Why Good Tyres Matter for Tourin
Good tyres are a vital part of any vehicle, especially when you start talking about travelling long distances away from towns and help. With the added factor of off-road use on harsh Australian tracks, it becomes crucial to have some good quality tyres. With a good, strong, reliable set of tyres, I feel less inclined to carry a second spare. This saves a considerable amount of weight and space.
Tyre Care on the Road
Instead, I carry a small tyre repair kit which is designed to put in temporary plugs to stop any small puncture leaks. Not much good in case of a blow out, but in all of my many years of touring around Australia, on road and off, I’ve only ever had one puncture to deal with. Making sure to look after your tyres by using appropriate tyre pressures, balancing, rotating and wheel alignments at the manufacturer recommended intervals is crucial. It goes a long way into getting the most out of any tyre.
My Long-Term Experience with Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac
I’ve tried several brands of tyres over the years. Some were good and some not so much, but with my latest set I think I’m on to a winner. I got myself a set of Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac. They are an all-terrain tyre with more of an off-road focus. So far, I’ve put 40 thousand kilometers on them, and a lot of that has been off-road. They’ve seen us through a Simpson Desert Crossing, the Oodnadatta Track, loads of beach trips on K’gari and Rainbow Beach. We’ve also covered plenty more unsealed outback roads. We’ve had them aired down to gain extra traction and pumped up to save on fuel, and they have withstood it all.
Fixing a Puncture in the Outback
It was only in the last couple of thousand kilometers that we had our first puncture, all thanks to a very sharp rock that wedged itself into the tread and worked its way in. Definitely a case of bad luck. However, it was a simple fix on the side of the road. For the first time ever I got to use my tyre repair kit, which I have been carting all around Australia over the last few years. Turned out to be a fairly easy procedure to chuck a couple of plugs in. This did the trick for nearly 1000 kilometres until I could get it properly plugged up at a tyre shop.
Final Thoughts – Are Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs Worth It?
So now, with 40 thousand kilometres and still plenty of good tread life left in them yet, I’m very glad I opted to try out these Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac all-terrain tyres.
Words and Photos: The Adventuring Pals
