Basil started a very interesting thread in August 2008 about tyres.

So I started doing a little research into tyres and punctures.

There are 2 kinds of punctures.....repairable and irrepairable (tyre writeoff).

The punctures that are repairable, are those through the tread pattern.

Changing a tyre whilst on the road appears to be a major issue on many rigs eg. due to that fact that the puncture may take place on the inner tyre of a dual real wheel configuration.

I was wondering if anyone uses some form of Tyre Sealant?
eg: this product

Do they actually work? Do you recommend any particular brand?

Side wall punctures also occur, and from what I understand they are impossible to repair.

In that case, I would have thought the best idea would be (other than only ever driving on sealed roads) would be to invest in tyres that provide some form of side wall protection.
eg: the Hankook Dynapro MT

Any views on this?

Last week I had a new set of Hankooks fitted to the family car, and the installer advised me that Hankook Silica tyres generally last (if you drive appropriately) between 80,000 and 110,000 Kms. The record he has ever heard of was 152,000 Kms of a single set. .....and that is why I have linked to Hankook above.

It leads me to asking another question......

Whereever I have purchased vehicles, they come with relatively soft compound tyres.....feel nice on the road, but they generally last no more than 30,000 Kms.

Is it the same with motorhome rigs?

If so, what type of milage can be expected from the original set?
Is it possible to request a certain type of tyre to be fitted at purchase time?

I carry a can of the aerosol tyre repair stuff ("TYRE PUMP") and I have found it does work in an emergency for puntures of the nail or screw etc through the tread but only untill you can get it repaired... I carry also in the tool kit that came with the new car inc a little compressor a set of the plug type tubeless repair tools and I have used those on many occasions, the trick is to make sure you cut the plug stuff of as close to the tread as possible to avoid having the plug pulled out by the action of the tyre on the road.
For blowouts you have no choice but to either fit your spare or change tyres at the side of the road/track, a practise that can just get you out of trouble but unless you have the facilities to ballance the new wheel & tyre at the roadside you need to travel slowly untill you can get the wheel ballanced.
The KIA came factory fitted with the Hankooks on so I will report back in due course, they seem quite good in the wet and on gravel & sealed roads and I pulled my son's Tereos out of mud without any loss of traction. I don't do much strict off roading so I can't say how they handle beach or mud....

the plug method is a much better way to fix a flat on the side of the road as long as the hole is not too big, as stated cut it off as close to the tyre as possible if you use the adhesive sealant you must IMMEDIATELY drive no less than 50 kms, more if possible, any time standing will cause the adhesive to start forming a dam and dry on the bottom of the tyre and will throw the whole thing out of balance after a while the "leftover" goop will dry and create little balls that run around inside your tyre creating a very strange noise please don't use this stuff on a tyre that has a tube, the plastics in the tube don't like it and will deteriorate rapidly and then fail, even if the manufacturer states that it is fine in a tube tyres are chosen for the compound mixtures present in the tyre and for the purpose that they are thought to encounter, as a generalisation soft compound good grip, good ride, low mileage, hard compound less grip, hard ride, more miles, the stiffer the sidewall of a tyre the less it will "move about" on the road and therefore will not be as comfortable or as maneuverable and will not guarantee a penetration of a stone or whatever, the best defense for sidewall intrusion is actually a "soft" side wall with partially deflated tyres, this allows the tyre to "roll" around the obstruction rather than bully itself over the top with dire consequences, under inflation not recommended for highway travel