tyres - gibb river road

John
I have just yesterday completed my second Gibb River/Kalumburu trip. My BFG All Terrains have done this trip twice without any problems. This particular trip we did one trailer tyre which only happened as we pulled over to the side of the road. Another of our touring party had 2 blowouts on his new Prado which was running the street tyres it came with. This happened around Pentecost & Jacks Waterhole which is where the road is at it's worst this year but after that he had no more problems. I am unfamiliar with your Yokohama's but you see all kinds up there including 2WD station wagons.You can be lucky but should still be prepared with at least one extra spare. The road is in extremely good condition and other than the section between Pentecost River and Kalumburu turn-off should pose no problems.

John,

I think more important than the strength / weaknesses of any one individual tyre type is the pressures you run them at.

I havnt travelled that road myself, but have always kept my tyres to a max of 25 psi when on outback roads. 20 is even better, but there is a balance in there with what your load is like.

Would be interesting to see what the first replier used in terms of pressures in his "trouble free" trip.

I have done Cape York, SImpson Desert, Kidney 4x4 Rally plus countless shorter trips in general and am yet to receive my first puncture. (touch wood)


Troy..

John I have driven the Gibb River road many times along with most other major outback roads over a period of 35 years. My experience is that the type of tyre or the brand does not make a big difference but it is more the speed you drive at and the pressures you run at. My experience is to run at the vehicle manufacturers recommended pressure. I have a Pajero at the moment and have found yokohamas very good. I run them at around 30psi in the front and 35 psi in the back heavily loaded. Keep you speed down to a max of 80 kph on rough roads and slow right down for the rougher sections.
Just to clarify what I said above - you generally get what you pay for with tyres. I have also found wide tyres to be more of a problem than narrow ones and the light truck 6 or 8 ply the best in extreme conditions. This doesn't mean you should go out and buy these for your trip. A good multi purpose (maybe AT) tyre will do the job if you drive carefully. A worn tyre is more prone to damage than a new tyre but rather than buying a new set for a trip I carry two spares and two tubes but rarely if ever have had to use them.