You start your engine on your newly bought 4WD and start driving to the rocky bushes. Unfortunately, your 4WD tyres go out and you are left wondering why those big tyres suddenly exploded.
Tyre bursts are one of the common enemies of the 4WD driver in the outback. Most new drivers that are un-informed that the stock 4WD tyres from their brand new cars are only good for sealed roads and not for the rocky plains in the outback.
Steps to changing your 4WD Tyres
1. Start to loosen the beads of the affected or damaged tyre/s using your tyre pliers or your bead breaker.
2. Continue with using a pair of tyre levers to tease the outer bead over to the outside rim.
3. You can use small pieces of an old carpet to keep the rim safe from tyre level scarring
4. The new and undamaged tyre can then be placed on the wheel over the outside rim. It’s in the reverse order to the way the old and damaged tyre came off.
5. You can lubricate the beads with soapy water to help smoothen the passage.
6. Seat the tyre beads so the tyre will inflate.
7. Replace the valve core and start to carefully inflate the 4WD tyre to your desired pressure.
If you are lucky, even before the tyre goes to being unusable, you can spot a puncture early on and start repairing
your 4WD tyre.
You can buy tyre plug kits from 4WD accessory shops. They come complete with an auger, an applicator, plugs and a lubricant. A proper and good tyre repair kit should contain sticky, fibrous plugs that get pushed into a punctured hole in your damaged tyre and will ‘mushroom’ out inside of the damaged tyre. After plugging the puncture hole or holes in your damaged 4WD tyre, you can then re-inflate it using a portable air compressor.
Tips on protecting your 4WD Tyres
-Try to reduce speed, weight and pressure when driving. These are factors that certainly affect your 4WD tyres, reducing them will result to having fewer punctures.
– Using a tyre pressure monitoring system can give early warnings of even just the slightest of leaks. This will allow you to plug the leak in the tyre before further damage can be done.
– Replace your stock 4WD tyres. The tyres that come with a newly bought 4WD are only good for on road situations. Drive that into a bush and, within minutes or a couple of hours, you’ll have a burst tyre.
Driving around the bush is no walk in the park. One should always be prepared to reduce risks of tyre punctures. Here are some of essentials that you need in order for you to have a smooth driving experience:
* Air compressor
* Jacking plate
* Spare valves
* Page 1/2
* Tubeless tyre plug kit
* Tyre changing tools
* Tyre pressure gauge
* Tyre pressure monitoring system
Having these driving and repairing essentials will greatly reduce road problems in the outback. For more details about 4wd tyres visit www.canterburytyres.com.au.
