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edm1
Senior Nomad
Posts: 568
Registered: 8-23-2006
Location: Oak Hills, Ca
Member Is Offline
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tire damage
What type of tire damage have you experienced on Baja dirtroads?
For every ten trips to Baja, how many times did you have to change whhels/tire(s)?
[Edited on 8-24-2006 by edm1]
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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With well worn BFG Rugged Trail TAs, several flats in one long trip (15 days in Baja 2001/2002)...
With good tread BFG Rugged Trail T/A, put a rock through the tread near El Huerfanito. Bought a used tire at Rancho Grande (Gonzaga) to get me back
with a spare.... Corky rode right past me as the kids and I were changing the tire... We met later that day at Alfonsina's (Nov. 2003).
With a new Futura Dakota, driving at warp speed, fully inflated, I put a rock through the center of the tread north of Coco's Corner (Las Arrastras
area). The guys at Laguna Chapala tried to patch it from the inside with a boot, but the hole was pretty big... so that tire became an iffy spare for
the remainder of that trip to L.A. Bay. Pep Boys replaced the tire when I got home.
Otherwise, no other problems with the Futuras on my last truck, the BFGs on my new truck (except they wore out at 25,000 miles), and the new Cooper
Discoverer STTs I have been using for 11,000 miles so far... here is one:
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Diver
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4729
Registered: 11-15-2004
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One sidewall tear from hitting a jagged rock on a narrow trail where I couldn't avoid it. That's it in over 20,000 Baja miles !
All of those miles, I have either been carrying or towing a camper.
I have always driven a 4WD pick-up (FORD) with 8 or 10 ply tires.
I've used Michelin's, Toyo's and Wild Country's (Les Scwab).
.
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Axel
Junior Nomad
Posts: 70
Registered: 2-9-2006
Location: oceanside
Member Is Offline
Mood: In a hurry to get nowhere
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I have been extremely lucky with my Yokohama Geolanders. Just mounted my 4th set. Before the geolanders I had yokohama Super Diggers, 3 sets of those.
I always carry 2 spares and have never had to use a single one. I'm sure i just jinxed myself.
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Bajaboy
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4375
Registered: 10-9-2003
Location: Bahia Asuncion, BCS, Mexico
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I don't want to jinx myself.
Zac
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BajaNomad
Super Administrator
Posts: 4999
Registered: 8-1-2002
Location: San Diego, CA
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Mood: INTP-A
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All in Toyota 4-banger pickups ('82, '94 & '95 Tacoma)... a couple of BFG AT T/A sidewall blowouts (so no more BFGs for moi) & quickly blew
the snot out of the majority of stock Goodyears (load range B Wranglers) that came with the Tacoma.
I now use Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires, and the only problems have been when I didn't air down properly. I HIGHLY recommend these tires.
Bridgestone A/T D693
Bridgestone A/T Revo
The Bridgestones are "warranted" for 50,000 mile treadlife.
I wouldn't judge by how many trips to Baja required a repair, but for every ? miles traveled off-highway (I've only had one tire go down on-road). It
also kind of depends on where you're at too. Conditions can vary so much depending on where you are, and what types of roads/trails you'll follow.
--
Doug
[Edited on 8-24-2006 by BajaNomad]
When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.
– Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
We know we must go back if we live, and we don`t know why.
– John Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
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AmoPescar
Senior Nomad
Posts: 835
Registered: 7-15-2006
Location: North San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Need a Fish Taco and a Pacifico!
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On the first trip down to Baja in my 2001 Ford F250, I had a large side wall puncture in my R/F 33" BFG AT tire. This occured while David K, his son
Chris and I were on our way to see Tinaja de Yubay. I was able to plug it and get it to hold air.
Since then, I have had NO further problems with my BFGs. They have been aired down and up many times and have been in many situations that
certainly could have damaged them.
David K may have a photo he can post of this.
Amo Pescar 
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Yes, that was a great trip! See it at http://vivabaja.com/401
Here's some pics from that site...
Amo Pescar and David K
Camp Gecko, Amo's camper
Turtle Research Station
Rock Palm Hill, near Yubay
Giant Cardons, near Yubay
[Edited on 8-24-2006 by David K]
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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In the old days when I had no money-----
------I had litterally dozens of flats. I always carried 3 spares, and several times I had to use them all. But this was in the days when all my tires
were "junk".
In the last 10 years I have been running on BFG AT's, load range D, and have had zero problems--------going thru my second set now, and got 42K out of
my original set--------(Ford F-250 extended cab with small camper)
I do mostly off roading, and beach running.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Barry, The Squarecircle is itching to get down to Los Corrales (south of Los Barriles & Punta San Francisquito) again... and I have never been...
Maybe this winter? I enjoyed your stories of this region as well. Will you be game for such a trip?
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Wow, David---------
---------that sounds good to me---------all it takes is someone being interested in going there, and suddenly my attitude about "never going to Baja
again" seems to change. 
Los Corrales is a challenge that I probably cannot pass up since I failed to make it all the way last time.
Thanks for offering the challenge. 
We will stay in touch.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64848
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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That'a boy Barry! Viva Baja!!
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bajarich
Nomad
Posts: 464
Registered: 1-13-2005
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'Put a rock through the tread of one of my BFG A/t's on the main Highway just south of El Rosario. Thats the only problem I've had with them in Baja.
I have also put rocks through them in Southern Utah. Discount Tire has always been good about replacing them.
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: optimistic
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Baja Rich------
Is it possible that you may be carrying too much pressure in your BFG's on the highway? What you describe here is pretty rare, I believe.
I run my BFG's with a max. pressure of 50 lbs. on the pavement, despite that they claim 65 lbs being the max..
Just a thought.
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Neal Johns
Super Nomad
Posts: 1687
Registered: 10-31-2002
Location: Lytle Creek, CA
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Mood: In love!
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edm1, As BajaNomad says, it depends what kind of dirt road you drive on. Some sandy two track roads will let a tire last forever, while the worst
roads with sharp, jagged rocks will play havoc with tires. If you travel alone, it does not hurt to carry two spares, but I just carry lots of "string
type" plugs and boot type inside patches. Best to practice getting access to the inside of a tire at home before learning how on a Baja back road.
Slower speeds and less pressure (compared to pavement) are a big help on bad roads.
My motto:
Never let a Dragon pass by without pulling its tail!
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DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
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Over the past 16 years I've had four or five flats off-highway. With one exception, they were when I was running the crappy stock tires that came
with the vehicles I was driving (General, Goodyear, etc.). On each vehicle, I replaced them with BFG-ATs. I got one off-highway flat on those tires
-- a rock shaped like a spearhead that was wedged in between two big ones tore a two inch gash in between the treads. My fault -- pressure was too
high and I was driving too fast. Not even the mechanics at the San Pedro de Martir observatorio could fix that one.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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Going too fast near Coco's Corner and one of those nasty volcanic rocks jumped up and took a bite out of the sidewall of one of the original tires on
our Tundra. 
But as luck would have it, we had just picked up a hitchhiker a lot younger than we are so had help changing the tire.
Bought a cheap used spare at Gonzaga and made it to San Felipe---much slower
Replaced with better tires BFG A/T
Diane
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
Member Is Offline
Mood: Inquisitive
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Numerous problems
with trailer tires, mostly cheapos like Kuhmos and Continentals and mostly before Hwy 1 improved so much about 7-8 years ago. Never a problem with the
Desert Duelers or Michelins I've run on the tow rigs, but very little offroad use. One tow to Gonzaga in the early 90s, numerous trips out to Chivato
since the early 80s, a couple trips to Bahia Animas, 3-4 trips to Laguna Hanson in the 80s and one observatory run is about the extent of my
non-paved driving. I guess the boats keep me rather pavement bound.
I have got to post a shot of the Michelin LTX-MS 10 ply tires I have on the Ford 4x4 F-350 that has carried my Lance around for probably 70% of their
life. They have 41k on them so far and look to still have around 5-7K left on them. Generally running them between 70-80psi unless on dirt and then I
drop to about 40psi, unless it's deep sand. Most of this was around Anza Borrego or the Lower Colo. River area. Only two tire rotations the whole
time.
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Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
Member Is Offline
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Off Road flats....ZIP. I just drive too much like an old man and always air down. I've had a few that were slow leaks, one was a cracked valve stem,
one was a cholla needle.
On pavement I've had many blowouts. In the 70's and 80's....well even in the 90's. Highway's always had potholes. At speed they can play havoc with
you. The motorhome's have had more flats than anyother vehicle. I guess it's the massive weight they carry. Two front blowouts 25 miles North of LA
Bay turn off, 3 rear blowouts on duallies, 2 near the Gonzaga turnoff and one just North of San Quintin. The last two sets of Moho Tires are Michellin
ribbed, 10 ply.
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Ken Cooke
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8946
Registered: 2-9-2004
Location: Riverside, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Pole Line Road postponed due to injury
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Two BFG flats on the Pole Line Road recently - 12/05 and 4/06. The first due to sharp rocks on an aired down 32" AT. The second due to a sharp stick
(can't avoid these sometimes) on an aired down 35" MT.
The driver's side front didn't survive an hour after this photo was taken:
Body damage and in less than 2 hrs., he had a passenger-rear tire get a stick through the sidewall. It was patched and he drove on it all the way
home to Phoenix, AZ and then to work the next day - and then to the tire shop after work!  You can say it helps to have US Marines on a 4WD trip IMO.
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