Toyota split rims - Danger?

There are a few things to know...running tubes in them, if they go flat they go flat...if it happens at speed, you dont get much (none) warning, as opposed to tubeless that go flat slowly, these go flat in 2 serconds....also, when pumping up after repairs, the lot should be put under the car so if it lets go, you dont take the brunt of the explosion oof the ring off the rim...
Andrew

Yes, no problems on the condition that:
They are in good nic, and seat area for the split ring is not dented, worn etc and ring is not distorted.

Check that ring is seated properly when inflating, Caution they can go bang, and take you out with it.

having driven hundreds of thousands of k's on both types fats and skinnys i prefer the tubeless less flats but easier to fix split rims in the bush both work well sometimes skinnys are better in that they cut through to firmer ground with splits keep the rust at bay and you should be ok .don't have kids around when you are working on them even when doing everything with great care the ring can jump out with great force but they do suffer from rust tubeless you can plug on the road if you stop in time i realy don't have anything against splits i'm just lazy.
gordon

I ran splits until about 2 years ago. Never really thought about it until I needed a bush roadhouse to do a repair for me (I had a crook knee at that time.) Nope, we won't touch them, they're too dangerous ! Huh? I had to do the repair myself in the bush, not nice when not healthy. I had already had 2 flats on that trip.
Nobody ever refused to take money off me before.

I've always been very careful with repairing them and especially when re inflating them (as the man said, put in under the car).
To cut a long story short, I haven't had a flat (touch wood) since I changed to tubeless...and they're safer on the highway to boot!
Do I miss my skinneys? No way!

I gave up on split rims about 12 years ago after nearly rolling a troopie at 100kph on the highway with my family on board. "Tube fatigue" caused a seam on the tube to leak and down she went. Twice that happened to me on that trip. They were near new Korean made tubes, which at the time had developed a reputation for doing this.

I find tubeless easier to fix anyway.

Have run nothing but split rims for many years on all types of terrain--sand, corrugations, gravel,bitumen,rocks, and mud .I have had very few problems and would not use anything else as they score a big pluss if you have to change a tyre in the bush.The danger aspect in my opinion is very overated as it is fairly obvious when fitting the split ring if it is seated properly and this is quite different in fitting the ring on large vehicles like trucks etc. where most accidents happen. Having done many thousands of kms. with Troopys over the years the splits are for me.

the chrome splits for wagons have the ring on the inside if the rim. if that ring comes of during a 'blowout' it squashes the brake line and make stopping even more dangerous/ interesting.

Bryan

No they are not dangerous. There are millions of them in use around the world and they are designed to be used safely. No wheel manufacturer would put something onto the market that was a hit and miss affair as to whether it explodes or not during inflation.

I started working on them as a 15 year old apprentice in 1961. I did not have any problems with them then and I don't today. I have also never inflated them in a cage or put the wheel under the car.

The wheels I use today are stock Hilux with standard size 112 load index tyres . I do not leave the tyres undisturbed on the rims for years because that will almost certainly lead to rust inside them and can make the tyres very difficult to remove. Like most parts of a car, they need a little regular maintenance. I give them that maintenance and find when out in the bush I can remove a tyre very easily in a few minutes without needing a bead breaker.

To inflate them I first of all make sure there is no rust inside them and everything is clean. I always use proper tyre lubricant, not my own mixture. I crouch down at the side of the wheel with one hand behind it holding the valve stem straight and the other one around the front putting the air in. I check that the detatchable piece is seated properly in its correct position then very slowly start inflating the tyre while watching both sides of it slide slowly and freely over the internal surface of the detatchable piece, as well as the other side of the wheel, until both sides are into their fully seated positions. A lubricated tyre on a clean rim will do this very easily because there is no step for the bead to ride up and over like there is on a one piece rim. This means there is no sudden and loud "pop" as the bead seats. I have found it needs no more than 10 psi to do this.

The detatchable piece can not even think about coming off until the tyre bead slides out and starts pressing hard against it. By the time that happens the bead has slid snuggly over the internal flat surface of the rim and is preventing it from expanding. The rim fits like a circlip around the wheel and to come off from that point it would have to stretch the 16 inch bead of the tyre out to over 16.5 inches or more and that is not going to happen to a tyre in good condition with undamaged and rust free beads. This means the rim is now locked securely in place and is not going to move.

I know there have been accidents with them but they almost always involve multiple piece heavy truck or earth moving machinery and can be traced to either the condition of the parts or someone doing the wrong thing. It is never the design of the wheel.

I still use these rims today because at my age I find them by far the easiest rim to take a tyre off. I also prefer to check the inside of a tyre while fixing a puncture. I don't like temporary plugs applied from the outside because I have seen too many tyres destroyed, particularly on long country trips, by overheated sidewalls after the plug developed a slow leak and the driver was not aware of it.

I always carry a spare detatchable piece when out in the bush. I would try and hammer a damaged wheel back into shape in an emergency but not the removeable section. This time I would get well out of the way while inflating it even if I was confident my repair efforts were ok.

Brian

I don't consider them that dangerous, yes apart from inexperiennced hands.
When I was studying at tafe, a part of our course was a few bits and peices of 4x4 recovery, this included changing a split rim tyre (geology course). Didn't seem that hard even for a 18yr old (at the time) girl like me.

There are safety chains (like a simple version of a snow chain I suppose) which you can use, this would minimise the risk of ingury a great deal I imagine.

Our 79 series at the moment has split rims and skinny tires. But hubby will be switching out to some fatter & grippier tires with steel rims (the heavy duty white ones) when he's ready. I'd say he probably favours the non split type, these days with tire pliers they're just as easy to change.

At all times keep your head back from the tyre.
That bit is hard for many people, due to our inquisitive nature, but its a must. Split rims are as dangerous as the "fitter" allows them to be..

Its not too hard to realise that if you put a little air in them, and go around the rim and give it a tap, it will help seat it.

Observe the uniformity of the rim, when inflating a little more, and do the "taping" thing again..

Doesn't take long at all, just a few extra seconds to be safe.

Easy as

Cheers All

Bucky

Not at all keen if doing a lot of 4WD on sand and spinifex areas, as they can easily get in through the 'split' and cause the tube to burst.
If not in those conditions, then split rims are definitely "the go"..