Land Rover 5.5 " tube rim Tyre Change

[simmo]

Guys, I'm going to fit back my 5.5" tubed type rims with new tubed tyres for a desert trip and carry some spare tubes and a spare tyre only on the bonnet. ( in addition to my spare wheel on the wheel carrier.) I have a set of tubeless Perelli Scorpions on my aftermarket rims for normal driving etc.

Sounds like a good theory, but whats the reality like?
Does anyone have experience changing a tube or a 75.0 x 16 tyre on a 16 x 5.5 landy tubed rim or similar in the field using tyre levers ?.
I think there's quite a few old timers around who have done it many times and have some good tips.
How did you "break the bead" and push one side of the tyre into the center of the wheel, so you can turn the tire off the rim?
Is your favorite tool the "tyrepliers"? or the "R&R bead breaker", or do you just drive on the wheel and use tyre levers. if the subject has been done before i appreciate directions pot the link. Thanks simmo:)

[Jeff]

I still have tubes in my 98 Defender and have had nothing but trouble and would gladly change to tubeless. As not many vehicles use tubes these days it is hard to find good quality tubes and hard to find tyre fitters that are good at fitting them. Also a lot of tyres have a rough surface inside that rubs away at the tube. I use tyre pliers and levers in the kit and a soft hammer to get the tyre back on and some talcum powder if I have some.

Jeff

:rocket:

[PAT303]

No way in hell I'd ever go remote again running tubes. Pat

[Leigh 110]

easy to damage tubes when breaking the bead, especially driving on them, go the tubeless and use plugs, heaps easier. :)

[isuzutoo-eh]

I have an R&R Beadbreaker, and whilst I haven't used it on a trip I have used it 6 times in the back yard and once on a club demonstration and it works every time, and without much physical strain.

[flagg]

FWIW I ran the standard tubed rims on a couple of defenders.. and had a lot of flats. LOTS.

Then I moved to disco 1 rims with tubeless tires... that was about 5 years ago... since then I've had zero flats. Not one.

[dromader driver]

90 000km on tubed xza and the only puncture was a roofing screw! at times running max load on highway :cool:

[simmo]

Thanks for your advice, that question got some answers at both ends of the spectrum :). I ran tubed Michelin's ZXL LT and Kuhmo MT LT for about 50,000 kms and never had a single flat, even when running them at 14 psi in the sand. The main reason I'm interested in tubed tyres is being able to change a tyre and or tube self contained in a remote location, if the tyre gets a tear that can't be repaired by a tubeless plug kit. Good tubes are hard to get out of town, but If I carry a patch kit and 3 or four spare Michelin tubes, and a spare tyre, it gives some options. The decision about new tyres is not made yet, and I do have a set of Disco wheels that need some paint that could go on instead.
But my understanding is the tubed type rims without the safety bead the tyre is a lot easier to get off and on, also some outback tour guides recommend against radial tyres for desert travel for that reason, and that the radials are easier to damage in the side wall than 750-16 LT. My guess is the aulro team has hundreds of simpson desert crossings under their collective belt. cheers simmo

[PAT303]

Simmo,I ran tubeless on tubed rims for years,back in my series days roo shooting on weekends I'd get punctures all the time,I changed to tubeless and never had issue's that 5min with a repair kit couldn't fix,ran my Tdi on original tubed rims and later RR tubed rims without problems either,anyone who thinks fixing a tubed tyre is easier,even on splits than tubeless is smoking wacky weed. Pat

[ozrob]

Thanks for your advice, that question got some answers at both ends of the spectrum :). I ran tubed Michelin's ZXL LT and Kuhmo MT LT for about 50,000 kms and never had a single flat, even when running them at 14 psi in the sand. The main reason I'm interested in tubed tyres is being able to change a tyre and or tube self contained in a remote location, if the tyre gets a tear that can't be repaired by a tubeless plug kit. Good tubes are hard to get out of town, but If I carry a patch kit and 3 or four spare Michelin tubes, and a spare tyre, it gives some options. The decision about new tyres is not made yet, and I do have a set of Disco wheels that need some paint that could go on instead.
But my understanding is the tubed type rims without the safety bead the tyre is a lot easier to get off and on, also some outback tour guides recommend against radial tyres for desert travel for that reason, and that the radials are easier to damage in the side wall than 750-16 LT. My guess is the aulro team has hundreds of simpson desert crossings under their collective belt. cheers simmo
mate,
I would go the other way, a small hole in a tubeless set up can be repaired with a snot string plug without removing the tyre, I had a coach bolt go through the tread and fixed it up with a plug in less than 5 minutes.
If I had a tube then it would have be more painful.
You can buy patches for radial side walls if you get a tear, that are fitted on the inside wall.
If I was in a remote location and had the side wall hole, then I can easily fit a tube.
I use my high lift jack on the front of the bull bar to break the bead, real easy even with tubeless type rims that have the safety bead.

Also if you are going to go the way of the tube, make sure you get natural rubber tubes, as the synthetic ultra heavy duty tube I get for the trail bike are synthetic rubber and patches just don't stick.
I am doing a simmo trip next week and will be taking a new 16" tube just in case, and an extra spare wheel/tyre on the roof rack.

[Bushie]

On our desert trips it has always been the tubed tyres that have given the biggest problems.
Running low pressures they are prone to sand grains getting in and causing punctures or the tubes just wearing through, as others have said getting decent tubes is problematic (and expensive), everyone only seem to carry the Taiwanese condom tubes.
Fixing a few punctures is not something to look forward to at the end of each day.
Spinning the rim in the tyre also seems to be more of a problem when tubed.
We have always carried a second spare as well as tubes, beadbreaker (R&R) and a plug repair kit.
Touch wood no punctures on the last 4 trips, on my tubeless but maybe 8 - 10 (per trip) for each with tubes.

Martyn

[oldyella 76]

I must be different, on the second trip in the td5 defender with the alloy wheels we did a tyre a the Plenty and schredded it. took the wheel into Boullia to get a servo to take the tyre off and it took over an hour on the tyre removal machine. After that I bought some steel rims off an earlier defender and put tubes in them. That was in 2001. I still change the wheels over every trip and in the time since with a trip every year have only had one puncture. I have no trouble breaking beads or mending tubed tyres . We do desert trips to stoney and rocky tracks and would prefer tubed tyres only for the fact of the earlier problems of not being able to remove a tyre of the alloy rims.
Lindsay.

[simmo]

Thank guys for sharing your extensive desert crossing experience. MMMM I need to think about this one, maybe try some tyre changes at home.

cheers simmo

[numpty]

I concur with Bushie.

I run Disco 1 wheels on my Td5 for our Edjit trips and had no punctures last time out. The alloys stay at home and look pretty for highway use. :D

Much easier to plug than remove tyre and then patch.