spare tyres for strzelecki

Agree with all that deserter said.
In addition, its nice to have tyres that have more than 50% tread because newer tyres are less likely to get tread punctures.

But if you destroy a tyre, you'll feel a bit vulnerable if you're using your only spare. Sometimes its wise to bring a spare casing, particularly if your tyres are an odd size.

I also agree with deserter.

I will always remember my first outback trips when I made four crossings of the Nullarbor in the early 1970s when there was still about 500 ks of unsealed road. I have never seen a road with so many shredded tyres, buckled wheels and pieces of exhaust systems strewn along the side of it. The people in the roadhouses said it was all caused by speed.

On one of the trips a young couple in a V6 Capri went flying past on the dirt. Minutes later I saw them replacing a flat tyre. They soon went screaming past again and flaged me down about half an hour later with a second flat. I had to drive his wife about fifty ks to Nullarbor Homestead with one of the flat tyres sitting on her lap because it would not fit anywhere else in the car.

One of my air force mates witnessed a Monaro blow all four tyres instantly when it hit a deep hole at high speed.

Just take it easy and enjoy the trip and you will not only save the tyres but the car as well.

Brian

Whilst a lower speed is the better and safer solution, it still will not guarantee protection against tyre damage.

I destroyed a tyre traveling at relatively low speed down the Borefield Track to Roxby Downs. The tyre pressure was set at 28psi.

My mate traveling behind in the same model Jackaroo "refuses" to lower tyre pressures when on dirt roads and guess who has a visit from Murphy? Maybe the fact I was towing the camper trailer made a difference. Maybe the lower tyre pressure "exposed" the sidewall to the rocks more. More likely I was just unlucky.

The Borefield has a section or sections where the rock base is made up of sharp edged rocks and it only takes one to slice through the sidewall, as happened to me, and the damage is well and truly done.
In this case an extra spare tyre casing at least gives an extra comfort level as no tyre repair kit would be practical in this situation.

An extra tyre casing and the means to fit it if necessary is a good compromise. Not carrying a second (full) spare will save weight and is easier to carry and providing you can use one of the tyrepliers or beadbreaker kits you will cover most situations.

If towing a camper or similar, another practical solution is to ensure you can swap wheels from camper to vehicle, or vice versa, then you have two spares anyway.