Roachie is right, with the type of work that I do the vehicle, tyres and set up have to be able to able to keep going.
Having the STT's it is one thing that I don't have to worry about. I know that the less tread on the tyres the more the chance of a
puncture. For this reason by the end of May I will have to have 6 new tyres regardless of what the tyres are like then. As of May I will be away for another 5 months of out back travel and the last thing I need is to fix or replace tyres.
I have said in previous post that Coopers gave me the 6 tyres to try and report back. I think that the tyres that I have had a pretty rough time, not through hard driving but the amount of driving in a short amount of time. The vehicle didn't help either with the weight and
suspension set up.
In May I will have to get new tyres, to go back to BFG's or stay with Coopers, that will depend a lot on what Coopers will do. If they come to the party and supply me with tyres I would be mad not to take up the offer. If they don't I will still go with the Coopers.
When I do the trips I have a mixture of people, vehicles and of course tyres. Each driver has his/her style of driving and each vehicle is packed at set up different. The Canning last year, 6 vehicles MTR's BFG's and Cooper's. Patrols, 100Series and the Office Block, AKA, The Troopie. The only things that they had in common is that the tyres were all new, we all ran the same tyre pressure on the trip, we didn't speed, the vehicles were packed to the max and at the end of the trip no punctures. I tell a lie, a vehicle got a flat at the caravan park at
Alice Springs, a nail, but that was after the trip had finished. You can't help bad luck. While on the subject of tyre pressure, and this is my own personal thoughts and experience. Run on a pressure that you find the best for your vehicle. Avoid the extreme high and low pressures and only let the tyres down enough to do the job. If I can drive on sand at 18psi I will not let the tyres down to 15psi just because some one said that it is better. I like to adjust the pressure to suit the current conductions.Most of the time I will run 38psi, front and back, on black top and dirt.
In fact I can't remember the last time there was a
puncture on a trip. I put this down to that drivers are more aware of tyre pressure and the type of tyres they have on the vehicle to do the driving they do the most.
What I am saying, it does not really matter what brand of tyre that you run, they will all work
well, as long as they are looked after.The type of tread pattern is a hole new ball game. As far as the Cooper's go I could probably use the ST's but I think that the STT's gives the Troppie a better image.
Tyres are the most talked about thing on any vehicle, 2wd and 4wd alike.We complain about how much they cost and how quick they wear out.The only thing between you and the road is the tyres and they are the things that keep us on the road, wet or dry on the straight or cornering. Add now the fact that you want to take the family with 2ton of vehicle up a steep track that it is very hard to walk and we still complain.If I ever get reincarnated I do not want to come back as a 4WD tyre, regardless of what brand.
I started this post as a reply to Roachie's post to my post on the Cooper's up date but now has turned into a Saturday morning ramble on tyres.
Wayne