Covering over 1000 kilometres each trip to some of the most remote locations in the world, Mick Olsen and the Explore Oz group are covering parts of the outback unknown to most.
Following the footsteps of Australian pioneers, Mick and a band of willing explorers track the expeditions taken by the likes of David Carnegie, Burke and Wills, Richard Maurice and The Calvert Scientific Expedition.
The group expends significant energy researching remote areas and the routes of explorers who pushed as far as was possible. Mick’s 70 Series Toyota LandCruiser has been custom built for these expeditions. Stretched, very heavy and generally towing a tonne or more, it’s his dream off-roader and has been built for purpose.
“There aren’t many people that do what we do,” says Mick.
“We have crossed all of the major deserts in Australia. We are doing purely remote, off-track stuff usually up to 1000km in a trip. Our longest trip was 1300kms outside any track. That took us about four weeks.”
For the last five years, Mick has been using, reviewing and recommending the Toyo Open Country M/T, and in the process exposing the tyre to absolute extremes.
“It’s not just a matter of getting out there. It’s a matter of getting home as well. You need to be sure that your tyres are going to get you there and back.”
The group covers every type of terrain and surface in any condition while towing heavy loads.
“In one trip across the Gibson desert following the expedition route of David Carnegie we had four vehicles on another brand of M/T tyre and another four vehicles on Toyo M/T. On that trip our group had 100 punctures: 80 of them were on the other tyres.”
The puncture resistance is something Mick attributes to the Open Country M/T’s extremely tough sidewall.
“The Toyo M/T has the best load and carrying capacity of any tyre on the market and makes it up with a very strong sidewall. Sidewall construction is crucial to us,” he said.
“I’ve shattered rims without even chipping the tyre. I’ve slammed the tyres off shelves onto rock and squared a rim and the tyre hasn’t even had any sign of the sidewall being disfigured.
“You can run the Toyos at 16psi all day and they will cope with the heat and it won’t disfigure the sidewalls.”
Despite appearances, the big 70 series isn’t a dedicated off-roader. Mick lives and works in metropolitan Melbourne, where the car sees plenty of traffic and tarmac.
“It’s still got to be a town car; it gets driven around the city on the streets of Melbourne quite a bit,” he says.
“The Toyo is very good on the bitumen, and it is nowhere near as noisy as other tyres – maybe because the shoulder isn’t as square as others. They handle very well in the wet too; they are very good at self-clearing.
“The Open Country M/Ts are my pick for a mud tyre. Nothing else comes near them. They are the best I have used. Travelling in the vast brown land they are the only thing to have, and I recommend them to everyone.”
