Innertubes

[wrenchnsax]

New to forum. Have had my '65 Series IIA Mil 109 about 10 years. Great truck. Ok- I need to pay her back some now.

Time to replace my (original?) bias ply tires. My plan: tires (all 5) off, wire wheel/prime/paint all wheel surfaces, new tires. I have natural rubber innertubes (wow!). Should I use them with my next tires? Do I need to use them (ie my old wheels must have the innertubes or I need to buy new wheels)? Is there anything that would prevent me from using them (aside from finding one or more tubes holds air now but has 20 patches)?

All experience appreciated.

[stomper]

Clean up the rims, put regular steel belted radials on them, toss the tubes, and be done with it.

[I Leak Oil]

Just buy new tubes.....

[SalemRover]

Clean up the rims, put regular steel belted radials on them, toss the tubes, and be done with it.

I agree as well. So much quieter with radials vs. bias ply.

[antichrist]

Some people have luck running OE wheels with tubeless tires, some none at all.
If you decide on (or have to use) tubes with radials, be sure they are radial tubes. I also put tire talc in the tire.

[mearstrae]

I dumped my bias tires and tubes four years ago for radials, and will never go back. The wheels were cleaned and painted, with no troubles using tubeless tires. Use the tubes for the old swimming hole, and save yourself time and expense.

'95 R.R.C. Lwb
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[LR Max]

I dumped my bias tires and tubes four years ago for radials, and will never go back. The wheels were cleaned and painted, with no troubles using tubeless tires. Use the tubes for the old swimming hole, and save yourself time and expense.

'95 R.R.C. Lwb
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

I've done the same as well. Run modern radial tires on my old rims. No problems.

Tubes are awesome to brag about until you get a nail through it. Instead of pulling out your plug kit, fixing it, and keep rovering on, you've got to mess around with pulling the tire off of the rim, etc. Not worth it.

Don't do it.

[disco2hse]

I have heavy duty tubes just because they are less likely to lose pressure when I air down. Rocks, branches, heavy impacts and such sometimes have a tendency to throw tubeless tyres off rims. I have radial MT's with tubes.

The points made above are all valid, so it comes down to personal choice. Tubeless tyres are a lot better than they used to be.

If you go tubeless, your main issue will be with the rims. As it has been said, get them cleaned and painted and in all but the rarest cases, you should be good to go. If you decide to stick with tubes, make certain you only use heavy duty tubes because the standard tubes coming out of Asia are rubbish. They will chafe and rub pin holes will form in a matter of weeks of driving.

[antichrist]

The points made above are all valid, so it comes down to personal choice.

Yup, and where you drive. A good friend in Vermont tried to run tubeless on his 109 and during mud season was always breaking his beads because mud and gravel would work their way in. But he was driving every day in axle deep, or deeper, mud for about 5-10 miles.