D Max series - best tyres for remote travel

Summary

Silke and Torsten embarked on a challenging 17,000-kilometer outback journey, navigating isolated roads with their upgraded vehicle. Their main concern was tire selection and size, arising from a prior ARB GVM upgrade that lifted their vehicle by 40 mm. Initially, they opted for 26570 R17 tires, balancing ruggedness and road safety. Despite careful selection and adjustments in air pressure, their ATW3 Falcon Wild Peak tires faced multiple punctures, causing them to question their reliability, although their performance on rugged terrains was commendable. Ultimately, they recognized the necessity of replacing tires more frequently to ensure safety on future remote adventures.

Highlights

• Silke and Torsten navigated a 17,000 km adventure, testing their vehicle's limits. 🚙
• An ARB GVM upgrade initially complicated their tire size choices. 📏
• They faced three tire failures due to sidewall punctures during their journey. 🛞
• Despite challenges, they praised the performance of their tires on Canning Stock Route. 🛣️
• With further remote travel plans, they're preparing by replacing worn tires. 🔧

Key Takeaways

• Choosing the right tire for remote travel is crucial. 🌍
• ARB GVM upgrades can limit tire size options. 🚗
• Maintaining optimal air pressure is essential in different terrains. ⛰️
• Despite tire failures, ATW3 Falcon Wild Peak tires performed well in rugged conditions. 💪
• Replacing tires with significant wear is important before embarking on new adventures. 🔄

Overview

Silke and Torsten set out on a grand adventure to conquer 17,000 kilometers of the Australian outback, a venture racked with both excitement and the challenge of concession to the untamed roads. The adventure began with the critical decision of which tires would best safeguard their journey—a critical conversation swayed by their car’s ARB GVM upgrade, stretching its height by 40 mm, therefore tempering which tires could legally fit under the arches.

Despite their preparations, the road had its say, showing no mercy to their chosen ATW3 Falcon Wild Peak tires. Three of these rugged tires succumbed to the tough terrain—surprisingly betrayed by the treacherous sidewalls which met their match against the isolated road’s rocky persistence. However, despite the mishaps, these tires also shone in their robust performance across locations like the Canning Stock Route, proving that even the best gear can meet unexpected challenges.

Reflecting on their tire troubles, they discerned an important lesson: tires must be in their best form before venturing into lands that show no kindness to the unprepared. Thus, they plan to replace their heavily worn tires, acknowledging that a tire nearing half its lifecycle is much more vulnerable to the harsh conditions of the outback, a necessary precaution for their next escapade into the heart of remote Australia.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Outback Trip and Tire Decisions The chapter introduces an outback trip with a focus on the breathtaking natural scenery, including red sand dunes and clear nights. The narrative is personal, mentioning the involvement of two people on this adventure.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Legal Considerations for Tire Size and Vehicle Modifications The chapter explores the legal aspects of altering tire sizes and other vehicle modifications, specifically focusing on a case study where an ARB GVM upgrade was applied, lifting a vehicle by 40 mm. It raises the question of whether one must adhere to the original tire sizes post-modification or if there is leeway for larger sizes as initially intended. The key issue revolves around understanding the legal constraints and allowances following such modifications.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Experiences with Different Tire Sizes In the chapter titled 'Experiences with Different Tire Sizes,' the narrator shares their journey with choosing and using different tire sizes for remote travel. They highlight a pivotal experience where, over a distance of 17,000 kilometers in the outback, they ended up destroying three out of their six brand new tires. The chapter delves into the considerations and challenges faced in selecting appropriate tires, starting with the factory standard size of 25565 R17, which proved not to be ideal for their needs.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Challenges and Solutions for Outback Travel The chapter discusses the challenges faced during outback travel, specifically focusing on vehicle modifications such as tire availability and the choice to upgrade the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) using ARB products. The GVM upgrade raises the vehicle by 40 mm, presenting a new challenge due to limited clearance for further enhancements like larger tires. The narration hints at more advice or solutions to overcome this new problem.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Tire Performance and Failures During the Trip The chapter discusses the challenges faced in understanding the legal regulations surrounding tire modifications during a trip. It highlights a specific instance where the team had to communicate extensively with the ARB head office to clarify the legal situation related to vehicle modification regulations. It is noted that the VSB 14 bulletin specifies that vehicles can be modified without certification for up to a 50-millimeter height increase, whereas ARB allows only up to 40 millimeters, indicating a discrepancy that needs careful consideration.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Analysis of the Tire Wear and Future Plans The chapter discusses modifications related to a vehicle's lift and tire size. Initially, 40 mm was adjusted out of 50 mm, and with a pre-registration upgrade, the vehicle lift increased by 40 mm. This lifted variant of the vehicle is the new registered model, establishing a new baseline height. Consequently, this allowed the use of a tire size of 265/70 R17.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Conclusion: Tire Choices for Remote Areas The chapter discusses the choice of tires for vehicles operated in remote areas. It focuses on the comparison between 25565 original tires and the new 26570 R17 tires, highlighting the size difference of 38 mm in diameter. The decision involves a trade-off between ruggedness and practicality: opting not to use a purely mud terrain tire, but selecting a tire with features that balance durability and all-terrain capability.

D Max series - best tyres for remote travel Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Red sand dooms and spinny effects. Neverending out back tracks. Desert oaks and nights so clear. You and me alone out here. Last year we planned to go on a 17,000 kilometer outback trip mainly on very very isolated roads. And we had to make up our mind what kind of tires, what tire sizes we would use on that trip. The first question already is
• 00:30 - 01:00 mater. And then the next question is what tire size is legal on our car? And our big problem here was that we had a ARB GVM upgrade 3.5 tons installed in our vehicle. And that ARB GVM upgrade already lifted the vehicle by 40 mm. So, does that mean that we are restricted to the original Isizutsu tire sizes or can we still go up in tire size as we had originally planned? We had to find out
• 01:00 - 01:30 how this works. And after we made our tire choice and over the course of 17,000 kilometers in the outback, we destroyed three of our six brand new tires. That's what this video is all about. The first question really was what tires are we going to run to allow us to travel in remote areas? The factory tires are 25565 R17 and it's not a very easily
• 01:30 - 02:00 available tire in the outback. So, we wanted to change that. We opted for an ARB GVM upgrade. And the GVM upgrade raises the car by roughly 40 mm. And that creates a new problem. The problem is that the car is already raised by 40 mm which does not allow us a lot of room to raise further through larger tires or so. We were told
• 02:00 - 02:30 initially by ARB. Now, it took us a lot of time to talk to ARB head office to sort out what the real legal situation is. And as you can see, the VSB 14 bulletin specifies that cars can only be modified without certification to get a up to 50 mil height increase. ARB with their 40 millimeters would then already
• 02:30 - 03:00 have taken 40 mm out of the 50. But the pre-registration upgrade includes a vehicle lift of about 40 mm. But the vehicle, the lifted vehicle now is the vehicle that is registered and this ARB new height becomes the new baseline for our vehicle. This then allowed us to go to a tire size of 26570 R17. And as you can see, the
• 03:00 - 03:30 25565 original tires have a diameter of 765 mm, while the new ones that we're running now, the 26570 R17s have a diameter of 83 mm. So that's a difference of 38 mm, which you obviously have to split in half. mud terrain or all terrain. We decided to compromise on the ruggedness of the tire. Not to use a matrain tire, but to use a tire that's
• 03:30 - 04:00 still good in the outback, but also really, really safe on standard roads. We've done 17,000 kilometers of travel in 2024. Most of that was on outback roads, dirt roads, really rugged and rocky and also sometimes very very sandy. But once we on dirt and gravel, we go down to 3540 front and back. And on sandy patches,
• 04:00 - 04:30 especially on sand dunes, in sand dune country, we run 15 to 20 PSI. In the Simpson, at some higher dunes, we even lowered further than that. and we did not get stuck a single time. For us, that was the way to go and never let us down. What did let us down, however, were the ATW3 Falcon tires, the Wild Peak tires. We started off with six brand new tires,
• 04:30 - 05:00 and we came back to Hart with three. All of these punctures were punctures that happened to the sidewall. The first puncture, we got a sticks to the sidewall. The second puncture, the tire basically just exploded near Endamuka because we slipped into a big rock. And the third tire failure was on the Great Ocean Road. Does that make the ATW3 Falcon Wild Peak tires a bad tire? I really don't think so. Because what we threw at
• 05:00 - 05:30 them was just immense on the Canning Stock Route to run 20 over really, really rugged terrain without a single puncture. That shows that the Wild Peaks are a good tire. We stick with the LTW3s to give us the piece of mind when we are on Bimon roads. That's what the tires look like after 25,000
• 05:30 - 06:00 kilometers, 17,000 of those in the outback on gravel, sand, and rocks. So, the profile has held up quite well. The problem really is the wear of the tires in general. And if we have a look here, we're down to 7 1/2 mm. So, we're almost down to 50% profile. And in my experience, a tire
• 06:00 - 06:30 that has lost near half of its thread is very very much more prone to tire failures to punctures than a new tire. So as we are keen on going to very remote areas again this year, unfortunately we have to replace tires that might still have half of their life in them. That is the plug I put in there half a year ago. And this plug has not leaked one little bit. We run that tire
• 06:30 - 07:00 at 50 PSI and I have not had to air up the tire at all. It stayed at 50 PSI for the last 6 months. Unfortunately, this is a near new tire, but we still have to replace it. I wouldn't feel safe to take a plucked tire into the outback. This is the tire we bought at
• 07:00 - 07:30 Newman. This was readily available in Newman, but the only brand available in Newman is this one here, West Lake. And the Westlake tires are a quite cheap and very, very rugged tire. A lot of people run them in their youths in Newman and they are very very happy with them. But we have to keep in mind that they will
• 07:30 - 08:00 not change the air pressure in the tires. And I don't know if these super rugged tires how they handle reduced pressures down to 15 PSI or so as we require them for the dunes. So we'll keep this as a spare tire for our next trip. But I'm not sure if these tires or tires of this type would be suitable for places like the Simpson or the Canning
• 08:00 - 08:30 Stockhood.