Puncture susceptibility

Also the lower profile tyre will be constructed differently with a stronger side wall as they are intended to improve turn in for corners. Taller profile tyres are intended to flex more so have a relatively lower sidewall strength, however when over inflated the tyre can't mold round obstacles to the same degree so damage can occur quite easily.

wrote:

Thanks for all your helpful replies. My wife has been driving it (hence the economy!) but I understand it was sharp stones piercing the sidewalls. I think the rims and valves are OK. What I did notice was the tyre fitters had inflated the repaired tyre well above the recommended pressure last time it was in there. I do find it odd however that I can drive up and down that forest road in an old Golf and Kia Picanto with ordinary road tyres and never get a puncture yet the Jimny attracts them like a magnet. No sexist comments now....!

I'd say it is a little odd. The stock tyres aren't all that bad and you see lots of people off roading the Jimny on them on YouTube. If you normally drive cars on the same terrain and suffer no tyre damage, I'd suggest the Jimny is maybe being driven somewhere slightly differently or in a way causing the issues.

If it really is side wall punctures (which would take some effort on gravel). Then a tougher tyre would certainly be a wise choice. Are there any rutted areas or places where you could essentially curb a tyre on a jagged rock edge? Is it the same tyre or side of the vehicle that suffers punctures?

When I go out to the woods its about a five mile round trip on forestry tracks.

For a year or so I was perfectly happy with the highway terrain duellers and fortunately had no punctures.

On changing to A/T tyres I noticed that on gravel it was easily achievable to be one gear higher than before.

The trade off is that on the road in the wet you lose a bit of grip where there used to be more.

I'd say it has very little to do with the tyre size, type, vehicle etc. Tyre pressure could be a factor, but it's much more likely to be to do with whichever rock it is that keeps ripping the sidewalls. It would be worth walking the track to see if you can find the offender. Maybe the Jimny is being driven along a different "line" to the other cars? There's absolutely no reason why a Jimny tyre would be more susceptible to punctures than a Golf, Kia or whatever else. It certainly won't be because the Jimny is "sinking in" further than other vehicles. Quite the opposite will be true. And whilst many AT and MT tyres have reinforced sidewalls to resist punctures, they are not necessary for a track that you can drive a VW Golf along.

Thanks again to all
Apparently the punctures are through the tread, not sidewall. The forest roads around here are not really gravel but what is called Type 1 surfaced crushed stone. Type 1 is quite small and should not be a threat to almost any tyre but what happens is that stone is put on over some stretches which is the next coarser grade, can be as much as fist size and with sharp edges. Timber trucks usually beat this down fairly quickly but some stays sharp and I think it is this stuff that is puncturing the standard Jimny tyres. Still remains a mystery why the Jimny suffers while the Golf/Picanto have never had a puncture. Anyhow thanks for all suggestions, we will try AT tyres when changing next. Any idea of the cost of these?

Can't help you with the punctures, but type 1 is a designated stone, actually it's MOT type 1 which has a very tight specification. The stone will be max 40mm and down with a certain amount of dust included. It's generally granite from Leicester area, but any stone can be type 1 if it passes a crush test.
I got involved with Land Rover experience a few years ago and they had problems with a stoned up road around the site which was shredding their tyres.
Interestingly, the fast lane blog in US just managed to wreck two tyres on a new Defender within about 5mins on rocks due to low profile tyres, pinched against rim on sidewall.