Thread: Olympic Steeltrek Tyres

Originally Posted by Chris078

exactly. It may not look like much, but it does a very important and vital service. There is a reason why they were invented/introduced.

End of the day, yep, you can put a tubeless on a tubed rim and either run it with a tube or without.

however, you do run the risk of a tyre rolling off the rim, and your insurer telling you to take a hike, if that contributed to the accident.

Your choice.

And if you have a sudden deflation with a tubed tyre running a tube the tyre rolls clean off the rim.

If there isn't any air in the tube to keep the bead seated, how can the tyre stay there ?

Had it happen at 100km/h around a corner. Great fun.

I was following an acquaintance with Perentie and Track trailer after Corowa 2011. It was a hot day and as we were approaching Howlong I felt there was something very weird about the nearside trailer wheel, sort of like the tread ghosting as it rolled. Got on the radio and pulled him over, when inspected the tyre was very similar to the one posted by DeeJay. The Perentie driver had felt nothing.

I would guess it be the same with one of those on a vehicle's wheels, the driver would feel nothing till it blew.

Originally Posted by Lotz-A-Landies

I would guess it be the same with one of those on a vehicle's wheels, the driver would feel nothing till it blew.

This was the case for 6x6......in fact at times we didn't know we had blown one for quite some time after it had happened

Originally Posted by weeds

This was the case for 6x6......in fact at times we didn't know we had blown one for quite some time after it had happened

What was generally the damage after such an incident?

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

What was generally the damage after such an incident?

In at least one event a fatal rollover.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

What was generally the damage after such an incident?

Generally none, sometimes the rim would be knocked about from as quite often the tread would be missing and just the side walls would be left. Slight damage to the guard, pretty sure the guards on the GMV wet fiberglass.

It was always the intermediate axle.........

On the bushmaster trial its was not uncommon for us to blow a tyre a day.......Darwin to Alice sitting on 110 with temps into the 30 degrees, at GVM, actually pretty certain we were over.

We used to carry two spares on the spare wheel winch, if you can picture a GMV or AMBO it didn't leave a lot of room between second spare and road......we did this when doing long stints on the bitumen.

While I don't need replacement tyres for the existing Steeltreks on my Perentie, I have been doing a bit of research on options for tyre replacement when the time comes; probably before rego this time next year.


By accident I found there is a Brisbane-based seller on Gumtree advertising "brand new" Army-issue Olympic Steeltreks for $200 a throw.


FWIW at this point in time my strategy regarding tyre replacement is to retain the 6" Perentie rims and fit a 7.50 R16 tubed tyre c/w tube, or fit a 235/85 R16 tubeless tyre c/w a Michelin tube to the 6" Perentie rims. From what I've read the latter strategy is OK provided that (a) the tube is a best-quality tube, (b) that plenty of talc/French chalk is used inside the casing to help with heat dispersion and abrasion, and (c) that all stickers are removed from inside the casing.


What I've discovered too is that invariably brand-name tubed tyres of any given tyre model seem to be significantly dearer than the same tyre model in tubeless, due perhaps to higher manufacturing costs associated with a smoother surface finish inside the tyre casing, or possibly just that tubed tyres are a limited market nowadays.


Cheers, Dave

I've got a heap of good used 7.50.16 tubes from tyres I have converted to tubeless if anyone running tubed tyres in their perentie wants them. All it will cost you is the freight with e-go.com.au. I will even pack them and deliver to the depot in Mackay. I reckon at least a dozen!