Flat tire experiences on the road when using off-road tires?

[Moving Chicane]

The title tries to say it all, but a YouTube video I just watched got me thinking......

Given modern tire technology, who here has had a flat tire when running non-stock (so likely more aggressive) off-road tires? Something like a KO2, Duratrac, Trail Grappler, etc.? Please share your experience, and if you know why it happened (vs. a total, unknown failure).

I'm wondering if it happens anymore.



:cheers:

 

[02SE]

I've had numerous flats with non-stock (stronger construction) tires over the years.

I've had Goodyears, BFG's, Toyo's, Michelin's, Dunlop's, and several other brands, damaged beyond repair due to rocks, sticks, nails, bolts, poor road work, etc.

ANY tire can be damaged. The tougher tires just increase the chances of not having a flat, or the tire being damaged beyond repair.

 

[the_economist]

I ended up with a flat in BFG K02s C-rated 265s in town in the SF Bay Area. I picked up a 2.5 inch wood screw right through the tread, about 1/4 inch from the sidewall. I had to patch myself as the tire shop nearby would not fix for liability reasons, being close to the sidewall. I plugged it and drove 30k on the fixed one until replacing with 275s this year.

I've had numerous flats with non-stock (stronger construction) tires over the years.

I've had Goodyears, BFG's, Toyo's, Michelin's, Dunlop's, and several other brands, damaged beyond repair due to rocks, sticks, nails, bolts, poor road work, etc.

ANY tire can be damaged. The tougher tires just increase the chances of not having a flat, or the tire being damaged beyond repair.

 

[Moving Chicane]

So maybe it's just a wrong statement (YouTube guy) and assumption (mine) that modern tires are invincible in everyday road use. Thanks.

 

[Jeremy556]

Plugged Duratracs about 8 times when I ran those (8 tires) and 3-4 MTRs (24 tires). Always punctures from screws or other sharp steel mine debris. I run low enough pressure that the worst I have from rocks is torn out rubber, no punctures.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

I have pulled nails and screws out of several different set of BFG all terrains that when I saw the screw I thought it would leak air when I pulled it out. I pulled the screws out and it did not leak. With a good all terrain the tread is much thicker when new. With a stock tire the screw would have went threw the shorter tread. Of course a longer screw would go threw any tire but it saved me several times.

 

[MAST4R]

Yes, there is a difference:

Cooper Puncture Test - YouTube


I have been running exclusively AT tires for a decade.

The more serious duty offroad tires have extra plies and stronger carcass plus the deep tread. Since they are usually LTE, the plies are thicker, too. This does not make them invincible but should be better even on road. Most AT tires don't qualify for that description though.

So that's the principle. My experience is just an anecdote but it does conform to expectations.

I had 1 flat on Geolander AT-S on my Outback. I picked up a monster drill bit in town.
Later, I had 1 flat on a Continental AT when I was running two sets (the other was KO2). This was from a box cutter. I was very disappointed at this one though for me the set was for street and easy dirt only anyway.

The drill that got into the ATS was quite something. No issues with the KO2, with Toyo ATII, or, so far, with ATZ P3.

The interesting part was the SL AT3W on the 4Runner. Plenty of use in all sorts of conditions with 3 punctures in one and the same part of AZ. No issues in town, UT, or MT, or elsewhere in AZ, not even at lower tread. But three punctures in particularly sharp rocks to the west towards CA, both north and south of I-10.

Finally, the tires listed together are not in the same league construction wise.

ATZ P3/ST Maxx, Toyo CT, KO2 are AT tires that are as tough as MT tires because of the 3 vs 2 ply carcass. On top of those you get the steel and then nylon/poly-amid.
Toyo AT II fits either above or below, depending on size. Not sure about the AT III.
Wildpeaks, 265 70 17 LTE Toyo AT II have at least something extra. Like the Wildpeak has wider steel belts. That size AT II had an extra nylon ply.

Most ATs have no distinctive features (and the Duratracs have 4 tread plies total! vs 5 to 6 for all others) and so the tread depth and the more material in LT tires would be the only difference vs regular tires.

 

[wcjeep]

I've seen a variety of tires die on the trail. Tree stumps, rocks, etc take them out. Too much air pressure is a common fault. Sometimes it just happens. The strongest tires are Bias ply. The sidewall and tread area are the same strength. Bias tires are not preferred for road use.

 

[TRD PANTHER]

Tire Certs and purchasing 5 new tires at the same time and rotating the spare in your rotation is a logical solution. IMO

 

[SpeedyKevin]

Any tire can get punctured but I will say Im thankful for the lugs on my Mud tires lol

 

[fkheath]

I had a flat on my BFG KO2 tire when out in the boonies in the mountains around Silverton, Colorado a few years back. Picked up a nail driving through a dilapidated mine site. When the low tire pressure light came on, I turned around and headed back to town. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and all the shops were closed so I had to put on the spare. Better to do that on a hard surface than in the back country. As others have said, any tire can get a flat; you just have to be prepared with a good spare and the right tools to put the spare on when you are far from any service area or tow truck.

 

[Ripcurlsurfin]

Nothing like some slop jalop and a highlift

 

[El Dusty]

Blew up an AT II on a trail. Caught the edge of a buried pipe with the sidewall on Rollins Pass, CO. Was only aired down to about 25psi. Not a fun place to do a tire change. Very thankful for my tire carrier.

Otherwise the AT IIs were bulletproof even after 40k miles on the road and only had one leak patched from a scew.

 

[Jetboy]

Yep. Toyo ATII. Sharp rock went straight through the tread area at moderate speed on a pretty mild trail. My experience overall was not super good with those tires. On similar trails I've never had a flat with either P rated goodyear ATS before them or my E load rating Cooper AT3's after. Not sure if that specific flat was just bad luck or a weak tire. They were P285/70/17's. Overall it's pretty hard to slice through a modern tire, even weaker ones. I carry a spare - but I don't plan to use it very often.

In general in my trail rig - my most common tire destroying situation is aired down in deep snow on top of shale or sharp rocks. Sidewall is exposed to the rocks and spinning them in snow seems to end up with more sliced sidewalls than anything else I've done. I don't really do that in my 4Runner. And I switched a long time ago to using bias ply tires for that reason on my FJ. But modern radials have come a long way since then and I might go back on the next set to a modern radial tire.

Overall - it's very rare with modern tires for me. Among all of the off-road trips I've done in the last 5-6 years with my 5th gen and other wagons as a representation of the terrain I tend to go to - it's more common to damage a valve stem than it is to have a puncture.

You can see the hole from the rock.

 

[ryguytheman]

I blew out one of my E rated KO2s on the highway a couple years back. An accident occurred on the opposite side of the highway right as I was going by, and some debris flew across the divider and out in front of me. I ran over a large and sharp piece of metal, not sure what it was. I was riding on rim within 2 seconds, the sound of the air escaping was loud. It was not fun changing a tire on the shoulder of I-70.

I don't think any tire would have survived, the gash went straight through the tread block and was about an inch wide. I sometimes wonder if it would have been much worse with a highway tire, would it have exploded rather than punctured? Wife and Kiddo were in the car with me.