African Safari

Before you even put rubber to the road, you need to know your tyres intimately.  You should know what terrain they are designed for and what their capabilities are.  You need to know their speed rating, maximum pressure and load capacity.  Choosing the wrong tyre for the wrong conditions can seriously leave you coming unstuck from the road in a big way.  The types of road conditions encountered while on an African safari are extremely harsh and vehicle tyres take a great pounding. 

If you are planning on tackling the dunes of Namibia, for instance, then the obvious tyres would have to be sand capable.  The tyres need to have a flexible sidewall, should you need to deflate your tyres - a common practise to achieve a larger surface area.  This can become a problem when a certain percentage of your travels may be on harder, rockier terrains.  Sharp piercing rocks will definitely cut the tyres in no time at all.  A compromise in tyre choice may be the only answer to your problems.  All-terrain tyres are made specifically for this purpose and give the vehicle all-round capabilities.  Without stating the obvious, the vehicle's capabilities will be geared to sand driving, gravel road conditions as well as tar road driving.  

As for tubes or tubeless - the jury's still out on this one.  Both options have their advantages and disadvantages.  However, experienced safari travellers, especially if they are embarking on travelling through remote areas, would say that the best choice would be to use tubeless tyres.  With tube tyres, you have the disadvantage of them becoming hotter as you drive - leading to increased chances for blow-outs. 

All tyres should be the same.  Tyre diameters can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and some vehicles are sensitive to this and damage can be done to the transfer box.  The same goes for keeping all the tyres matched to the same type of terrain. 

Choosing a type of tyre for your African safari will mostly depend on the type of terrain you will mostly encounter.  This can become a daunting task especially if you are a novice safari traveller.  A bit of research into the areas you will be travelling into will become invaluable in making the correct choice.  Remember, unless you carry spare tyres for sand conditions, say for example, it is best to choose an all-terrain type tyre that will cope with all types of terrain with equal ability.  That's not to say that it will be just as good as a sand tyre. 

Part of the reason why many tend to neglect or take tyres for granted is the fact that beneath the rubber there are all manner of components that we are unaware of.  If we understand some of the basics elements to a tyre, it can give us a better indication of what can go wrong and better yet, how to avoid it.  Make no mistake, while on an African safari the chances of having a blow out, a puncture or any other tyre related problem is very high. 

The tread is the outer most part of the tyre.  The intricate patterns covering the tyre are responsible for providing traction and grip and the displacement of water and sand.  The tread pattern and thickness will differ according to what conditions the tyre is designed for.  The belts are found just below the tread - they reinforce and stabilise the tread.  The innermost layer is designed to keep the air inside the tyre and the bead binds the tyre to the wheel rim ensuring an airtight fit.  The outer side of the tyre is called the sidewall and this covering protects the side of the tyre from damage and also provides lateral stability.  Finally, the body ply - this layer provided strength and flexibility to the tyre.  Again, the number of plies differs according to what terrain you will be experiencing on your African safari. 

At some stage, while on safari you will have to change a flat tyre.  A simple process, but might be quite frustrating on a hot day in the middle of nowhere.  Before you jack up the vehicle, loosen the wheel nuts.  Once they are loosened, jack the vehicle up until the tyre has been cleared of the road by a good margin.  Remove the nuts and the tyre, replace and repeat the process in reverse.  A good safety tip is to place the spare wheel under the vehicle in case it slips off the jack.