Expo Member needs help - tires

[dhackney]

Sorry to impose on everybody, but I could really use some help from the community.

We've got six new stock Yokohama tires waiting for us in Chile, but we may need to put some new tires on before we can get back down there.

We lost one tire a few days ago when we split the sidewall. That puts us down to one spare.

We are heading to a remote area of Peru where I will have very limited access to the internet, so my ability to research potential replacement tires is going to be severely limited.

I am asking for members to help in researching possible alternatives to the stock tires, which are not generally available in South America, at least in the markets here we have been in.

Stock tire: Yokohama Y742S, LT235/85R16 (E), tread - all season; part # 74250; weight 49.46 lb;

I need tires that:
- Match or exceed the Yokohama weight capacity (load range E, 2,778 single / 3,042 dual)(all weights in pounds)
- Match or are as close as possible to the Yokohama width and diameter (section width 10.1, inflated width 9.3, inflated diameter 31.9, maximum width at rated speed/load 10.10, max diameter at recommended speed/load 29.6, loaded static radius 14.8, rim width 6.5)(all dimensions in inches)
- Have a reasonable semblance of a mud/snow tread

Data pages for the stock Yokohamas are at:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14508
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/docs/yokohama-michelin-comp.pdf
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/docs/yokohama-Y742S-specs-web-page.pdf
http://www.hackneys.com/mitsu/docs/yokohama-Y742S-main-web-page.pdf



Brands that we know are available here in Peru with good distribution include:

Bridgestone/Firestone (everywhere)
Goodyear (everywhere)
Yokohama (limited)


I have seen no evidence of Michelin in the rural areas we have been in.

Countries we are likely to purchase the tires in, ranked in order of probability:
1. Peru
2. Ecuador
3. Columbia
4. Chile

Again, my apologies for imposing on everyone's time, but we would really appreciate any help you can provide.

I may not be able to get back to the forum for a few days, so please be patient with my responses.

thanks,
Doug

[Desertdude]

Doug, I sent your request in a PM to Redline (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/member.php?u=790) or resident tire aficionado.

Stay tuned...

[dhackney]

When it rains...

We had a rear tire completely disintegrate today.

It blew just before sunset. We did a NASCAR worthy tire change and jumped back into the cab just as it was getting dark.

The only guy who stopped to help pulled over as I was putting the tools away. He told us it was a very dangerous stretch of road. We didn't get the feeling he was referring to road debris.

We turned around and crawled back down to Trujillo, Peru at 40-45 mph.

We now have zero spares and are grounded here until we can buy tires.

I will check the forum tomorrow before heading into find a tire store.

Doug

Posted via Inmarsat BGAN

[spencyg]

Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
http://www.customwheelsdirect.com/tires_brand/tire_detail.php?id=702

I'm not sure what kind of mileage you'll get out of it, but in a pinch it will be basically the exact same size as the unit you're currently running.

Couldn't find anything else that looked remotely close...

Spence

PS: FWIW My wife is in Peru right now studying Spanish in Cuzco. She was at the big lake last weekend and will be at Machu Pichu this weekend. Looks like a beautiful place though I'm not too elated to hear that there are particular roads which one absolutely shouldn't be blowing tires on....single white females in places like that make me nervous.

[Scott Brady]

Douglas,

I am here with Jorge, and we are contacting Trujillo for resources.

At this point, the key will be to find any tread design 235/85 R16 with sufficient load capacity. We will be looking for two tires minimum, to freshen your spares.

Jorge has a contact in the city (the one he mentioned about the Amazon route), and we will have an update for you in a few hours.

[whatcharterboat]

Doug , Don’t know how much help this is. We Aussies can’t even spell “tyres” properly.

Bridgestone M773 swp II :
Size: LT235/85 R16
Load rating : E
Side wall style: BW
Article number : 152854
Approved rims: 6.0 – 7.0
Measured rim width: 6.5
Overall Diameter: 32.0
Overall section width: 9.5
Tread width: 6.5
Static load radius: 14.8
Minimum dual spacing: 10.8
Tread depth : 17
RPM: 651
RPK: 405
Tyre weight: 46
http://www.firestonetire.com/images/glamour/tirephotos_full/m773.jpg
Got this off the Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire website. Am still looking for other alternatives so I’ll post ‘em if I find ‘em.

Regards John

[charlieaarons]

Bridgestone G530 7.50R16. Load range 122, about 3250 lb single. I'd guess 3000 dual; look on the sidewall. Tread like Michelin XZY. Same diameter as 235s, will fit on same rim. I'd guess you'd increase rear axle tire load rating by ~1000 lb.

Charlie

[Redline]

Sorry to hear of your tire problems. With Scott B. and his resources working on a solution I can't imagine my opinions or thoughts will be of much help but I will chime in anyway.

Firstly, assuming that LT235/85R16s are as available in S. America as they are here in N. America I think you should have a relatively easy time making a decision and finding tires that will fill the need. Virtually every 235/85R16 is a load-range-E tire (I'm sure you know this) with a single rating of 3042-lbs and a dual load rating of 2778-lbs @ 80-PSI.

I was going to ask more about your tread pattern preferences but I looked at the link for your Yokohamas (I really like the tread design) and think you want something pretty aggressive but not a total 'mudder' tire.

Doing some searching I didn't really find any commercial-type traction tires from Bridgestone/Firestone that I liked. I assume there are some but I didn't come up with any.

From Goodyear:

Unisteel G933 RSD Featuring Armor MAX Technology

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x186/redlineredline/UnisteelG933.jpg

Unisteel G971

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x186/redlineredline/UnisteelG971.jpg

Workhorse Extra Grip
One thing I like about this tire is that it's listed height is 32". That is a nice tall 235/85. Some are only 31.7-31.8 and I think your Yokohamas are tall (31.9"?)

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x186/redlineredline/WorkhorseExtraGrip.jpg


I would also consider the Michelin XPS traction if you can find them down there, a commercial, all-steel design tire.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x186/redlineredline/MichelinXPSTraction2.jpg

[DiploStrat]

Gang, you are making this too hard.

The tire you need is the 7.50x16. This is the old Landrover/Landcruiser size and is the most common tire in the third world. Trujillo should be lousy with them. (If not, a local dealer can get on put on a bus overnight from Lima.)

LT235/85x16 is merely the sexy new name. As noted, most of these tires are load range E, but I would be sure to specify 10 ply rating.

We run 7.50x16's and LT235/85x16's on all of our 'Cruisers. (The Japanese tend to use third world common sizes for obvious reasons.)

Good luck.

[dhackney]

Guys,

Thanks for the info. Hugely appreciated.

9:42AM local time, so we will be heading into Trujillo shortly.

I apologize for not including the quantity.

We will need eight (8) tires. We've got two left with any life, our former spares, and they are currently on the front. All the others are completely gone. Patagonia ate up most of them and the Peruvian chicken bus roads finished off what was left.

As Charlie reminded me during our build, because the Fuso is a "locker" transfer case, I need to run the same size tire front and rear, so I can't mix brands/sizes.

Regarding tread, we will take what we can get at this point. As Fred pointed out in a PM, the only place we really need an aggressive tread is the Amazon and we're so heavy we'll get stuck there anyway. :)

Spence, no worries with your wife. Assuming she follows SOP for travel, where she is and is going, a SWF is safe. The people in that area are very friendly and welcoming. We're out on the coast, along the Panamericana, which has a little more of a continuous border town feel about it.

I will post up what happens later today.

Thanks again for the help.

Doug

[DiploStrat]

I will find you your tires - either in Trujillo or by express from Lima.

You don't happen to have a sat phone or US cell phone by any chance?

(I have friends in low places.)

[dhackney]

Fred,

We're at the Goodyear truck tire dealer in Trujillo now.

Check your email. You've got mail.

Thanks,
Doug

[DiploStrat]

Nuthin' yet, either in e-mail or from Lima.

But if you are at the Goodyear dealer, you should find something that will work. If they don't have something in Trujillo, they can put it on a bus from Lima or Callao.

(N.B. While it is nice to have all the tires match, unless your truck has full time 4x4, it is not a big deal in the real world - especially not front to back. If you are in 4x4, then something is slipping far more than a small size difference between tires. If your truck is part time 4x4, then it is not an issue at all. I would, however, try to match side to side, especially if you have a limited slip differential.)

Note: Just did some limited research on the web which indicates that your beast has locking front hubs. If that is correct, then you have part time 4x4 and don't need to worry about matching tires front to back at all. Should you not find tires that you really like, then only buy two or four and put them front or back, as appropriate - reserving the best of your last tires for spares.

Noting all of the tire problems we have had over the years, Ms. Monster insisted that I post the following in sympathy:

http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/image/103637689/medium.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/image/103074606.jpg

Good luck!

[locrwln]

Noting all of the tire problems we have had over the years, Ms. Monster insisted that I post the following:

http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/image/103637689/medium.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/image/103074606.jpg

Good luck!

Don't mean to do a thread hi-jack, but where is story or info on your trip and your rig? My wife and I both have owned trucks of those vintage, mine was a '72 Cheyenne Super 2wd, lwb, hers was a '69 stripper, 4wd swb, converted over to '72 front axle and auto (started out as a stick). We both really like those body style Blazers.:bowdown:

Jack

[DiploStrat]

In October of 1974 I finished an assignment in Douala, Cameroon and was transferred to Guayaquil, Ecuador.

My then girlfriend and I decided to drive the first part of the way, arriving in England in December 1974.

In August of 1976, my now wife and I (and her sister and the dog) decided to go visit friends in La Paz, Bolivia, so we drove down and back, visiting most of the usual tourist sites.

Pictures are at: www.pbase.com/diplostrat

[DiploStrat]

And answered.

Sounds like you are in good hands! Stand by for breathtaking bills! I assume that you are at Beda Servicios - the only dealer I can find in Trujillo.

Small update: Looking at the Peruvian Yellow Pages, the Dunlop dealer in Lima advertises lots of suitable tires in 7.50x16 and even some labled 235/85x16.

[dhackney]

We have tires.

Goodyear 7.5x16

Higher weight capacity than the Yokohamas, which is good for us, considering we weigh about as much as a typical ocean going ship. A large ship.

Details tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Doug

[Redline]

I can't wait to hear the details of your purchase and see pics if you have that ability right now :)



We have tires.

Goodyear 7.5x16

Higher weight capacity than the Yokohamas, which is good for us, considering we weigh about as much as a typical ocean going ship. A large ship.

Details tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Doug

[DiploStrat]

for the next "Autopsis."

-- It was getting dark as we climbed past 13,000 feet on that lonely Andean road. The sky was threatening and the snow began to blow. A sudden lurch to the right told me that all was not well.

As I stared at the shredded carcass of the tire, I thought, "Nope, a plug isn't gonna fix this one!" I panted in the thin air - this wasn't going to be fun.

Then I remembered; I had loaned my jack to a friend on our last trip. I pulled my jacket tighter as the snow blew harder.

Click to read more ...

[dhackney]

for the next "Autopsis."

-- It was getting dark as we climbed past 13,000 feet on that lonely Andean road. The sky was threatening and the snow began to blow. A sudden lurch to the right told me that all was not well.

As I stared at the shredded carcass of the tire, I thought, "Nope, a plug isn't gonna fix this one!" I panted in the thin air - this wasn't going to be fun.

Then I remembered; I had loaned my jack to a friend on our last trip. I pulled my jacket tighter as the snow blew harder.

Click to read more ...

Fred,

This great stuff. Can I use you as a ghost writer? I'm sure you're looking for something to do in all of your spare time... :)

Doug

[DiploStrat]

I'm am suffering terminal writer's block on a telegram that I want to send. (Good thing I'm getting on a plane tonight - I'll deliver it in person.)

As you might guess, my last post was a (very) true story. (OK, it was the jack handle, not the jack - artistic license.) The end of the story involved a pickup, a bus, a garage, and a Goodyear dealer, all several thousand kilometers apart. You can see why your story had a personal touch. (Pity you didn't shred your tires in Bolivia; I have MUCH better contacts there. And yes, I do know Evo.)

So get your show back on the road, we're all awaiting the next installment.

-- It was ten o'clock at night, but the good news was that the town had electricity, the station had gasoline, and I was now the proud owner of 80 litres of it.

OK, make that 79 litres and dropping as the bottom of the tank was making like Victoria Falls. I got out the flash light and slid under the truck to take a closer look. It was hard to see in the dark but I soon discovered that I was parked in the wrong place and the Siafu were not at all pleased! (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/3086.shtml) A terrible time for your Lomotil to wear off.

Click to read more ...

http://www.pbase.com/diplostrat/image/86763031.jpg

[dhackney]

I'm a little pressed for time and bandwidth, so I won't do anything as entertaining as Fred's proposed story line.

If I did, it would go more like:

After more than a month of driving chicken bus roads, where our typical day's average speed hovered around 20 to 30 kilometers per hour (12.5 - 18.6 mph), it was heaven to be on the Panamericana cruising along at a blistering 80 - 100 kph (49.7 - 62 mph).

We were so enamored with the smooth asphalt and warp speed we were able to more-or-less ignore the pervasive, endless-border-town creepiness of the Panamericana.

As I hummed along with the first music pumped out of the stereo in months, I plotted the hundreds of kilometers we'd make in the remaining hours of the day. I planned to drive deep into the night to make up for the many hours of errands and provisioning we expended before our departure.

My mental map was well up the coast toward our destination at a small coastal village for a GivingPictures project when my daydreams were shattered by an explosion from the rear of the Fuso.

I dropped off the throttle and gently applied the brakes, working our way onto the narrow shoulder. I had to wait for a break in the traffic before I could open the cab door and run back.

At my first safe opportunity, I sprinted down the left side of the truck. The outer duallie was good. I ran to the back and looked down, the inner one was OK too. I jumped over to the passenger side and there it was, the inner tire was shredded. Exploded. Disintegrated.

And there we were, with one multiple-patched spare and the other with a split sidewall, its patch nothing more than a symbolic statement that the tire could still hold air as long as no weight was placed on it.

I looked up and down the desolate stretch of the Panamericana. A bus roared by at 120+ kph, barely making a dent in the steady-state force 8 winds peppering me with sand.

I glanced to west, then held my arm out, palm inward. Four fingers between the horizon and the sun.

"We've got about an hour," I grimly said to Steph.

Her hazel eyes, windows to her moods, set into a determined gray and we went to work...

***********



S7.49688 W79.41186

First look.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7763-800.jpg



Neither of us saw any road debris, so we think the tire just disintegrated. When the inner tire blew it took a chuck out of the tread of the outside tire, but we didn't have a spare to replace that one. We would need to crawl back to Trujillo and hope it stayed together until we got there.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7765-800.jpg



What an exploding tire will do to a heavy gauge stainless steel fender liner.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7781-800.jpg



The tire change.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7769-800.jpg

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7774-800.jpg



The detail.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7771-800.jpg



The promised land.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7784-800.jpg



With real truck tires.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7789-800.jpg



And even a pneumatic impact wrench, a rarity in our experience with tire shops in Peru.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7779-800.jpg



They offered to brand our tires for fleet management / inventory control purposes.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7807-800.jpg

[dhackney]

But, since our fleet consists of one (1) vehicle, we thought we could do without it.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7785-800.jpg



While waiting for the mounting and balancing, we got to see how you set the bead on a tire without a machine or a belt: you fill a tank with air, stick the flattened output tube down into the bead/wheel junction, and open the valve.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7804-800.jpg



Our new tires are a little bit narrower than the OEMs.

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7793-800.jpg

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7794-800.jpg


But, they are load range F, and increased weight capacity is highly valued in our fleet operation...

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7800-800.jpg

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-10-01-SD870%20IS-7803-800.jpg



The specifics are:
Rear: Goodyear G46 7.5 x 16
Front: Goodyear G32 7.5 x 16

As you probably noticed, I did what I said I couldn't do and put two different tire models on the front and rear.

The reasons I did that are:

These are matched tires from Goodyear designed for driven and steering wheels respectively. The diameter, loaded radius, etc. are identical.
We wanted to try to lower the level of tire noise on the front. The difference is very noticeable. Our eerily quiet cab just got quieter.


So far, so good. I'll post up on how they ride, handle, perform, etc. as the trip progresses.

[dhackney]

Thanks to everyone in the community who posted recommendations for us.

I printed out the thread, carried it around and referenced it as I looked at potential candidates at the Goodyear shop.

Special thanks to Charlie and Fred for the 7.5 x 16 information. I would have been hesitant to go that route had you both not educated me on that alternative.

You all really came through for us when we were in a challenging scenario.

I hope I can return the favor someday.

Be well,
Doug

[DiploStrat]

Going up to 8 real plys and belts and truck vs. "off road" tires may be one of the best things you could do. Your language may get a bit colorful if you encounter real mud, but, as you have probably noticed, there is no where near as much of that as people think. I have noticed any number of trip threads where folks went the hi-ply truck tire route and never regretted it.

Except in the Amazon, in the rainy season ... and did I mention the road to Loja?

But then that's why you paid for the winch, right?

Safe journey!

[dhackney]

Fred,

Based on our travels with the truck to date ( > 26k miles), I think we will be OK with these tires in terms of tread pattern on the front.

Like just about everyone else out here, we very rarely use our 4wd. As you mentioned in a separate thread, overlanding is very different from sport 4x4 / weekend adventures.

We've got tire chains if things look really nasty.

And, as you've pointed out, with our weight, we'll get stuck in the mud anyway! :)

Re: winches
If I knew then what I know now, I would have not put the winches on. Instead, I'd put Euro truck tow hitches front and back and bring a Euro tow bar. There is always somebody coming along, and in the places where they are unlikely, I could unload a bike and go seek help.

Between the winches and the weight of the cable (wire) to power them, we could have saved a LOT of weight.

Doug

[DiploStrat]

I think winches look way cool - but in over thirty years I have never needed one.

I'm off to the airport for 24 hours in cattle class - oh joy! May be time to start writing "The ZEN of Overlanding, or, Why Overlanding is not Four Wheeling." (As if I could actually open the computer in those seats!)

THAT might prove a contentious thread!

G'nite and safe travels!

[dhackney]

OK, inspired by Fred, I created a full version of this little adventure.

The entire story, including material "never before seen in this thread," is here: http://www.hackneys.com/travel/peru/docs/thepromisedland.pdf

[M.Bas]

The team at the Goodyear shop, from the owner to the technician, was efficient, fast and very professional.That is exactly my experience with (I believe it was a Michelin shop) a tire shop in Italy. My rear rpassenger tire got punctured while driving down from a mountain pass.

I speak absolutely no Italian at all, but it took them less then 20 minutes to figure out how to remove my rear tire (mounted on the bracket of the spare tire), remove the tyre, figure out where the tire and inner tube got punctured, find a new inner tube, put everything together, realise the new inner tube was also punctured, get another one, put everything back together again, balance the wheel (3 times, the first two times the machine wanted to add more and more weigth eventhough placed on the spot it wanted it), remove my spare tire that was mounted on the rear axle, mount the fixed rear tire, put the spare back on its place (slightly smaller than my regular tires so driving them for a long time is not a real option) and finally check the pressure on all my tires.

Checking the air pressure myself at the gasstation takes me about 5 minutes depending on the amount of air to be put in the tires.

Those specialised tire shops are like a F1 pitstop :bowdown:

[FusoFG]

Based on our travels with the truck to date ( > 26k miles),


Doug,

Glad it finally worked out with your tire problems.

How much tread depth was left on the yokohamas? From the pictures, it looks like between the bad roads and your "weight challenged camper" there weren't many miles beyond the 26k you mention.

You experiences remind me of a few guidelines we've adopted for our travels in our FG camper.

We only try to get 36,000 miles on our tires. With our weight of about 10,000 pounds we can get nearly 48,000 miles out of the tires, but we don't want to drive on those last 12,000 miles when we're on bad roads in remote locations far from home.

For us it doesn't seem worth it to risk our lives and the tens of thousands of dollars we have invested in the vehicle to squeeze out a few more hundred dollars of tire wear.

My grandmother would've called that "Penny wise and Pound foolish".

Plus, it's always more fun to change the tires at your leisure before you need to.

From your pictures it looks like 24,000 miles might be a safe limit. Maybe the new load range F tires might go longer.

To avoid the pain of a 6 tire purchase we purchase 2 new tires every 12,000 miles for the front axle and move the fronts to the back and remove the 2 tires that have 36,000 miles on them.

Your story of changing the tire with an hour of daylight left, the warning from the locals about banditos and then crawling back to a "safe" spot to spend the night is the reason we stop for the night well before dark.

It's easier to find and set up camp in the daylight and if you do have a problem you have some daylight left to deal with it.

"Driving deep into the night to make up for the many hours ..." doesn't sound like well thought out strategy.

Good luck on the rest of your journey and be safe,

Tom

[dhackney]

Tom,

I think every point you make is valid.

I would also add one a friend emailed me after seeing the photos: "Never get underneath a vehicle that is supported only by a jack." Especially when buses and trucks are blasting by a meter or less away.

The crawling underneath and driving in the dark are both manifestations of adaptation and comfort. After a lot of tire changes, I got too casual about my process, especially related to basic safety.

After a lot of travel down here, we know for a fact it is not as dangerous as most people assume, so we didn't and don't consider it insane to drive after dark. Having said that, I agree with your strategy that it is best to make camp at least an hour before dark. If, for no other reason, that it removes a lot of stress from your day and gives you a chance to unwind before dinner, etc.

In our case, we were used to driving after dark in rural areas, which we've found safer than urban areas in all parts of the world. The Panamericana is a different place, and our level of comfort was unwarranted there, especially when devoid of local knowledge about conditions in specific areas.

To answer some of your questions:
1. Remaining tread. I didn't measure it, but I would term it "not much." Our former spares that we were running on the front still had plenty of tread, but were apparently out of round. We balanced them twice but still had a bad shake between 90-100kph. The rears and the spares were simply chewed up. Whatever tread that was left was badly cut, gouged, and beat up by Patagonia and the Peruvian chicken bus roads. In the end I believe every one of those six tires had at least one patch.

2. Tire strategy. In terms of strategy, we were attempting to finish up this section of South America and make it back down to Chile to pick up the 6 new Yokohamas we had shipped in there. Obviously, we didn't make it.

The end to that strategy came when Steph was cooking one evening while we were camped and the sidewall blew out of the driver's side outer duallie. On examination, it looked like driver error. The outside sidewall was scraped vertically, with a small cut about .75" / 19mm long visible on the outside and a split ~2" / 5cm long on the inside. My assumption is I hit a sharp curb corner or scraped up against something and flexed the sidewall beyond its capacity. From that point on, we knew we could not run on chicken bus roads, but would instead be restricted to asphalt until we replaced the tires.

I like your strategy of 12k purchases for trucks with all the same tread pattern/tire. For the reasons stated earlier in the thread, I chose to try a different tread on the front. We'll see how that works out.

Outside the U.S.A. the 742 Yokohamas are VERY difficult to obtain. We were forced to purchase them in the US, pay to ship them in, pay customs duties, etc. Consequently, for overseas travel your strategy would require significant market research as to availability in given countries, along with non-trivial assumptions about distance traveled and wear rates. Domestically, I think it is a winner.

3. Tire life. Because we carry around a significant percentage of the universe's known and unknown weight (we are responsible for all the missing mass of the universe attributed to "dark matter"), our tire life is significantly affected by road quality and surface. Areas such as Patagonia and non-tourist-trail rural areas, where we prefer to be, and their network of chicken bus roads cause very high wear rates, even at our low speeds.

Consequently, I cannot accurately predict a minimum or maximum tire life for our chassis. Given our experience, I would rate the Yokohamas good for ~20k miles / 32.2km of a mix of paved and unpaved roads with our chassis. We will have to see how the Goodyears hold up before we have any idea about their wear rate(s). After the first 10 miles they still look great. :)

I completely agree with your assessment about squeezing out a few hundred more miles of tire life vs. the inconvenience and potential danger of used-up tires. That is the reason I shipped in the set of new Yokohamas before we left central Chile five months ago. Unfortunately, our resulting travel/route precluded installing those tires before these reached the end of their service life.

******

Bottom line, this tire experience is very similar to our buildup experience. Yet another example of "Do as I say, not as I did." :)

[Desertdude]

Doug, I have got into the habit of throwing a wheel (with tire on) under the vehicle as a safety wedge in case of jack failure on the road. Nothing more scary than laying under the vehicle and running scenarios. :Wow1:

Glad your rolling again.

[whatcharterboat]

Desertdude

Doug, I have got into the habit of throwing a wheel (with tire on) under the vehicle as a safety wedge in case of jack failure on the road. Nothing more scary than laying under the vehicle and running scenarios.

In the workshop I will always use a 3 or 5 ton jack as a safety net but in the bush a wheel thrown under should be the minimum precaution. The guy that builds our leaf suspension packs is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident involving a jack. Amazingly he still gets around the springworks but in admin/design role.


Outside the U.S.A. the 742 Yokohamas are VERY difficult to obtain.

Also I am learning not to make assumptions that your FGs are not the same as ours in Oz. Ours come standard with Bridgestone M+S 7.50R16 that are "F" load rated. So yeah, in retrospect theses numbers may have helped a little but Doug, it certainly looks like some very capable guys over there have got your 6.

Regards John.

[kerry]

I concur with the need for additional support other than just a jack. I met an owner of a Bluebird Wanderlodge on a forum who bought his bus from the widow of a man who was relying solely on a jack for support without having chocks under the wheels.

[dhackney]

These are sobering anecdotes regarding injury and death due to jack/vehicle accidents. I hope we all learn something from this.

The "wheel under the chassis" strategy is exactly what my friend suggested ("admonished" or "berated" would probably be a more apt description...).



relying solely on a jack for support without having chocks under the wheels.

Even if you are stupid enough to crawl under a vehicle with no support other than a jack, at least chock the wheels first.


http://www.hackneys.com/travel/photos/2008-09-30-SD870%20IS-7769-800-crop-arrow.jpg

Sorry this is blurry, it is the background of a blown tire shot.

There was one on each end of that tire, front and rear.

Note the rock holding it in place. The wind was blowing so hard, the first time I placed them they blew about 25 meters away into the desert.

.