Tire Spares and Repairs for Overlanding
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- čas přidán 30. 07. 2024
- Tire Spares and Repairs for Overlanding
Only carrying one spare tire on a long overland journey is controversial, in this video I run through my rationale for that, and I show the spares and tools I carry to negate the chances of becoming stranded due to tire failure.
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#Overland #OverlandTires #YokohamaTire - Jak na to + styl
I've broken lug bolts in the middle of nowhere. Once in a village some kids deflated all my tires. Thankfully there was a volleyball pump. On my vehicle it took about 2000 pumps each to get things up to drivable. Most of the village lined up to be heroes and take turns of 50 pumps each. This ended up being yet one more way to connect with local people.
This is a REAL overloading channel.
i don't carry 2 Spares anymore. Did till about 4 years ago. Touch wood, flats are few and fare between. Ironically the last one I had was in the drive way of the tire shop near home (I was there picking up a tire for someone else). But do carry the generic plug repair kit and valves. I do, carry tire leavers and a tube to fit my tires. For those times plugs wont do. The leavers pack flat in the back of the cupboard with some tape on them so they don't rattle. Basically take up no space. The tube had me stumped for awhile how to store with out it getting damaged. Ended up putting it in a A3 zip lock pocket and taping it to the underside of a shelf.
I have put 10,000 miles on a tire with a patch numerous times. To be fair I was not overlanding, but instead in a work truck that consistently had a load in the back over 2,000lbs.
I managed to nearly tear the sidewall out of my tires driving around the logging roads on Vancouver Island. I was about to move to Ontario, so took a last spin out past Port Renfrew, and up the Pacific Marine(with a few detours). I failed to lower my tire pressures on the detours, so tore a large gash in the side of my rear driver tire. It didn't go all the way through, but it likely wouldn't have held up to multiple days of highway driving.
It was an expensive lesson.
for my first Sahara crossing I got a set of Luxury Car "VR" Tyres with run down profile from a tyre merchant. Basically best available technology and rubber mixture in 1989. Put them on in Morocco and never had a problem untill i sold the VW Van in Mali. So good tyres matter. "Ichy boots" says the same (bike) - only flat on 63.000 kms with run down profile, but sometimes picking out screws, nails etc out of the profile when tyre is still good.
When I started driving four wheel drive vehicles in the late 1970s the tyres usually mounted on split rims were a constant problem tyres are so much better today if you manage air pressure and vehicle loads. I no longer carry two spares I always carry a plug kit and when remote a set of tyre pliers and tyre leavers to do a major repair.A second spare adds 40KG plus a wheel carrier? for people who run exotic tyres and rims two spares might still be worthwhile, I prefer to run factory Toyota rims and tyres the same size as factory but better quality BFG KO2 the chances of getting a tyre that will fit even in small bush towns is very good regards Mike
Not bagging Toyota, as I own one. But don't know what model you drive. If you carry any weight. Upgrade to Mining Spec steel rims (1700kg per wheel) relatively cheep. Or if you have money to burn some 1500kg+ alloy rims. Note I did not say bigger, just stronger. The rims they come from the factory nowadays are the bare minimum. By the way BFG KO2 is a great all-round tire. You can't go wrong on that.
Thanks again for all the great info from real-world experience. I have a little and want to contribute this: Where I live, Southern CA, most folks have aluminum wheels on their trucks. That is great for lowering unsprung weight so the trucks handle better, ride better, shocks last longer, and they look great! However, if you are out on your own (like I am on my ranch in Arizona with no cell coverage) and you break a wheel (aluminum breaks more than bends) you can be in a world of hurt. Steel wheels bend and they can be hammered back into useable shape even when severely bent. For long-distance overlanding in remote areas, steel wheels are the way to go, not the cool looking aluminum wheels.
I agree 100%, that's the exact reason my wheels are steel!
What a great point, everyone has always said “you don’t need load range E tires” but I load my trucks up heavily and don’t like flats so I get them, I never get flats that are not punctures and I don’t go over the smoothest terrain!
I've broken more valve stems than tire punctures. Colby valve stems are a life saver, replace stem without dismounting tire.
That's one of the great things about the wheels I run, the valve stems are entirely protected by the face of the wheel.
Those colbys rock - I've seen them used twice on the trail and they work like a charm. Especially useful if you stem kind of sticks out. Mine is protected by a 'fake beadlock' XD
I didn't know about them. I just went to amazon and ordered. Thanks for posting!
I very seriously considered carrying just one spare (and as it turns out, I didn't need any) on my last Africa trip, but I decided to play it safe. My parents who joined me on my last trip in their Discovery 3 run 255/55 R19's and carried only one spare, and they didn't have a single puncture either. I think modern tyre reliability is such that you're very unlucky if you get a single puncture on a Trans-Africa trip these days. However, we also own a safari company in Kenya and we use two spares. This is because the Land Cruiser uses split rims with tubes (my vehicle uses one piece tubed rims) and tubes are far more likely to get major tyre-damaging punctures than tubeless. A tubeless tyre can be plugged or, even better, the tyre sealant sold by Max Adventure and used by the UK Ministry of Defence which the manufacturers claim can seal holes up to 25 mm (1 inch) diameter in truck tyres, 20 mm (3/4 inch) in 4×4 tyres and 15 mm (5/8 inch) in car tyres. Apparently the stuff really works too (in both tubes and tubeless), but I've yet to try it.
Welcome back TWOOOOO™ another great, helpful video 👍🏼
Interesting topic, just my 2cents: 4 of my last punctures (in Zambia/Namibia/South Africa)were on recently graded roads (roads in process of being graded), where the stones in the road surface is chipped by the grader, typically the puncture on the rear wheel, as the front wheel flip the stone for the rear tire to puncture - this is something you will only experience in places where the roads are still gravel and graded frequently, you may have tires that are are close to 50% used, not on bad roads where the torture is more on the suspension - the other serious issue is when you experience broken tar, and this is typically where a rim may also get damaged, especially if you deflate your tires like on a dirt road, as well as hard compound tires like BFG (where parts of the tread chip off and it gets unbalanced) - until you have experienced true broken tar, one should not comment, but Dan, I am sure you would've experienced broken tar in Africa ( I thought I saw in one of your videos that typical drive on the shoulder of the road as you often find in areas where the tar is beyond repair, even on main routes) - also broken tar not something always predictable as the roads deteriorate and they let it slip until it is close to being destroyed. A final favorite spot to get punctures is if you drive in African National parks/ farms/two poor tracks with a lot of Acacia thorn trees, when the wind blow/storms, small dead branches underneath the trees on the road off (also wildlife like elephants), and you drive over these thorns - at some stage your luck will run out, and you cannot pick every thorn branch up if it is a long distance - that is why I always carry a tire repair kit as well as a spare casing (used it twice in the last 12 years), but then I do go way off the beaten track - also, the biggest issue with fitting a second tire casing is not to get the tire of the rim, but to break the bead, and yes, high-lift jack does a great job - just watch out that you don't damage your tire's bead as it will then not seal if you are inexperienced with tire levers. Also, TPMS is great to warn you that you have a puncture, I typically get it plugged and re-inflated before it is totally deflated and one can feel you have a problem, and that usually saves the day.
Thanks for a wonderful video 😎👍
Great vid thnx,! When I'm away then i have in adition what you mentioned i 3 tyre lefers and a innertube for if I can't repair it with a plug. Never used it so maybe i should leave it home next time...
Yeah we just put a new set of Hercules ATs on our Silverado...load range E. Great video & tip(s)! 🤙-Josh
I keep a set of dismount spoons in my truck for changing the rubber off the rim.i guess from doing it on semi's it carried over to my small truck. But I do agree the dismount bar is to big and bulky
Great video Dan! I purchased a quality viair compressor and puncture kit for my dempster trip this summer. Luckily I only had one leak just outside of Whitehorse which gave me a good chance to test out the compressor and plug kit and it was great being able to inflate the 33” tires to 80 psi with my truck camper on the truck.
I have just gotten the Viair 88P compressor. Works great and seems nicely made.
Helpful video
1) Number one accessory that you must have is a compressor. It comes first. An ARB Speedy Seal kit is also essential.
2) Good quality Japanese made tyres are the best for those running radial tyres.
3) I hope you don't bump into me on the road. Insurance claims in foreign countries are difficult even with a single vehicle.
Tire plugs are a great TEMPORARY fix. You should absolutely get the plug pulled and a patch put in at the earliest opportunity!
What happens is a small amount of air will seep through the first, inside layer of the tire and travel in the steel belts, effectively separating the plys, cause a bubble and blow out the tire.
I know, sometimes you can get lucky and drive on a plugged tire for a long time. But more than not you'll have that issue!
That's my understanding. Plug fixes can lead to internal delamination. That said, I have done half a dozen plugs on my truck tires over the years, and never suffered this fate. A nice internal patch at a garage is the best fix, and $20 well spent. Peace of mind is worth something, too.
A pair of crowbars works as tire levers and has many other uses. Just make sure you get the wide carpentry crowbars.
I keep one spare on my truck now.. and an extra full spare in my garage.. so if i am close to home a friend can bring me one if needed.
I would tend to want one complete spare and at least another good tire with me. At that point a second spare mounted is only 25 more pounds.
I think you may have mentioned in another video but Tom Shepard showed me how to dismount the tire using a farm jack and front bumper.
Yes but be careful. If you just use the foot of the jack you are likely to damage the sidewall. You really need a proper shoe to break the bead. If you are interested there's a video on my channel showing how to do it.
My kind of adventures is not off-road and I travel to experience cultures, local cuisines, interact with locals and learn about so many things about how people live and see attractions. That said, I have never felt a need to even carry any repair kit for tyres. Before trip I put on my good tyres and carry one spare Tyre, the few times I got flat Tyre i just change the Tyre and look out for the next village or town and get my Tyre repaired. That's all.
I feel for people who do adventures like mine who hardly go outside civilization, there's a lot of stuff they don't need to carry... Perhaps why I'm likely not to carry extra fuel on my next leg of trip in southern Africa and I will reduce water capacity from 15 gallons to just 5 gallons because I realized I Carry things I may never need anyways
Check out you have hight lift you could use that for changing tire short ove
So far I've never needed a second spare tire, but I always have one with me. The reason for this, however, is that I am mostly overlanding in vans or cars and the tires for these vehicles are not that strong. For cars it makes sense to fit van tires, these are often available in similar sizes and they are much stronger.
For my next trip, which will definitely take 3-4 months across Africa, I want to pack off-road tires on my Mercedes van.
So far we've always had these plug kits with us, but we've never used them. In West Africa there is a tire workshop in almost every major village. And for around 3 euros you can get the hole patched up quickly.
But I definitely want to take an air compressor with me for the next tour. So far I always had these 12V cigarette plug air compressors. But they are only good for emergencies.
Thanks for your tips. It's nice to see that others are also on the move with the attitude that less is often more.
There are decent portable compressors still, if you’d rather not hard mount it. Even ARB sells theirs in a portable model. www.northridge4x4.com/part/compressors/ckmtp12-arb-portable-twin-air-compressor
@@jfloydsea thank you for the recommendation. But I think this model is a little bit above my budget.
Maybe I will go with their smaller compressor like the one Dan got, also I don't really need a portable one, I think a on board compressor with a long (10 Meter) hose should do the job.
There are tire valves called colby valves. You don’t need to break the bead to replace them if your old valve stem gets damaged.
First comment😊, I agree with you that 1 spare tire should be enough in modern times. I am driving vehicles since 40 years and so far I can remember 2..3 tire problems
I've been driving vehicles for only about a half decade, but I've had a lot of problems - punctures in sidewalls, punctures through the tread, plenty of damage. I've totaled four tires out, and usually get a flat every month or so.
I've never damaged a tire off-road, though; I work in construction, and job sites are messy, but on the farm, mud, and trails, I've never destroyed a modern tire. (10+ year old sun-rotted tires are not counted here.)
Were you rotating every 5k while driving around Africa? Did you rotate in your spare?
Yes, I did a 5 tire rotation every 6,000 miles (10,000kms). It gave me a great chance to have a good look around at the suspension and make sure everything was good.
Great content as always! What’s your opinion on overlanding a full size pickup truck? I just paid off my Ram and I don’t have any desire to trade it in, as I frequently haul and tow things that a smaller vehicle couldn’t handle. Do you think I would have any issues taking it international? I’d just be sticking to the Americas-I’ve put a lot of time and effort into building the life that I have, so I don’t have much desire to pack it up and go overseas for months or even years. The longest I can stay gone is maybe a month.
I suppose I could look into a second vehicle but it would have to be a beater with my current budget, and I think my truck would be more reliable. Having a massive overbuilt truck is kind of par for the course here in the states, but I don’t think I’d do anything outrageous to it so as to keep it practical for my daily use.
They're getting more common, and can work for sure. Driving it on the narrow streets of Central America will be stressful, but it's certainly possible.
Don't think so much about the "base" vehicle, think more about where you're going to sleep, eat, cook and hangout when the weather is bad. They will impact your trip more.
Dan, in support of your rationale that carrying multiple tires may be a holdover from earlier times & tires, let's remember the cars today that come without any kind of spare, including high performance cars. Originally, it was thought one dared do this only if one ran 'run flats'. Now it's just one more choice to make with some cars. Looks a bit cold up there! Will you be filming videos once the sun stays low?! ;)
Good point!
We're only two weeks from the shortest day of the year, so no worries with the light.
If you break the valve off I think you need to put a new one in from inside right? So in that case you need to break the bead on one side of the wheel. You can do this by driving over just the tire until until comes off the bead. For resetting the bead you might need an air tank to provide a good surge of air to catch it. Or use the lighter fluid method. Or maybe you can insert the new valve from the outside?
My wheels entirely protect the valve, so breaking one is extraordinarily unlikely.
There are now special repair valves that you can put in from the outside. You just need a wrench to tightend it down. But a pair cost 40 €
@mark2073 Yes, normal valve stems are inserted from the inside, that special tool he mention can be used to do that. Like someone said, there are special valve stems that can be applied from the outside. For us with wheels that dont protect the valve stems, you can use the shortest valve stems possible/available for your wheel, it reduces the leverage forces applied to the valve that eventualy break them off. I got ones that only the valve cap sticks out, and can still air up and down just fine, and never broke one off, when with the ones i had before i managed to break 3. Hope it helped.
The one thing I agree with is not to carry two spare wheels. However for me it's essential to be able to remove and refit the tyre. (and if you can't do that you may need the two spares). Also you should carry heavy internal patches which will bridge over small tears etc. If you run tubeless tyres carry an inner tube so you can re-set the beads afterwards.
How many times have you needed to remove and refit tires to rims on your travels?
@@TheRoadChoseMe I have lost count. I can get tyres on and off in a jiffy now
I run tubed tyres which used to give me many flats. By careful attention to detail I have reduced the incidence of flats hugely (none in the past two years) but one must be prepared. I have also had a sidewall tear I needed to fix. For me tyre levers and a bead breaker are totally essential.
Why do you run tubed tires? Why not just run the latest and greatest from a brand name tire company and no worry about it?
@@TheRoadChoseMe This has been covered in my tyre video, I have two sets of wheels (AT and MT), both from premium manufacturers (Michelin and Goodyear). Changing to tubeless means changing 10 wheels which is an unnecessary cost and very wasteful too. I have now got them to work satisfactorily with tubes. If I do have a problem on a trip they are easier to work on than tubeless.
Some really useful advice, is it possible to get tyres to fit 17" rims in Africa as most modern 4x4's use this size and fitted onto Alloy wheels.
I cover that in this video: czcams.com/video/bNW7-nCuVmw/video.html
I need to have a decent tire repair
In the event of a major tire damage, motorcycle overlanders often carry an inner tube along with a plug kit, even if they run tubeless tires (most do these days). Is that a thing in the overlanding light truck world?
Eh, I think maybe *some* people carry an inner, but again, it's kind of old school.
I carry an inner tube for long trips.
It is light, cheap and relatively small compared to an extra spare. I have only put it on during an outback tyre change training course. It would allow you to limp along with badly stacked or ripped side wall.
No mention of tyre pressure monitors? You can pick them up relatively inexpensively and can keep a constant eye on your tyre pressures from the driver's seat while driving...
My Jeep has TPMS built in, but it's not something I'd add. Just another gadget nobody needed 10 years ago.
@@TheRoadChoseMe that's great that your Jeep has it built-in! Most cars don't have it or it's an extra add-on.
@@TheRoadChoseMe, does it tell you the pressure at each wheel, or just give a light if the pressure is outside a certain range?
I think it was Andrew St Pierre White, he installed one and it notified him of low pressure going
down the highway before disaster struck.
@@TheRoadChoseMe There are a lot of videos, where a cars was wrecked because of low tire pressure by a punction of a rear tyre. TPMS are underrated and often overlooked.
I Use a cheap 25 € chinese and it worked fine for me
Whoa! Is that a plumbed in aux fuel tank behind your spare tire?
It's not plumbed in, I use a siphon to move the gas - see my demo here: czcams.com/video/anjAoYw8BLM/video.html
Simple no nonsense advice from someone who has real experience.
Great video, well done.
I appreciate that!
But, what if i WANT to have 4 spare tires on my rig?🙃
You can do anything you want, of course!
I bet that repairing a tire for a "local" buys a lot of good will.
Would you consider beadlocks?
Not authorized to answer in Dan's name but these $.$$$ could be well spent staying months on the road ;-)
No, for what I do they are completely overkill and way too much weight and $$$$. I talk about it here czcams.com/video/-fBA0ajwjns/video.html
Thanks
I would like to know which Tire Gauge do you use. Please put an Amazon Link on the descriptions. Cheers
It's just a cheap gauge, nothing special - like this one amzn.to/3qE3ji3
👍
High know how man
Heyyyy