Capo
Happy Camper
Wheels and Tyres
From the 6x6 thread:
Originally Posted by mk216v:
"Tibus portal setup is about $12k USD.
Regarding your 35s on 18"s, make sure to look at sidewall tire heights with the 18" wheels. Why not stick with a 16" wheel(Hutchinson beadlock like mine?) and run a 35" tire? That way you have lots more sidewall....or meet in the middle and go 17" wheel with 35" tire."
16" Hutchinson and 35" would mean an awesome footprint in sand considering the ultra low pressure permitted by the bead locks. I just switched to a bead lock system called Tubliss, to try on one of my dirt bikes and I'm curious to see what I think about the extra weight. That bike is in Spain and I'll try it out as soon as I arrive there. I saw a Tubliss test of a dirt bike rider pounding through rocky sections the whole day on not a low pressure tyre but a completely flat tyre! - Absolutely amazing! The Tubliss bead lock system locks the bead with an inner ultra high pressure thick skinned tube (not sure how the bead locks on the Hutchinsons?). I'm not sure if I'd like the weight of the Hutchinsons which is quite a bit more than a traditional alu-wheel. Also, I was recommended by my mechanic to run a stock MB wheel in order not to raise suspicion of structural modification amongst CH traffic cops - again, the silly rules forcing you to sub-optimise. I already have stock MB wheels in both sizes and both wheels are homologated for the G400 but only the 18" will allow the better AMG brakes which is another stock MB upgrade I plan on doing. I've got spoiled by the marvellous brakes on Arnold the G55 and I find the G400 brakes insufficient when loaded above a total weight of 3.000kg.
Of course I would have preferred the sidewall height of 16"/35", it is an off-road vehicle I want after all. But I was shown an 18" wheel shod with a 35" tyre, placed next to my 16" wheel and it looked all right. It will give a better footprint than my current 16" and it will allow for a brake upgrade. My mechanic also took me for an inspired drive on both tarmac and a bumpy forest road and these tyres are a noticeable improvement over my 16"/265. Those 35" tyres just absorb so much already before the suspension kicks in. I've never tried 35" tyres before, it's a floating feeling and it was interesting to try them in a G to get a crisp comparison. Admittedly, the springs on my mechanic's G500 is a bit smoother than on Rommel but clearly there is a difference between the two tyre setups.
Well, this looks like the direction I'm taking but nothing is written in stone since I have a complete set of wheels in both sizes.
From the 6x6 thread:
Originally Posted by mk216v:
"Tibus portal setup is about $12k USD.
Regarding your 35s on 18"s, make sure to look at sidewall tire heights with the 18" wheels. Why not stick with a 16" wheel(Hutchinson beadlock like mine?) and run a 35" tire? That way you have lots more sidewall....or meet in the middle and go 17" wheel with 35" tire."
16" Hutchinson and 35" would mean an awesome footprint in sand considering the ultra low pressure permitted by the bead locks. I just switched to a bead lock system called Tubliss, to try on one of my dirt bikes and I'm curious to see what I think about the extra weight. That bike is in Spain and I'll try it out as soon as I arrive there. I saw a Tubliss test of a dirt bike rider pounding through rocky sections the whole day on not a low pressure tyre but a completely flat tyre! - Absolutely amazing! The Tubliss bead lock system locks the bead with an inner ultra high pressure thick skinned tube (not sure how the bead locks on the Hutchinsons?). I'm not sure if I'd like the weight of the Hutchinsons which is quite a bit more than a traditional alu-wheel. Also, I was recommended by my mechanic to run a stock MB wheel in order not to raise suspicion of structural modification amongst CH traffic cops - again, the silly rules forcing you to sub-optimise. I already have stock MB wheels in both sizes and both wheels are homologated for the G400 but only the 18" will allow the better AMG brakes which is another stock MB upgrade I plan on doing. I've got spoiled by the marvellous brakes on Arnold the G55 and I find the G400 brakes insufficient when loaded above a total weight of 3.000kg.
Of course I would have preferred the sidewall height of 16"/35", it is an off-road vehicle I want after all. But I was shown an 18" wheel shod with a 35" tyre, placed next to my 16" wheel and it looked all right. It will give a better footprint than my current 16" and it will allow for a brake upgrade. My mechanic also took me for an inspired drive on both tarmac and a bumpy forest road and these tyres are a noticeable improvement over my 16"/265. Those 35" tyres just absorb so much already before the suspension kicks in. I've never tried 35" tyres before, it's a floating feeling and it was interesting to try them in a G to get a crisp comparison. Admittedly, the springs on my mechanic's G500 is a bit smoother than on Rommel but clearly there is a difference between the two tyre setups.
Well, this looks like the direction I'm taking but nothing is written in stone since I have a complete set of wheels in both sizes.