How many spare tyres?

I thought plugs would fix any tread puncture too Krakka that was until I had a rock penetration there was just no way plugs were going to work. Found out why when I took it to a tyre dealer the puncture was 40mm long. Dealer told me there was no way I would have fixed it with plugs.

Roscoe, we had that sort of experience a few years ago also. Tried 3 plugs - no good, then mushroom plug, no good, then mushroom plug plus side wall patch (over hole in tread), no good, then added tube!! Got us home. Find those experiences haunt you a bit - probably why I felt need to submit this post. Cheers JD

Ditto - Last year I also tried to do a plug repair where a small rock had gone through the tread - 4 plugs and still small leak, so it got a big patch on the inside.

For those who had rocks go through the tread.

What was you tyre pressure. My experience is if you run tyres at highway pressures on roads like the oodnadatta track you will put a rock through the tread.

I only carry one spare on my vehicle and one on the camper. All wheels are the same size and will fit both patrol and camper. I have done a lot of kms without a problem.



Tjilpi

Tjilpi,
Yep, high pressures cause it. And tyres with not much tread.

Tjilpi, in my case it was those infamous and useless (4 ply?) Jap made Bridgie 693 that come new with the car. I was the fool who thought he'd get away with it for just a weekend trip when they were fairly new......

Kumunara,

Mine were brand new Coopers ATR's (I think that speaks for itself) and had only done around 600k on gravel. Vehicle was loaded and pulling a Jayco Penguin Off road. Tyres were set at 33 cold which according to Coopers were perfectly set for the gravel road I was on. The puncture was partly in the groove and across the tread, I'd say penetration started in the groove.

Coopers stated the ATR's were the wrong tyre for the gravel road I was on between Mt Augustus and the Ashburton Downs turnoff, I was heading to Paraburdoo.

While I was changing the tyre the owner of a station property happened along and his words to me were "You tourists are crazy airing your tyres down, if I did that I'd be going through tyres all the time" and told me to crank them up to their max cold psi

Newman Tyres at Newman told me I was running tyres too low!!! The locals do not run their tyres at low pressures on gravel they crank them up.

The theory the locals in these areas run with is that by airing down tyres become much more susceptible to sidewall punctures and they say rocks will be held momentarily by the tyre thereby creating higher risk of a puncture. By cranking the tyre up rocks get flicked out of the way rather than held by the tyre.

I've done that balloon test and got the balloon to bust when it didn't have a lot of air in it. I put a fair bit of pressure on it and bounced the balloon on the object trying assimilate what a tyre would be doing on a gravel road and it eventually burst....so I think that test is flawed.

Ever since then I have been following what the locals reckon and have not had a puncture, maybe it's luck who knows, but I'm going to continue doing it.

Anyway I guess it's like most things everyone has their opinion.

G'day Roscoe, I have been advocating high tyre pressures on this forum ever since I discovered the way to stop throwing good tyres away was to put 50 psi in them. Proved on 4WD sprayrig
operating in paddocks at 15 kph. That balloon thing is the greatest load of bollocks I've ever heard. A tyres wall does not decrease in thickness when pressure is increased. A balloon wall may decrease in in thickness by 10 times when more air is added.
Most 4WD are run with high loads when touring, yet some persist in running low pressures, just asking for trouble. I know many will argue the opposite but my experience dictates how I operate,
not hearsay, so the old Jack runs 40 psi on all surfaces at all speeds
without incident. Naturally worn tyres are more likely to incur
through the tread punctures. Welcome to the high pressure club.
...oldbaz.

Oldbaz,

I worked in Charleville for a number of years and most of my weekends I went pig shooting, bush bashing through some rough country over sticks etc...never ever had sidewall damage and I can't recall ever having a puncture. So I've gone back doing what I use to do. The only reason I changed was because of the current advocacy of airing down.

Yep I run mine on 40psi and I notice Steve from Top End Tours mentioned in a thread not too long ago that he runs his vehicles tyres at 40psi too. He is obviously a very experienced operator and if he's doing it, it must mean something.

There was also a thread a little while back where a member mentioned the group he was with had 20+, I think it was, sidewall punctures.

There is only one thing that can cause that the sidewalls are running too close to the ground.

Anyway, I'm glad you agree with me. Having to replace virtually new tyres at $300 a pop hurts the hip pocket!! Problem is they cost a fair bit more in the west like $400+

roscoe,

You can read Steve's trip report of his South Aust trip 6 months ago . He had to buy new tyres at Marree because of punctures.Link here.

Strikes me that you'll get different opinions from locals in different places. The locals in Oodnadatta drop pressures to high 20's; locals in Pilbara don't. And weight, speed and how old the tyres are all matter too.

Bill, very perceptive question of yours. We do in fact have a wheel on camper with different offset but the car wheels (incl. camper spare) just stick out a bit so no great drama. Like what I'm hearing so far. cheers JD

Macbushy, Since incident referred to above, I do. Also carry mushroom plugs as well as standard type. Tyre industry people seem to regard mushroom plugs as a permanent repair. Not sure why they are not used more often. cheers JD

thanks Splits. Probably not too much time off-track anticipated. Yes I've seen Beadell site. I also remember article in 4x4 mag regarding Mick Hutton trip along Connie Sue (??) a few years ago - 2 punctures after 100m LOL (maybe not so funny). cheers JD