Flat Tyre question post SHTF

[Skean Dhude]

I don't see tyres being an issue. We can repair them, steal them from abandoned cars, replace them with wooden wheels, or whatever. It will do, we won't be going anywhere fast after a few months and with us using roads with debris on punctures are inevitable. It won't be long before there are no decent tyres anywhere.

We need solid rubber tyres to be ready.

[Devonian]

(23 April 2014, 16:32)Lightspeed Wrote: Devonian: Would you be so kind as to describe how you 4x4 boys get tubeless tyres off their rims, what you use to repair them and how you get them back on the rims again?

The last 4x4 tyre I changed on my own was on an 88" landy.... but that was steel rims and tubed tyres.

Are tubes still available in modern LR rim sizes???

All modern Landy tyres are tubeless, though I know that some people (particularly overlanders) will carry tubes to use in an emergency.

I've never taken a tyre of the rim, you would normally repair the tyre whilst still on the rim using one of the kits in my earlier post, like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRQJgTxRhOA

The repair kits start at about £12 ish and will repair several tyres, though obviously these are no good if you slice through the side wall, but then most punctures will be a nail or similar which can be dealt with fairly easily.

You can however get the tyres on/off using levers (large screwdrivers/pry bars), though it is easier said than done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qpKdkTIfSw

[Tarrel]

Those tyre repair kits are very common in South Africa. All the outdoor shops sell them. I bought one last time I was over there, and that's my post-SHTF solution, along with a compressor.

A compressor is a good item to have, as it allows you to drop your tyre pressures for dealing with difficult terrain. Even a 2WD car can cope with slippery conditions if you drop the tyre pressures to increase flotation. When buying a compressor, don't be tempted to buy ultra-cheap. Many cheap compressors are sold on the basis of delivering a good pressure (psi), but for tyre inflation, volume of air delivered per second is also important. A compressor that's not up to the job will overheat during the extended time it takes to inflate just one tyre. (I know from experience!)

Post-SHTF, serviceable pneumatic tyres will still be useful IMO, even without road fuel. A trailer equipped with pneumatic tyres will make better headway over muddy, rutted ground compared to wooden wheels, even if pulled by a horse (or team of people, or dogs)!

Re. tubes for Landy wheel sizes, yes you can get them:

http://www.allterraintyres.co.uk/index.p..._1263_1296

[Devonian]

(23 April 2014, 21:14)Tarrel Wrote: A compressor is a good item to have, as it allows you to drop your tyre pressures for dealing with difficult terrain. Even a 2WD car can cope with slippery conditions if you drop the tyre pressures to increase flotation. When buying a compressor, don't be tempted to buy ultra-cheap. Many cheap compressors are sold on the basis of delivering a good pressure (psi), but for tyre inflation, volume of air delivered per second is also important. A compressor that's not up to the job will overheat during the extended time it takes to inflate just one tyre. (I know from experience!)

Too true, those little plastic £10-15 jobbies that most people have really are a waste of time.

If you are spending less than £50 on a compressor, or its one that connects to the battery via the cigarette lighter, then its not going to be up to the job. You need something substantial that connects directly to the car battery.

[Lightspeed]

Thanks Devonian

Thanks Tarrel.

The plug type repair kits seem good value.

Thanks for the pointer for inner tubes. Excellent.

One way we used to use to break the seal between tyre rim is to use vehicle weight. Drive over the tyre and rim, or better still jack up a road wheel, put the flat under it, and then let the jack down.

Once the bead is broken, the tyre can be pried of the rim with a tire iron. This will be hard work on a modern tubeless tyre as the tolerances are tight.

I'm with Tarrel, Pnumatic tyres will be a big advantage on all manner of carts and trolleys, long after motorised transport has stopped running.

[Devonian]

The other method of breaking the seal between the tyre and rim is to us a hi-lift (or farm) jack like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaZ-XTDYik8

I guess most people won't have a hi-lift jack, but in a SHTF Situation, I can't see why the same principle could not be adopted using a bottle jack if you can find something at the right level to jack off of (that really doesn't sound right does it!!).

But with the repair kit, you don't need to remove the tyre anyway.

[Scythe13]

Isn't there a Norwegian way that involves setting the inside of the tyre on fire with deodorant, or something like that, to create a vacuum to suck the tyre into position?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N45KcCsBYmc

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Or soap!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg4W_UO9tNU

[Scythe13]

How viable would it be to stuff material, e.g. clothing, into a tyre, or even run a car just on the rims (last resort, obviously). I get that steering would be a major issue with that though.

[Mortblanc]

Post event there will be a motorway filled with extra tyres just waiting for use, if things go as expected.

I have two vehicles that use the same size tyres with a spare in the sedan and two for the jeep for a total of 11 on the rim for instant use.

Tubeless repair kits in the tool boxes.

A compressor for each vehicle

And post event, no where to go.

I will be much more interested in keeping the tractor tyres going than the car tyres.

[Binnie]

a blowout is a blowout, not much you can do for that.

a puncture however can be plugged with a big self tapping screw and some silicone sealant.

its also handy to know what other wheels will fit your vehicle,