I should have kept that space saver from the Golf.

[ReintjeWA]

I think it is commendable that you went back for another go. And if I read the story correctly then you’ve conquered the pass, right? It’s a shame you had to spend money on all these extra tyres, but if you made the trip, then you made the trip!

 

[Rolfe]

I did conquer it in the end, though if I'd stopped as I should have done when the second two punctures happened (rather than blindly pressing on pretending it wasn't happening) then I wouldn't have done the return leg, I would have turned tail and gone the long way round once they'd been fixed.

I still feel I have a score to settle with that bloody road though.

 

[ReintjeWA]

I did conquer it in the end, though if I'd stopped as I should have done when the second two punctures happened (rather than blindly pressing on pretending it wasn't happening) then I wouldn't have done the return leg, I would have turned tail and gone the long way round once they'd been fixed.

I still feel I have a score to settle with that bloody road though.

Then I look forward to part three of your adventure!

 

[Everest]

So, do I go back for a third time lucky shot? It's getting expensive.

I still feel I have a score to settle with that bloody road though.

At the summit I came upon a group of not-at-all-young cyclists just getting to the top

This afternoon I took Hilda out on a short ride to calm my nerves; she is supposed to have "puncture proof tyres".

There's your answer. Score settled and no punctures

Spoiler

Leg 1:

Leg 2:

Leg 3:

 

[Rolfe]

Ride Hilda over that lot? No chance. I'd have to walk the entire way up. Yes I know she's an e-bike, but even on maximum assist and 1:1 gear ratio I'd have no chance. These guys were super-extra-fit. Also had gear ratios considerably lower than 1:1. But they weren't riding e-bikes. I'm in awe.

 

[ReintjeWA]

Ride Hilda over that lot? No chance. I'd have to walk the entire way up. Yes I know she's an e-bike, but even on maximum assist and 1:1 gear ratio I'd have no chance. These guys were super-extra-fit. Also had gear ratios considerably lower than 1:1. But they weren't riding e-bikes. I'm in awe.

Can you fit Hilda’s shoes onto Caliban?

 

[Rolfe]

Hah, no! I do wonder what these "run flat" things are, that people talk about. But it scarcely seems worth it for the very occasional puncture. Although I've had several slow punctures over the years, until the Hardknott Pass shenanigans I can only remember four absolutely-flat-get-the-spare-on incidents in forty years!

 

[ReintjeWA]

Hah, no! I do wonder what these "run flat" things are, that people talk about. But it scarcely seems worth it for the very occasional puncture. Although I've had several slow punctures over the years, until the Hardknott Pass shenanigans I can only remember four absolutely-flat-get-the-spare-on incidents in forty years!

Runflat tyres are basically tyres with reinforced sidewalls, which enables you to run on them while they’re are at zero pressure (or flat). Some brands allow you to repair a puncture in a run flat, some brands don’t allow repairs as the tyre sacrifices itself while being run this way.

A rule of thumb with run flats is you can run them with zero pressure for max 80km at maximum 80km/h, or roughly for 50 miles, at 50 mph. Which in most cases gets you back to civilisation.

They tend to be less comfortable as the reinforced sidewalls have less flex in them and thus the tyre itself absorbs less shocks from uneven roads. They can also be more expensive as the construction uses more materials and they are often OE fitment for luxury cars like Audi, Volvo, and Porsche.

In your particular case it is hard to know if a runflat would be strong enough to withstand whatever ripped the sidewall on your “normal” tyre. If you suffered damage like that to an runflat I think it would still immobilise your car. But with the runflat having a stronger sidewall, a similar impact might not even cause any damage at all.

A final note on reinforced sidewalls is that you also get LT (light truck) construction on many off road tyres, which is a reinforcement but not to the extend you can run them with zero pressure. You see XL on certain road tyres now as well, which is the same sort of reinforcement, but again that’s just to cope with the increased weight of (luxury) SUVs nowadays, and not the same as a run flat.

 

[Rolfe]

Thanks. Obviously they're not something I'd be seriously interested in, but I wondered what they were. It's just a bit of a shock to me that normal tyres are quite so fragile when you get on to a road that's not so well kept. Particularly as that road isn't massively worse than some roads round here that I've driven on without incident.

 

[Everest]

I think you were unbelievably unlucky to have 3 punctures in 8 days and my schoolgirl maths recollections of Bernoulli/ binomial trials suggest your next puncture will be in 29.8 year's time

 

[Rolfe]

What is really exercising me, and actually quite shocking me, is the way I behaved when the second two happened. The first time I realised almost immediately, saw there was no tyre pressure warning showing, flipped to the tyre pressure screen, saw 0.4 bar against the near fore, and stopped. Got out to look at the obvious. So far so sensible.

The second time my brain went right into denial mode. This is not happening to me. It can't be. Lightning doesn't strike twice and so on. The real killer was that the tyre pressure screen wasn't showing any low pressures. If it had done what it did the first time, even I couldn't have remained in denial mode at that point. But even so. I knew the two left-hand tyres had clonked against something, and the car was handling a bit strange. But stop and take a look? No no, that screen says it's fine, drive on and maybe it will all be fine!

I was potentially driving away from a mobile phone signal into an area without one too. I was just lucky that when the car had finally had enough and refused to go any further, I still had a signal.

Absolutely certifiably mental. I really didn't think I would have done anything so stupid, even under stress.

 

[Archev]

I think you were unbelievably unlucky to have 3 punctures in 8 days and my schoolgirl maths recollections of Bernoulli/ binomial trials suggest your next puncture will be in 29.8 year's time

Wow, are you setting up a puncture prediction agency? I’m liking the sound of that

 

[decrep]

Absolutely certifiably mental. I really didn't think I would have done anything so stupid, even under stress.

I can emphasize with you.
At 80, I'm now finding myself doing stupid things, without any stressful situation. It's so frustrating!
You have to find a mentality that's on peaceful terms with failing abilities, not easy, but realising, it's not you that's failing, just this body we're trapped in, can help.
Perhaps avoid potentially stressful stuff or go prepared to deal with it if it happens.
So go tackle that road again, without anxiety, but prepared to deal with another flat if it happens.
But if it was me, I think I'd call it quits.

 

[T1 Terry]

Worth checking the number of ply in the sidewalls of the tyres you have and tyres they use for off road capabilities. EV's tend to have "softer" tyres to improve range, but they don't fare well on non paved roads.

Did you let the tyres down a bit to soften any potential impacts? Probably not many "off the beaten tracks" over there, but over here, if you get away from the edges of the big island, most of the roads are ..... poor ..... up through the even less travelled roads and they are down right tyre hungry.

The other tip I can offer, pull to the side of the road and stop to let a car pass, otherwise, drive up the middle ..... it's driving at the edges that expose the softest part of the tyre, the side wall, to any rocks sticking out sideways of any cuttings or washaways, that are the ones to watch out for, potholes only destroy tyres if you are travelling too quick for the road conditions ..... you can drive through a pothole, but you can't power through them ......

All that aside, glad to hear you faced your enemy and didn't let it beat you, only a few flesh wounds on the second attempt, nothing mechanical failed and really, it was the bank account that took the hit, so let it cry about it and feel proud you tackled the beast and beat it
Life is not just for the young, it is for the young at heart, what sort of life would it be if you were always scared to do anything because of the "What if's" stopped you from enjoying it

T1 Terry

 

[decrep]

Terry has probably got a good point about sidewalls, Not that you want to get a new set of tires now. But if you want to repeat this sort of adventure over poor roads, be worth checking sidewall plys, next set.

 

[T1 Terry]

Terry has probably got a good point about sidewalls, Not that you want to get a new set of tires now. But if you want to repeat this sort of adventure over poor roads, be worth checking sidewall plys, next set.

And drop the pressure to make the tyre a bit more forgiving and fold around the rocks rather than trying climb over the sharp point ..... Stay away from the edges and actually stop rather than driving slow up the edge of the road to allow a car to pass, less risk of slashing a tyre on a sharp rock

T1 Terry

 

[Rolfe]

The tyres were quite firm, and I did wonder if that contributed to the problem.