tyre pressure for birdsville

I'd put a few more PSI in the back because of the load. I had no probs with my coopers running around with 25 front and 28 back with a load. Youre not going to be going flat out at 100kph so head build up becomes less of a prob.

Leroy

Quick call to Coopers People would be good.
Few dudes in our club have done 'testing' on coopers STs round aussie, and provided feedback to them.

Also which Coopers ST's are you running?
If I remember there are 3ply and 10 ply sidewall models and the new ST-C's.

also what size are they? 235's?

Ran through there recently to Birdsville, averaged 117kph mareee to birdsville and 125kph coming home mungerinnie to Maree, we ran 28 psi with the tyre at road running temp in the 285 MTR's and they were fine, carrying enough stuff for 2 weeks living out of the car on the way up, and enough to live out of the car for a week after spending 2 weeks in the desert on the way home.

Ran 18 psi hot through the desert.

bit too fast for me! Anyway if your tyres didn't get too hot on the side at that speed then we should be fine. Thanks for everyone's advice. Looks like I will run low 20's front and mid 20's rear at about 80-90km/h. My only regret is that the inside track is closed. Doh!
Thanks again,

Reckon Leroy is on the money - good pressures in my view - if you were to ask Adam Platte at the Pink Roadhouse (he fixes em all) he would go that spec in my view. Take no notice of averaging 125kph anywhere out there and you shoud be right - running them softer and doing lower speeds , while taking your time to look for the troublesome stones, seems to be the wisdom of the locals.
If in Oodnadatta or William Creek , ask to have a look at all the shredded tyres out the back and then see if you'd like to be doing more than 90-100 when one of them blows on you loaded car with the family in there. Tyres aside, you can also avoid becoming an outback roads statistic.

All under control for spares. Tyre levers, 2 spares (on rims) and probably another tyre off a rim (to keep weight down). As it is a Patrol, one on the back door and one inside (light stuff on roofrack) Not too sure about tubes though because if I shred a tyre then a tube won't be much good. Got the usual repair kit (leather strips etc) instead for small punctures. Open to opinions though. Worth taking tubes? Hopefully all will go well driving at a good speed and good tyre pressure. We are in no rush, with our trip only averaging about 350kms per day.

People say to let your tyres down on dirt roads but i dont know why????...I have always kept mine on 40psi and travelled at around 80-90kmh in these areas.... Just clicking over 50,000kms and still going strong....I think i would have about another 20,000kms left in them still....The rockier the track or road the higher i have the pressure...
In sand 14 - 18psi.....

Gossy,

The Birdsville track is a good and I mean GOOD dirt road. There are some rough patches, as there are on all roads, that need to be taken a bit more cautiously especially if there has been any rain in the last few weeks. Particulary creek crossings.

Generally when I leave the bitumen I drop tyre pressures by about 10 - 15% from normal highway pressures, 40psi. I would normally run about 35psi on the Birdsville or Strez tracks. By droppoing the tyre pressures you make life easier for you and your car. If you travel at 90 - 100k/h you should have few if any problems. I believe you could probalby travel faster than that on the Birdsvile Track but personally I would need a pretty good reason.

When I did the Oodnadatta track I dropped pressures to mid 20's because it was so rocky and uncomfortable. I also slowed down a fair bit. This was after some heavy rain and before the crews could get on the road for repairs.

With regard to spares, depending on where you are going after Birdsville, I'd say you would be unlucky to have to use all of what you say you will be carrying. I'd carry two spares and repair kit which would include a tube.

Finally, it should be pretty up that way right now, especially if they have had as much rain as we have in the Hill recently, I'm jealous again.

Duncs

G'day Gossy. I was in Innaminka during the last school holidays with the family. GQ patrol LWB, roofrack, loaded to the hilt. I was running split rims with BS Desert Duellers & tubes. I was a bit over inflated in the rears because of the weight on top. probably should have run them down to around 30 psi or thereabouts? When you get to Maree, drop in to the store near the pub & ask them for their thoughts. They travel these roads daily & most run skinny's.

The trip up was fine. I felt the tyres a few times and they were not too hot after a few hours driving. On the way back, via Bollards Lagoon, Cam. Corner, etc. I shredded a tyre near Yaningurie Waterhole. We limped in to Monte Collina Bore and next day into Maree to get the tyre replaced at $280 + $30 worth of food & icecreams.

1. I did not pack a second spare as I did not have the room & I let others influence my decision.
2. It cost me lots to replace the tyre.

I was actually concerned for my family's safety at that stage. DO CARRY A SECOND SPARE.....

I have since put sunraysias & tubelesses on but I will keep the split rims for my Simpson Desert Trek.

Enjopy your trip.

Lou.

good point on carrying the extra spare. Just the handbrake (wife) and I so will have heaps of room in the back with the swags on the roof now so no excuse for not taking an extra one.
28 psi back and 25 psi front sounds the trick. Good to hear that others run on skinny's. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. As you say, with the skinnys on these roads there is less surface area to puncture but not as good on sand. I guess you can't have it all !
Thanks,

Gossy,

You've had a pretty good response, but let me just add my voice to the low pressure camp. With a 2.8l diesel 4runner and Heaslip camper trailer we're not in the high speed league! We're in the outback in summer, escaping Scottish winters.

In Dec 03 to Feb 04 we drove 15,000 km out of Melbourne at least half on tracks.

We got a puncture on the Oodnadata Track north of Williams Creek, and got it repaired in Oodnadata. We had been running on tracks at normal bitumen pressures of 28/35/35 (trailer same as rear). Temperature at Lake Eyre was 50C. The puncture was in a rear tyre, and it was a sharp stone (edge, not point) straight through the tread.

After a polite but firm lecture! at the Pink Roadhouse, we changed policy, and went for reduced pressures. We ran at 18/22/22 on tracks from then on, with a 70-80k cruising speed on graded roads. We went Dalhousie Springs, Alice, Finke Gorge, Docker River, Gunbarrel, Carnegie, Newman, Ningaloo, Perth, South coast, Port Lincoln and back to Melbourne, off road much of the time. Despite summer temperatures, we had no overheating of the tyres and no more punctures. But we did have more sidewall scuffing at the higher pressures.

This year its up the east coast.

thanks for that. Sounds like good advice. Pays to listen to the locals.

Cheers,