Using a vehicle in various conditions is a completely reasonable desire of any car owner. In addition to the standard use of a vehicle, there is often a need to travel over rough terrain, and therefore a significant increase in cross-country ability will be required. One of the most effective and yet affordable methods is the use of special tires designed specifically to overcome difficult sections of rough terrain. You can not only buy low-pressure wheels, but also make them yourself, saving a huge amount of money. In this article we will look at the process of making this type of tires on our own using improvised materials.
Why are low pressure wheels necessary?
Answering this question is not as easy as it seems, because it would take quite a long time to list all the benefits that a car owner receives after installing this type of tire. It is worth noting the most important points:
- Thanks to low-pressure tires, you can significantly increase the vehicle's ground clearance (clearance), and this in turn makes it possible to easily overcome uneven road sections, potholes, easily drive through ruts, etc.
- Among other things, wheels of this type significantly increase the level of maneuverability of the vehicle. This is achieved due to a larger area of contact with the road. This becomes especially noticeable on soft soils and marshy areas. Low pressure tires
It is worth noting that low-pressure tires also have a number of disadvantages:
- Vehicle speed is noticeably reduced on any surface
- The ground clearance of the vehicle changes significantly and, as a result, the stability of the vehicle decreases and the tendency to roll over increases.
- Well, one cannot help but note the increased loads on transmission components and suspension, which leads to premature wear of components and assemblies.
Advantages and disadvantages
When planning to make homemade low-pressure car wheels, you can save a lot and get a number of advantages. There are many factories that produce ready-made all-terrain tires, but their cost is very high.
The strengths of homemade rippers include:
- Low cost. The costs are minimal since you can use any old tires.
- Excellent grip. This is an indispensable thing for overcoming the most difficult areas.
- Relatively light weight. Even if you put the wheels on a regular car, the engine power will be enough to rotate these tires.
- Ability to overcome sand, soft soil, snow drifts.
- The ability to regulate pressure depending on the purpose and operating conditions.
- There is no harm to the soil, which makes it possible to use the peels even in conditions of plowed and sown soil.
But there are also disadvantages that are important to consider. The main disadvantages here are:
- these tires are not suitable for use on asphalt and concrete as they wear out quickly;
- passenger cars noticeably lose stability;
- driving at a speed of more than 60 km/h is prohibited and dangerous;
- You cannot make sharp turns and maneuvers;
- tires load the suspension and transmission parts, causing them to wear out faster;
- It is much easier to puncture such tires;
- The car needs to be re-registered because it is now an all-terrain vehicle.
How significant these shortcomings are, everyone decides for himself.
Types of low pressure tires
Tires of this type can be roughly divided into two types:
- Chamber. A distinctive feature of this type is their increased resistance to mechanical damage and wear. But at the same time, structurally they are heavier, bulkier and less comfortable.
- Tubeless. Tires of this type are much lighter, safer and more comfortable. But at the same time, tires of this type are much easier to damage or deform.
Low pressure wheels can also be divided into the following categories:
- Toroidal, can be manufactured in both chamber and tubeless versions. A design of this type is the most common.
- Arched tires are specially designed for off-road driving. A distinctive feature is that the tires have a very wide profile, which can be four times the width of a standard wheel.
- Pneumatic rollers. Elastic barrel-shaped wheels with a characteristic profile. The tread is made in the form of rigid lugs, which, in addition to increasing cross-country ability, provide additional strength. Thanks to their high elasticity and low pressure, the off-road properties of this type of wheel stand out from their analogues.
What are they needed for and where are they used?
Tires of this type have a large contact area with the ground, which allows them to overcome difficult terrain. Their design adapts as completely as possible to the shape of obstacles, as if “enveloping” them. This makes rubber indispensable in certain areas of activity, for example, agriculture. The earth is not compacted by it when the equipment moves.
They are preferred by hunters, fishermen and military personnel. Low pressure wheels are used in geological exploration. They are installed on equipment that drives on rocky roads, swamps and mud.
Necessary tools needed to make low pressure tires.
Considering that the cost of a set of this type of tires can be several times higher than the cost of a set of regular tires, many car owners are quite serious about making them on their own. However, before starting work, you will need to prepare the necessary tools.
- First of all, you will need to find a suitable source material from which the tires will be made. Helicopter and airplane tires, which are initially designed for increased loads and difficult conditions, are excellent for these purposes. However, they are not so easy to find, so truck tires are actively used by car enthusiasts.
- To cut the tread you will need several sharp double-sided knives
- Knife sharpener, because... The work ahead will be quite long and hard, and a sharp knife will definitely be required
- A sharp awl, or even better – several, of different diameters
- Hammer
- Several wire cutters of different sizes
- Pliers, a screwdriver and possibly a hand winch for pulling wire
Step-by-step instructions for creating low-pressure tires with your own hands
The manufacturing process of low-pressure wheels must be carried out in a certain order in order to achieve the most effective result. Let's look at the process in more detail:
- At the first stage, the car enthusiast will need to remove the wire reinforcement from the cord; for this, an incision is made and one of the turns is cut, then the wire is pulled out with pliers; sometimes for these purposes it is advisable to use a hand winch or any other similar tool. As a rule, this process takes a lot of time, but it cannot be avoided, and the procedure itself must be carried out with the highest possible quality.
- A fairly important aspect is the selection of tire tread.
In particular, for peat bogs it is not advisable to use a rough and high tread; when used, the top layer of soil will be displaced, thereby significantly reducing the traction of the tires with your own hands. On sand and snow, it is recommended to use tires with sparse and large tread elements. - The pattern on a homemade tire is cut out yourself; to do this, you will need to mark the tread with a marker. It is cut out with a knife, and it is advisable to perform final sanding with sandpaper, but you can also roughly straighten the surface with a hammer.
- When cutting out the tread, you should start with the side cuts, focusing on the markings. Having bent the edge of the rubber, you need to grab it with pliers or pliers and tear off the cut strip.
- After this, a special frame is assembled onto which the tube and tire are placed.
- At the end, it is worth carefully examining the result of the work, especially the places where the cuts were made. Inspection is carried out for deep cuts and serious defects. It is also worth paying attention to the inner surface, where through cuts will be more noticeable.
- All! The wheels can be installed on the vehicle and go to conquer the muddy roads.
Self-production
Homemade swamp vehicles with your own hands: features and tips
The most popular basis for swamp vehicles are used wheels from aircraft. If it is not possible to find such a workpiece, then use ramps from trucks. The wheels are first washed to remove various contaminants and dried. A preliminary drawing is applied on the outside using a marker.
When working, first of all you will need to remove the wire cord. You need to cut through a window and eat the nearest coil. Using pliers or a long screwdriver, pry and pull the wire out of the entire diameter.
In some cases, a winch is used to pull the wire. With its help, we peel off pieces of rubber cut with a construction knife. The outer surface of the resulting slope will need to be sanded. This can be done using sandpaper or a power tool. This takes a lot of time, but the procedure is mandatory.
To make a disk, you will need a standard disk through which the installation will take place, as well as a pair of rings and 6-8 connecting plates. They are welded into a structure and then removed by stripping from sharp edges that could damage the prepared rubber.
The disc will need to be primed and covered with several layers of protective paint. Usually hammer paint is used for this, which reliably protects against corrosion. After this, the rubber is mounted on the disk. The first tests should be carried out close to the repair areas so that, if necessary, possible installation or design defects can be corrected.
How to make disks?
Naturally, it will be impossible to use tires without wheels. Therefore, you will need to make them yourself. Let's look at this process in more detail:
- The most common phenomenon is the production of a disk from a standard one, and it is extremely important to correctly adjust its parameters.
- It is customary to expand the disk using an additional insert in the form of a strip.
- On light all-terrain vehicles, it is common to install disks made from aluminum basins, but in difficult conditions, as practice shows, they cannot withstand the load.
Although it was in the vastness of Internet Disks that this seemingly strange technical solution gained quite a lot of popularity - Fastening to the disk is done using belts, which are used as transport tape or even fire hoses, which also have sufficient strength. By and large, you can use anything, the most important thing is that the material is strong enough and elastic enough.
- In general, a disc for low-pressure tires is a rather individual design, which depends on many factors. Many decisions made by car owners require careful testing “in practice”, and they are further refined during operation. Very common solutions are when the disk consists of two halves and is welded using strips of metal or pulled together with long metal pins.
Homemade all-terrain vehicle
When driving over rough terrain in a car with low-pressure motors, the car, in addition to high ground clearance, receives a sufficient contact patch when adhering to the ground. This occurs due to lower pressure in the rubber cavities. When traveling across an agricultural field, minimal soil compaction is carried out, which helps reduce yield loss.
This process cannot be done without lowering the tire pressure. When driving over an obstacle, the wheel practically envelops it with its surface. This ensures ease of travel. However, driving this vehicle requires certain skills so as not to damage these slopes.
It is especially important to perform maneuvers, turns and turns correctly
The most vulnerable in the design are the side surfaces. They are more exposed to operational impacts and can wear out faster.
