Tuesday, Apr 12, 2016 at 10:38
To be honest the TPMS and sealant 'goo' cannot be compared as they are two completely different products for two different functions. One is for use before 'the event' and one for use after 'the event'. The TPMS being a preventative device to alert you of a pressure decrease so you can pull over and investigate the reason before the tyre is completely destroyed. Assuming the tyre does have a
puncture you then have to decide whether to repair it or fit one of your TWO spares. A temporary use plug kit is cheap insurance and an effective method of getting you to a place either end of the GRR or midway (Over The Range Tyres or
Drysdale River Station) where a permanent plug complete with its integral internal patch can be applied (depending on the location of the
puncture) Plugs do not work
well in tyre walls or shoulders due to flexing and penetration by the sharp broken steel cord wires. Another option is to carry spare tubes (which can be run in tubeless tyres) but you then need to carry tyre levers, a rubber mallet and a method of breaking the tyre bead and if not fitting a tube you then have the problem of having enough air flow and air capacity to re-
seat the tyre beads on the wheel rim to re-inflate the tyre. There was much discussion on this topic in the last week or so, so I will not go there. Hopefully nobody will seriously suggest the LPG method as a safe method of sealing a tubeless tyre except in the most desperate of circumstances say in the case of being alone and completely isolated. Apart from the risk of explosion and life threatening burns, LPG has a deleterious effect on rubber. For the price of a can of 'goo' it may be worthwhile carrying that too should a slow leak too small for a plug or due to rim porosity occur. You would then not refit the TPMS head to that tyre at least until the goo had completely set. Another very useful cheap tool that many do not carry is a combination tyre valve removal/thread tapping tool or at the very least, one valve cap with the integral valve removal tool fitted to the cap. Most quality plug kits have one of these
tools in the kit.
So as you can see the TPMS will give you an early warning of a problem but you still have to rectify the problem. The TPMS will not help with a blow out and without a TPMS even the best of drivers will have trouble detecting a drop in pressure or even a flat tyre on these roads with modern 4WD
suspension systems until it is too late.
Having been fortunate enough to have driven the GRR twice including
Mitchell Falls and the Bungle Bungles without a
puncture my advice is to fit the best off road tyres, with the most tread, under 6 years old, that you can afford, drop your speed, drop your pressures as others have suggested (I run 28PSI), carry two spares and at least a plug repair kit, a quality tyre pressure gauge and watch out for back packers in KEA and MAUI vans and AAT buses heading towards you at speed, especially on blind corners. Good luck.
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