Friday, May 17, 2013 at 10:50
Just a couple of points of clarification. Your GVM is set by the manufacturer and nothing (other than a GVM upgrade) will change that. My point was that you should not be heavier that your GVM so if your wheels are heavier that simply means you can carry less food, camping gear, tools and other and supplies.
In relation to your
suspension if the wheel is heavier, then when you are on corrugated roads your
suspension components, and in particular you shocks, have to work that much harder to control the extra weight going up and down. Also if we accept that steels are 5-7kg heavier and you have 6 of them then your additional weight is 30-42kg not the 10-15kg mentioned above. Thats a fair bit of gear you have to leave out if you have steels.
It's true that tyre monitors do not fix punctured tyres. What they do do is give you sufficient warning so that the repair in the vast majority of times is plug and not a shredded tyre and possibly a damaged rim, be it steel or alloy. A shredded tyre and rim = $$$'s down the drain and the effort of changing it, possibily of having to get the spare off the roof, and then the hassle of having to get a replacement.
The best thing you can do to avoid punctures in the first place is as David16 said, on unmade roads lower tyre pressures and drive to the conditions. This is where tyre monitors are a great help as if your tyres start to heat up you are going to fast for the pressures you have set.
With TPMS, the screw on valve type are better than nothing but you get what you pay for. They are prone to damage, if they show tyre temp its is not always accurate, and because they have to keep them light for balance reasons they are not as sturdy and do not last as long. The internal ones attached with a band are sturdy, can cater for more than the road wheels, give accurate temp readings, and within seconds of turning on the ignition you know your tyre pressures and temp. I have a nine tyre system, 4 on the truck, 2 spares, 4 on the van, and the van spare. Its great, its more than paid for itself, and most importantly greatly improved safety as I know if any of my ytres are not right.
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