Help on split rims vs standard steel

After running splits for 30 odd years I'd now go with one piece wheels and tubeless.
The ability to plug holes on the go is priceless.
Flats on splits tend to go down very quickly where flats on tubeless tend to leak slowly unless you've trashed the tyre.
On the other hand if you need to change tyres on the rims then he splits are easier if doing it on the side of the road.
Why not stick to alloys? The wheelnuts come loose on both wheel types on Patrols;-)))

Richard,

I believe both have their advantages.

Standard rims use tubeless tyres (usually) while split rims require tubes in them.

When you get a puncture in a tubeless tyre, you can usually repair it with a plug without taking the tyre off the rim.
When you get a puncture in a tubed tyre (split rim) you have to remove the tube and patch, or replace it. This is a fairly simple exercise however, so it's no big deal.

I run tubeless alloys on the Jack, but the camper has split rims. I was going to replace the splits with standard rims until I check the cost of doing so. Kept the splits.
One other advantage of split rims is they are narrower (6") than the standard rims. (7")
This enables me to run Desert Duelers on the camper which were much cheaper ($168) than the 693/694 Duelers. ($225)
If I could run the DD's on the jack's rims safely, I would use them.

Bill.

I really wouldn't consider splits Richard.

They are just to heavy and limited in the availabilty of sizes and offset.

I stick with 16X7 Trak 2 rims on my GU with 10mm negative offset for all the sets of wheels I have including the trailer.

Did you read Thread 59092 ? Compelling arguements for not using splits under most circumstances.
Use steel tubeless rims. They will withstand all that remote track travel can throw at them, and are easier to fix.

Richard

Think about what type, not necessarily brand at this stage, of tyre you want to use.

The split rims on Cruisers and Patrols use a 7.50x16. They come in a wide range of tread patterns in both steel belted, all steel and bias ply construction. Most of the popular 4wd tyres only come in steel belted. All of the 7.50s have their place in the outback. The steel belted will cover all general travel. The all steel is very good at resisting punctures while carrying extreme loads on both the street and rough conditions and a heavy bias ply is the only one to use in cross country work where there are no tracks. If any of them look ideal for where you intend going and the loads you will be carrying then you may need split rims because some of those tyres are too heavy to get on and off a single piece rim. That is why manufacturers continue to fit split rims to new cars.

If on the other hand you prefer a larger size in steel belted construction then you will almost certainly need a wider rim and it will most likely have to be a single piece.

The tyre is the thing that has to do the job so think tyre first then find a rim to suit.

Brian

Richard some good comment here and I can add a few other things for you to consider.

Firstly from a safety point a spilt rim is an extremely dangerous thing to try and re-inflate a tyre on.

Secondly split rims are not technically designed for tubless tyres so be very careful on this point. Tubeless tyres have a specifically designed bead that holds it to a tubeless rim. This bead does not properly match a split rim design.

From a tyre perspective like most comments it really depends on what you are going to be doing. We recently sent two clients to the Kimberley for three months one vehicle had Bridgestone D 694's and the other had Bridgestone D661's. Both followed the proper discipline of adjusting tyre pressure and speed to the terrain and what do you know. Not a puncture in either vehicle in over 10000kms of travel.

We have also seen some excellent results from Toyo's as well

Regards

RobA

having used both and got into arguments over their merits and draw backs Im pretty firm on my belliefs over this debate
- Split rims should be used in conjunction with crossply rag tyres for a no comparamize mostly bush work

-1 peice rims should be used for radial tyres where their on road advantages are neccessery

in short for the uses you describe the 1 peice rims are the way to go

Thanks to everyone for your knowledgeable replies. Its an area that I had not ventured into before, and have now gained quite a bit of information in regards to it. Looks like the consensus is to stay with non splits. That's all I was looking for on this thread, was opinions on both pathways.

I am still looking at some steel rims for the Patrol to replace the alloys when going bush. Currently know where there is a set of 6, but on 16x6 which will limit my choice of tyre, so still on the search for some 16x7 which seem to be as rare as.........

Thanks again to all for your input :)