Availability of 17" & 18" tyres in Remote Areas

[HEM19X]

With most of the manufacturers now starting to run 17 & 18 inch rims on their products, has anyone had any experience with getting them in remote areas or is there still a real problem getting them, except in the major centres?

I have always matched size & stud patterns to the tow vehicle with the most common size of 16" and carry 2 spares on the BT50 plus the usual one on the CT. However with the CT gone we are looking to change over to a bigger touring wagon that comes with 17 or 18 inch wheels.

I was considering either :-

Swapping them back to 16" and adding bigger rubber, and only carry 1 spare, or,

Leaving it as is and have 2 spares [probably 1 carcass rather than 2 spare wheels] or,

Just running with 1 spare & not worry about it too much...

So, is it a problem getting bigger tyres in remote areas? I realise a William Creek might not have any but what about say Coober Pedy or Marla? And in a worst case scenario, how long would it take to get some? a few days?

Lot's of ?'s but any thoughts & experiences will be appreciated.

Thanks

Hem

 

[D4D]

17 appears to be the new 16, Patrols, Cruisers, Prados have been running 17s for a while now, 265/65/17 seems to be the common size. You may not be able to downsize to 16s due to the brake caliper clearance. I'd go option 2, spare plus carcass plus plug kit. You won't be changing the tyre yourself but as long as you can get to a place that can.

[muzza01]

17 appears to be the new 16, Patrols, Cruisers, Prados have been running 17s for a while now, 265/65/17 seems to be the common size. You may not be able to downsize to 16s due to the brake caliper clearance. I'd go option 2, spare plus carcass plus plug kit. You won't be changing the tyre yourself but as long as you can get to a place that can.

X2 I agree 17's are the new 16's. not so sure about the 18's though. Someone else may be able to shed some light on them.

[jetcrew]

my tyre guy said the opposite

17 inch is the hard one to find ...16 very common ..then all went 17 briefly ..then jumped to 18... so an 18ch is easier to find and sometimes cost less than a 17 inch in 285/70/17.

Have fun ..no matter what you decide it will all cost $$$ 

I went back to 16 (285/75/16)for the reasons you listed and am very happy i did, I got 8 rims and 6 tyres for pretty much the cost of six 17 inch tyres.

Jet

[whatsa]

Going through back areas of WA I asked a bit and many had nothing at all. (I have 18")
They just ordered it when needed... a couple of days.
There always seems to be a shonky tyre guy in town who will patch almost anything to get you to a bigger town.

even the mid-sized towns like lenora had basically nothing.(for all cars parts or tyres)

But its usually a couple of days to get stuff they said and thats only if you burn through you 2 spares and they are unpluggable.

I would not stress to much about it.   
couple of spares and a fan belt, plug kit and pump and you will be OK.

[discoteddy]

my tyre guy said the opposite

17 inch is the hard one to find ...16 very common ..then all went 17 briefly ..then jumped to 18... so an 18ch is easier to find and sometimes cost less than a 17 inch in 285/70/17.

Have fun ..no matter what you decide it will all cost $$$ 

I went back to 16 (285/75/16)for the reasons you listed and am very happy i did, I got 8 rims and 6 tyres for pretty much the cost of six 17 inch tyres.

Jet

Yep that's what my research found. Common equals 265/75/16 inch. Good luck either way.


Cheers,

Disco teddy.

[HEM19X]

17 appears to be the new 16, Patrols, Cruisers, Prados have been running 17s for a while now, 265/65/17 seems to be the common size. You may not be able to downsize to 16s due to the brake caliper clearance. I'd go option 2, spare plus carcass plus plug kit. You won't be changing the tyre yourself but as long as you can get to a place that can.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the brake callipers.

Have fun ..no matter what you decide it will all cost $$$ 

Jet

LOL, you can't take it with you, so they say!!!

[Stozz]

Hem, we were worried about this too as my new cruiser has 18s.  The cost to change down brand new rims and tyres to 17s was ridiculous. I asked a few tyre shops what they thought about availability of 18s out bush vs 17s and they all said that the likelihood of a remote or even country town having the 17 tyre you want is the same as an 18. In almost every scenario they will need to order what you want.  You're not going to spend $350 on a 17 tyre that isn't the same as your others just because it is the only one they have, if you have the option to wait a day or so.

Case in point, we smashed a tyre on our camper and limped to the Eyre Peninsula. Not one town had a 16 to match. We got to Port Lincoln and they ordered them for us and arrived the next day. I know Port Lincoln is hardly remote, but if bigger towns like this don't stock a standard 16, then I think in most places you'll need to order and wait. Well at least that is our thinking.

As others have said, hopefully some repairs will get you to where you can order a tyre.

We are also hoping that when the time comes to changeover our 18s, there will be a wider range to choose from. Currently we have Cooper ST Maxx in 275/70/18.