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| Your
tyres must have plenty of tread. Outback terrain varies from mud to sand
to rock. Many acacia tree roots make excellent tyre stakes. Your sidewalls
need to be strong. Carry a minimum of two spares, one on a rim. We run
BF Goodrich. They are tough and withstand a lot of punishment. In sand
country you will need to deflate your tyres to increase your footprint
and therefore your traction. There are endless arguments as to whether
fat or skinny tyres are best. Skinny tyres seem to attract less sidewall
stakes. You will need to carry a decent puncture repair kit and be proficient
at repairing punctures. There are a number of bead breakers on the market;
you will need one of these. You will also need a pump to pump up your
tyres after deflation or repair. There are again many brands of 12 volt
or fan belt drive models. Carry at least two in your party. We use an
ARB diff lock pump with an air hose.When travelling in sand dune country
- deflate your tyres. We run across the Simpson Desert with around 18-20psi
in our tyres. Doing this will put far less strain on your vehicle, increase
your traction and reduce the all too common scalloping on the tracks due
to over-inflated tyres. Legend has it that outback explorer Peter Vernon
pulled a scraper weighted with sandbags across the sandhills of the Great
Sandy Desert behind a Toyota Landcruiser with just 9 PSI in his tyres
- proof of the dramatic increase in traction. And with deflated tyres
you are saving your engine and running gear massive amounts of effort. |
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| We use ARB 12 volt pumps, there are many types of after market pumps available, make sure they are reliable - you will need it! | These
horrible scallops are caused by either ignorant or selfish drivers who
do not deflate their tyres. Diamantina run at between 16 and 20 psi in
sand. |
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