Which way to go!!

Run it tubeless until you get a flat, then throw in the tube...

Tube tires you can run lower pressures if you need.

Go for the tubeless. Much, much less hassle. On club trips over the past few years, its always the split rim brigade that get the flat tyres - often tube failures with no apparent puncture.

Other reasons are that you'll get more miles out of tubeless (cooler), and if you do get a puncture, it will go down slower (safer). Tubelss rims also are lighter and balance up better.

Peter,
We have had these discussions before on the forum...go and have a look in the archives.

There has been a lot of feedback on this forum on tubeless tyres and the consensus seems to be that tubeless tyres are easier to repair if they suffer a small hole, spike, stake, nail. If they have a sidewall split then you will have to add a gater and a tube. They are of course more difficult to repair out bush than the splits. I am an oldie from the old school and will stick with my split rims and 8 ply tyres. This time around I have Bridgstone Desert Duellers 750x16 8ply LT and they are doing OK. Have used Road Grippers and they are reasonable as well. They normally run out of tread at 40,000k. There are lots of choices out there. Good luck!

Cheers,
Willie

Never a dull moment

( warning, this is a bit of an essay!) ;-)

Hi Peter
I wrote to this forum over a year ago with a similar question, but in reverse,
I bought my HJ47 with a set of 35" BFG mud tyres on fat alloy rims. In the tray was a set of original split rims and tyres.
The fat tyres looked sexy but the turning ability was a workout in tight spots.
I wondered if I should go back to the originals.
When I posted my question the big SPLIT RIMS VS TUBELESS issue was there to greet me.
I decided to keep the BFG's on.
I drove on them until I wore off the rest of the tread off, and I certainally did plenty of rough tracks etc, never got a flat tyre for over a year, I'd say they probably never had a flat during their lifespan.
Last month, I had to replace the rubber, and fell off my chair at the cost of new fat tyres to match my rims.
So I put the old split rims on.
Then I drove out to the central desert from Newcastle, to Kupa Piti, then Onandatta track, out to Dalhousie springs, over to Anangu Pitjantjatjara lands ( with a permit)
worst roads ever up to Curtain springs, then back down to newie.
Got a flat near Marla. Changed tyre, got new tube in Kupa Piti.

My anaylsis is that...

Skinny vs fat:
-the skinnier tyres are SO MUCH better to drive on.
-and the cred from people that thought you looked cool with fat wheels is replaced by the cred from people who think fat wheels are a bit too fancy for a REAL fourby.

Tubeluss vs split rims?
Tubeless tyres mean you very rarely have to deal with a flat.
If you spend most of your time driving near civilisation, thats cool, you really only need to carry I spare, you can easily get to a shop to buy or repair.
In that case, lovely carefree tubeless would be the go.

However if you spend time remotley on tubleless, you will end up (like a lot of people do) driving your ute around with your tray full ( I mean FULL!) of spare wheels.
Makes more sense to me ( if u r remote) to have split rims carry two spare treads, and a couple of new tubes, a pucture repair kit, tyre removing equip, and have an air compressor. much less room and weight.

LAST WORD
Anyway, what's all the trauma about changing a tyre any old how?
sometimes its a good excuse to stop, have a cup of tea and a quiet look around the loverly place your car has decided you should stop in!

JO

I've run tubeless for the past 6 years but ran splits for 10 years prior to that.

Its a myth that tyres on split rims are easy to repair. I'd suggest that they are more difficult to dismantle but very easy to put back together.

To push the bead down on a split rim that has been on for a while means using a bead breaker in about 6 places around the rim, big screwdriver in the slot and pulling up on split. Usually lots of swearing. Reassembly is dead easy of course.

But I find tubeless much easier. To dismantle, one go with a bead breaker does it, the detergent over the bead and rim, place the downside bead in the well, and it levers off very easily. There is no need to remove the second bead, but I often do to improve access.

I do lots of remote desert trips, and carry an extra spare casing and tubes, but touch wood, its over 5 years since I had a puncture of my own. Low pressures help too.

Peter
For round town and the like, tubeless are lighter, easy to balance, and most importantly, safer, because a tube will go flat straight away, where as a tubeless will give plenty of warning on all but the blowout. 235x85x16 is a good tyre to replace the 750 with.
Keep the eyes open for some good secondhand/new rims and tyres off something similar to take on outback forays and in the sticks 4bing. For instance i payed 150 dollars for 5 with 60 percent tread :-0
Andrewwheredayathinkwer mike?

tubeless tubeless tubelessback by popular demand
:-)