Tire punctures
Every time that you take your vehicle offroad, you are exposing your tires to danger. Pointy stones, edged rocks, and upstanding tree limbs are waiting to puncture your rubber treads; and don’t even philosophize about how orphaned nails & screws somehow found their way deep into the middle or nowhere! Protruding rocks along the road banks are salivating at the thought of slashing your sidewall. And who knows what evil is lurking that just wants to take a bite off your valve stem.
Begin by taking preventive actions.
Ditch those OEM so-called All Terrains for some real ones. Sorry that your dealer ripped you off, but most dealers tend to do that. They convince you to pay extra for what are supposed to be heavy duty offroad tires, but all too often what you end up with are just low end, name brand tires that are barely a step above consumer All Seasons. Yes, they look cool and have more aggressive tread blocks – but in reality they don’t offer the reinforced strength in the sidewall and shoulder areas.
Hopefully, your dealer did not sell you 20-inch wheels (aka rims). Large diameter wheels look racy at the mall, but do not allow for taller and more flexible sidewalls. When you air down, those taller sidewalls equate to superior performance offroad. 16-17 inch wheels (rims) are what you want (at least on a Jeep).
Always air down.
Not only does airing down soften your ride and increase traction – but it goes a long way in preventing tire punctures. Imagine a fully inflated balloon. Just nick it with anything pointy, and it explodes. But a semi-inflated balloon can be poked with a sharp pencil without it popping. The rubber wall just wraps itself around the tip.
Your rubber tread blocks are thick to begin with. It really takes a lot of force to thrust an object through tread that has flexible give and is not taut under extreme pressure.
You must bring a matching, same size, same weight, quality spare tire. When you are offroad and using 4wd, all four of your tires need to be a very close match – or you will subject your drivetrain to unwanted stress.
Should you be forced to change a tire in the field, fellow offroaders can assist you with tools and physical labor (those tires are really heavy) – but don’t expect anyone to loan you a tire. Their tires may not match. Their tires are expensive. And, what if they blow a tire and need their spare.
Because changing a tire on the trail can be difficult due to terrain, there are easier solutions for repairing some flats.
Plugging a puncture
CTR Heavy Duty Tire Plug Kit (Amazon $33)
Most tire punctures can be repaired by plugging the hole. Always carry a tire plug repair kit in your vehicle (although other people in your group won’t mind sharing). Good kits can be found everywhere for $15-40; and include tools, lots of plugs, some tire stem valves, valve caps, lube/glue.
The process for plugging a tire is simple (although it does take some muscle). There are lots of good videos on YouTube that show the process.
Remove the nail or screw, if there is one. Otherwise, spray some soapy water on the tire and look for bubbles.
Yes we know, you are on the trail. So improvise, and just add something soapy to a bottle of drinking water.
Take the tool that looks like a drill bit and drill it into the hole. Twist it around and pull it in & out to make a larger and even round hole.
Use the other tool, that looks like an open tipped needle, and thread it halfway with one of those French fry looking rubber strips (plugs). If your kit included lube/glue, squirt some onto the plug. Shove the tool into the hole, so that the middle of the plug enters the tire, but allow the two ends of the plug to protrude out. Yank the needle tool out of the tire, and the folded over plug will be trapped inside. That’s all there is to it. Some people snip the protruding ends off; others leave them be. Spray some water over the plug and check for bubbles. Re-inflate your tire, but only to the air down psi that you use offroad.
You probably want to check your tire pressure periodically, just in case there is still a slow leak. But that repair should be fine for the remainder of the trail and until you can get to a proper tire shop where they can do a more professional patch from inside the tire.
Instruction card from CTR Heavy Duty Tire Plug Repair Kit (Amazon)
