system, 4 on the truck, 2 spares, 4 on the van, and the van spare. Its great, its more than paid for itself, and most importantly greatly improved safety as I know if any of my ytres are not right.

Just as a matter of interest, I weighed both a 17' 200 series alloy and a 17' steel with 285/70/17 Tyres today. Alloy 39.5 kg. Steel 42kg. Bugger all difference really. I have used the steel on the front and the back and CANNOT tell the difference. I reckon at times I would have washed 2-3 kg of mud out of the rims, so I don't think that weight difference matters at all. May be slightly different with 18'rims ?
Maybe save some money and get a steel rim. Make sure you get the appropriate wheel nuts though, as they are different.
As for TPMS, I have travelled most of the toughest tracks in Australia and NEVER lost a screw on type. They are simple, easy to replace batteries, easy to change from tyre to tyre. The head units also work well if you keep them up high in the cabin where there is less metal to interfere with the signals.
Happy travels. Timnivo.

Hi Timnivo,
Finally someone that makes sense!
David

Hi Phil,

I've also gone a second spare on a steel rim. I really really hope I don't need it but feel a bit safer I have it. I also use tyre pressure monitors (on the valve) & am happy with them to date.

In the distant past I did have a tyre go flat & disintegrate on a corrugated road, without added mishap, but that was enough to make me paranoid about having some capability to monitor what's going on with the tyres.

I have wondered whether it would be OK to drive with 3 alloys and one steel although I expect by then I would be going pretty slow and heading directly to the closest place I could get a replacement.

Sure would but I would keep the spped down as the car would be really out of balance. There is a big difference in weight. I can lift the alloys but not the steel ones.

Maybe tyre monitors would be a good idea. We like to stretch legs every now and then. And the wheels get a good looking over. Getting older isn't so luxurious as the tabloids say that grey nomad life is tops.

We run two sets (5 wheels each set) of steel rims one set with ATs and one set with a semi mud terrain tyre. I just swap them for each trip as required.

Bed time for this old bloke

Phil

I have worked out a one human pully system - I use a rope to pully the steel wheel up onto the spare, climb onto the roof rack then use the rope to pully it up enough to lever onto the roof.

I am not a big person so happy I can manage this alone. Plus have since started going to a gym regularly and hoping the wheel will feel magically light next time I try this manoeuvre (had to check spelling on that one)

VickiW you have highlighted another of my issues regarding the spare. I don't like the twin wheels hanging off the back of the 200. So the other option is the roof rack. It is funny just how big those wheels really are when they are off the vehicle. I was looking to see if I could find some kind of crane arm to lift it up and down, and clear of the vehicle. It just seems hard to me to avoid damaging the Cruiser without something.
I think I am going to investigate getting an after market alloy afterall. Weight against $.................weight wins every time!!
Thanks for your input.

I cannot lift my spare tyres.

I got a design from a mate that will lift a heavy tyre on and off the spare wheel carriers on the rear of a car. At least the Kaymar ones with the square antenna mount holes.

It' consists of an inverted "L" section of thick walled square steel and a flat strap locking pulley system.

I get the car back today with the new dual carrier bar (tyre + jerry carrier) and after the budget is back in the black we will get one made up. It is removable and is stored in the car when not in use.

Phil

Pop............our minds work alike obviously!!! LOL