They’re a couple of solid blokes to have the craic with. Two very adept wheelers and me.

Saw, Trax, straps and one trail tire change meant for a good team effort to make the top.

My mate’s Goodyear Adventure lived up to its name.

 

Damn, looks like so much fun! Those Goodyears suck so bad.

 

Yes. They drastically attenuate the Defender's trail capability. Thin, lightweight sidewalls, pointlessly small side-lugs, and a rubber compound as sticky as a hockey puck in these below freezing temps.

On the upside, I'll be honest, it was a little fun doing the tire change as a pit crew of three. Stressful when it's your own car of course and easy enough to get flustered so far from the blacktop.

I'm glad I've done it so many times before in the comfort of my own driveway. It becomes second nature. I was surprised my mate hadn't used his jack or spare before and was unaware of the remount jig and two security lug nuts on the spare. Something worth practicing.

• Chocking the wheels with rocks,
• Loosen the wheel nuts so they're ready to be removed
• Stabilizing the jack,
• Getting the spare off and in position ready to go. (first time it had ever been off since the Nitra robots/humans put it on in this case),
• Jack the car up and check for vertical and lateral clearance for the fully inflated new tire .
• Take the flat off
• Get the new one on lickety split with the remount jig
• Get everything cinched down to 2 uggaduggas
• Get the flat back on the rear door with the jig to 1 uggaduggas
• Making sure all bits and bobs are accounted for and no lug nuts roll off the mountain in the process.

I noped out of this trail last August after going up it a bit and saw how gnarly it was getting. Back then I was running the Goodyears on OEM 20" rims and not being able to air such low profile tires down, thought a flat was very likely. This time on KO2s I started at 18psi and subsequently went down to 16psi. Probably could have gone lower but it's something I'm still learning. My other pal on 35" tires was down to 12psi.

It's a beaut of a rig to behold. A tremendous build driven by a very capable bloke.

 

Ouch!! I would be cursing more about the rim damage than the avulsion of the tire. I was once in a bike race and a buddy of mine had a horrific crash. He answered: flesh heals, Shimano doesn't! He was more stressed about the damage to his bike that he was going to have to pay for than the trauma to his body. I'm thinking, that's gotta cost more than his entire bike back in the day!

 

Did you use the factory jack? I have the Luck8 sliders and I was looking to get a Sprinter van jack as they go up to 24” high will probably make a baseplate for it to spread out the load on the ground. What do you think?

 

Rim got a bit dinged but I think it's still fine to use. These LR rims have enormous outer lips. The tire is toast of course.

He's been mulling over ditching the 19's for a good while now. This I suspect, was the final nail in the coffin for them. He's debating running Duratracs on 19's or dropping to 18's and getting some decently strong boots. No prizes for guessing what my advice was. No need for me to flog that dead horse anymore.

I know lots of folks run the Duratracs quite happily, but around here at least they don't really meet the demands of our terrain.

 

Factory jack worked just fine in this instance.

Didn't need to use them this time but Maxtrax and some dirt/gravel will make a fine platform for a jack in many off-road situations. I tested it out one day for proof of concept. I must redo it and snag a picture or two.

Probably won't be good enough for some but saves you having to rely on carrying a baseplate. A bottle jack is a safer option. No doubt about it. But with proper sequencing of things. the vehicle is only without a wheel/tire for about 30 seconds.

 

I don’t know if many of you are aware but there is a new version of the Duratracs just released. They’re designated as “Duratrac RT”. Three plies in the sidewall and with Kevlar. Might be a game changer.

 

Yes. I read about them. Sounds like a better option if they become available. According to the Goodyear website, they're not made in the awkward sizing of the 19" rims. Just 18". The 19" folks are still SOL

 

I used to think like that. But now I'm 60 and I see the cost of my hip replacement (>$40k) and plan for my other to be replaced in the near future, I realize that body fixing costs are way higher than bike or ski fixing costs. It's just that the big medical bills come 20-30 years after the fun crashes and experiences.

Fortunately I have *way* better insurance now than I did in my 20s and 30s