4WD MODIFICATIONS – TYRES & WHEELS

No matter how many tyre stories we run we still come across many myths. With the help of Bridgestone, Kumho, Maxxis and Cooper Tyres, we conducted some real-world testing to dispel some of these tyre myths – hopefully forever.

Outback Travel Australia has been evaluating different types of tyre pressure monitoring systems over the past 16 years and we wouldn’t go bush without one.

We’ve been hoping for years that the airless, puncture-proof tyre would save us from plugging flats in mulga-root country, but it seems that our salvation is some years away. OTA brings you up to date with non-pneumatic-tyre (NPT) development around the world.

ROH has released a wheel range for 2021, with the emphasis on heavy-duty models that are rated at 1500kg each, for GVM upgrade applications.

As we all know, the skinny standard wheels and tyres fitted to Japanese 4×4 trucks are useless in off-road situations – particularly the rear duals that can trap rocks between them. There are several sources for replacement wide single wheels and tyres, but the most practical we’ve come across are the Australian-made 17 x 9 wheels from AAV4x4.

There’s something magical in the reference to ‘racing’. You find it in all sorts of 4WD equipment and, like references to ‘marine’, almost certainly brings with it a price hike.

We haven’t evaluated a set of Toyo Open Country tyres for about 15 years, so it’s long overdue. 

Kumho Tyre Australia has announced the launch of a new mud terrain tyre for the 4WD Ute and SUV market. The new MT71 replaces the previous two Kumho M/T tyres: the KL71 and the MT51.

The Ufixit mob is best know for their excellent windscreen repair kit that we wouldn’t leave home without. However, another Ufixit product is a wheel nut spanner that takes the effort and risk out of loosening wheel nuts.

After years of trying to get test tyres from Goodyear, we finally managed to track down a set being evaluated by 4WD Off Road Driver Training’s Phil Poulter. He loved them.

The Caravan Council of Australia is accustomed to receiving reports of broken wheel studs and loose wheel nuts: sometimes with the nuts unwinding completely. However, since 2018 there have been a spate of such reports.

We’ve been checking out a test set of Falken Wildpeak LT245/70 R17s on the OTA Team’s HiLux. Early impressions are that these tyres are well worth considering.

Maxxis is a relatively new player in the 4WD tyre scene, so we’re evaluating a test set over the next two years, to see how they compare with more established brands. We’ll have regular updates for you.

We had been waiting for an opportunity to test Yokohama’s Geolandar A/T-S tyres in on and off road conditions and we’ve been evaluating a test set of six tyres in 265/75R16 size, with 10-ply rating and load-speed ratings of 123/120R.

OTA Team members Michelle and Andy Parry have clocked up 57,000km on their six Mickey Thompson ATZP3 tyres.

You don’t have to buy an Earthcruiser motorhome to take advantage of this company’s ADR-approved wide-single, forged aluminium wheel and suspension upgrade package.

We were very impressed with the latest D697 A/T tyre from Bridgestone, but the mud-terrain D674 version didn’t last well on stony roads – removed after less than 7000km in the bush.

BFGoodrich produced the first all-terrain tyre in 1976 and has released what the company says is its most advanced product ever: the All-Terrain T/A KO2 tyre. We’ve been testing a set on our bush-travelling ute.

Ever been tempted to weld a cracked wheel spoke while the tyre is still in place? This video will show you why it could be the last thing you ever do.

Run-flat tyres and emergency spare tyres have no place in the Australian market, especially for people who want use their SUVs for trips more than 100km away from service back-up.

Tyre Product Planning Engineer, Neil Jonsson, talks to Allan Whiting about old tyres.

Daily tyre checks – Allan runs you through what you need to look at.

Allan Whiting talks to Bridgestone Australia’s Product Planning Engineer, Neil Jonsson about 4WD tread compounds and cut chip resistance.

It should be one of the first items you pack or mount in your 4WD, but an air compressor isn’t viewed that way by many off-road travellers. We regularly come across people who aren’t carrying any form of tyre inflation equipment.

You’re driving down the road and suddenly one of your wheels falls off. Nasty, eh? If you survive and discover that a cracked wheel was the cause, it makes the ‘bargain’ wheels you bought seem rather expensive.

The starting point for setting the correct tyre pressures for your vehicle is the maker’s tyre placard that’s usually on a door pillar or inside the glove box lid. The pressures quoted there are for maximum load and speed driving.

For the past decade car makers have been trying to eradicate the spare wheel and tyre, with mixed levels of success. In the 4WD world the spare will be with us for the foreseeable future.

‘Profile’ is the relationship between the width of a tyre – shoulder to shoulder – and its sidewall height – rim to tread. Profile is expressed as a percentage of height to width, so a 100 percent profile tyre like the 7.00×16 bias-ply tyre from the 1950s and 1960s has a sidewall height that’s the same as its width.

Utes and some base-model, ‘working’ 4WD wagons have the advantage over plusher vehicles in that they leave the factory on stronger wheels and tougher tyres. These tyre sizes are also more readily available in the bush.

Many off-roaders have trouble determining whether a punctured tubeless tyre is safe to repair and to continue in use. There’s no hard and fast rule, but we can offer some guidelines.