If you do a lot of off-roading or driving on less-than-perfect roads, then it’ll only be a matter of time before you break a tyre valve stem. In fact, even if you’re not a regular off-roader, but you or other family members are inclined to drive too closely to kerbs, that too can lead to broken and leaking valve stems.

Most tyre punctures can be easily fixed with a quick repair kit, but broken valve stems don’t leave a lot of options. Ordinarily, the wheel has to come off the vehicle, and the tyre has to come off the wheel in order to install a new valve stem. And while there are a few multi-component valve stem repair kits available, they’re better for busting up knuckles than installing valve stems.

The Colby replacement valve, however, is a patented, tool-free replacement stem that can be swapped out with a broken or damaged valve stem in under a minute. You don’t have to remove the tyre, smash your knuckles, or break a sweat installing one; and they’re true, must-have items for your tool chest if you’re doing any kind of off-roading.

Colby Emergency Valve Stems

Although a broken valve stem isn’t likely to top your list of possible off-roading emergencies, it’s tantamount to a major sidewall puncture. You’re not going anywhere until you fix it, and a Colby Emergency replacement tyre valve stem is just the item you need to make an instant repair. Not only do Colby valves make light work of what would otherwise be a virtually impossible field repair, but they also spare you the potential hazard of changing a tyre in a dangerous location, or the risk of permanently damaging a wheel by trying to drive to a repair station.

Colby’s innovative emergency valve stem design consists of a brass-bodied spacer that fits flush onto the outside of your tyre’s valve stem opening, and uses a winged nut to create an airtight seal that’s achieved without removing the tyre from the wheel, or the wheel from the vehicle. These replacement stems are sold in packs of 2, and boast:

• · An ideal fit for any standard .453” valve stem opening;
• · A no-tool whatsoever installation; and,
• · A seal that’s 20-times stronger than standard valve stems.

Colby valves let you can take valve stem breakage off your list of concerns whenever you go off-roading. And with a seal that’s significantly stronger than the regularly installed valve stems, keeping a pair in your vehicle just in case you need to perform an emergency tyre valve repair is a precaution that’s well worth taking.

The Full Range of Valve Stem Options

Colby valve stems will work on any car, truck, ute, 4×4, ATV, or even lawnmower tyre with a .453” stem opening, and they aren’t limited to just emergency valve stem repair situations. Colby also manufactures their patented valve stem replacements for the following:

· 5/8” Emergency Valves. These extra large emergency replacement valves are designed for the .625” valve stem openings found on tractors and other heavy equipment tyres.

· Permanent Tyre Valves. These .453″ valve stems are intended for deeply recessed valve stem openings and are permanent replacements for standard rubber valve stems.

· Ultimate Tyre valves. These are also .453″ valve stems, but extend outward from the tyre a full ½” less than permanent valves to provide further protection against valve stem breakage.

Regardless of the type of vehicle you’re driving or the kind of tyres it has, Colby has every valve stem option you could possibly need to keep all your wheels on the road. And suffice it to say, the only thing more impressive than their valve stem range, is how easily they’re installed.

Simple Emergency Valve Installation

When it comes to installing most types of Colby valves, it’s no exaggeration that they need nothing more than hand tightening to lock into position. It’s a convenience that’s easiest to appreciate in an emergency, when your nerves may be just as frayed as your valve stem.

Once the collar and all remnants of the damaged stem are removed from the tyre’s valve stem opening, the no-tools procedure for installing a Colby Emergency valve only requires:

• · Inserting the valve into the opening;
• · Finger-tightening the sealing nut; and,
• · Re-inflating the tyre to its correct pressure from your vehicle’s compressor.

Installing Colby Permanent and Ultimate valves is just as straightforward, with the exception that a ½” socket wrench is needed to tighten the sealing nut. It’s a level of simplicity that’s an indicator of their quality; and if you haven’t previously thought about how important high-quality valve stems are, then you only need to consider the job they do, and how just vulnerable they are too much more than rocks and kerbs.

Valves Stems That are Meant to Last

Although environmental factors can be easy to overlook, there’s no mistaking that most valve stem failures have already been set in motion long before they bite the dust on the trail. Classic, rubber-moulded valve stems begin to degrade immediately after they’re installed, as the compounded stresses of everyday usage typically include:

• · Intense sun and UV exposure;
• · Contact with corrosive road chemicals; and,
• · Prolonged heating and cooling cycles.

Not surprisingly, most tyre stems have already become perilously dry and brittle within a couple of years, and it doesn’t take too many hard knocks on the trail afterward to sheer one off entirely.

That’s why to match their durable brass bodies and UV-resistant polymer over-mouldings, Colby valves are made from high tensile strength urethane. They won’t become brittle, and they’re UV, chemical, and heat resistant, which means that in addition to being 20-times stronger than ordinary rubber valve stems, they’re also 20-times more durable.

The Final Word

At the end of the day, while it may certainly be possible to change a tyre on the trail after breaking a valve stem, there’s always the possibility of breaking another one while you’re attempting to navigate back to level ground. It doesn’t take much to damage a second tyre – it’s the reason that a lot of off-roaders carry 2 spare tyres – but there are more convenient ways to avoid the double-damage dilemma without loading up an extra spare.

By keeping a few Colby Emergency replacement tyre valve stems in your vehicle at all times, you’ll always be prepared if you break or damage a valve stem. Just like spare bulbs, fuses, or a tire repair kit, emergency stems should be a part of your off-roading tool chest, because you never know when you’re going to need them. And to put your mind at complete ease, installing Colby Permanent valves in all your tyres is the way to make broken valve stems a thing of the past.