An expedition truck on portals...

LRD130PUMA

New member
Wow ! Very interesting. 17x8.5 would be an interesting size to try on a Rover.

Wondering about the mounting holes, though... The BCD is good, but just a few too many holes.

Would Hutchinson drill the wheels with just five instead of eight ? ? ?


Will with the same kind of portal axles as Robert, you can get them set up for any BCD type.
 

Oilworker

Explorer
Good morning guys ;-)

I hope ya all had a great christmas!

I picked up my own very special christmas present myself on the 22nd of December at my friends´ workshop in southern Germany.

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As I have spend most of the past year on the road, working and sorting a lot of things for my future, I was very happy with the offer by EXTREM Fahrzeuge to help me get the LR130CC-R(hino) back on the road.

It came up as we were working together on the very first, full electric, Toyota Land Cruiser, the EJ79

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...and even though the Rhino isn´t fully completed, it´s at least back on the road and running :wings::wings::wings:

While at it I also fitted the new shifters by Bowler Motorsports, which they designed for their Defender Challenge cars.

20151221_RK_08120_web1600t.jpg

As soon as the guys at Method Race Wheels get moving, I hope I can fit the Nokian Hakkapelliita 35" tyres I finally found....

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But more after the Dakar Rallye, for which I am currently packing my gear.

Have a great day and see you soon!

Robert
 

Marcelo

New member
Thank you for the update Oilworker! Good to know the Rhino is back.
On another note, if the EJ79 is fully electric, why the snorkel? lol
panlol.gif
 

El-Dracho

Overlander
Hi Robert,

Nice to see that the Rhino is nearly completed and back on the road again! Looking forward to see pictures of the next modifications to this great expedition truck!

Greetings, Bjoern
 

Oilworker

Explorer
Well on the Toyota EJ79, they really left the snorkel on because it just looks good :D

But then, with regards of the whole system being available up to IP78 (motor and battery pack) one could probably use the snorkel for the cabin, given the resulting fording depth :D :D

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We did some recreational driving today and got the bats out of the Eezy Awn tent, too ;-)

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The cockpit is almost ready, too...

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Now I gotta pack my stuff for Argentina and Bolivia ;-)
 

ersatzknarf

lost, but making time
As soon as the guys at Method Race Wheels get moving, I hope I can fit the Nokian Hakkapelliita 35" tyres I finally found....

View attachment 321759

View attachment 321760

Hi Robert,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year ! ! ! :)

Very glad to hear that Rhino is back up and running :sombrero:

Congratulations on your going to the Dakar, too. Please be safe.


Regarding the new tires, please can you let us know the size and model ?

The current tires are 315/75R16, correct ?

Looking for a very tall, skinny tire like that for our Rover (currently on elderly 35x10.50R16 Interco SSR tires).

If the Nokians are available here, that would be great . . .

Thanks.
 

Oilworker

Explorer
Hi Frank,

currently I run the Cooper STT 315/75R16, which are great though they aren´t made for big milages :-(

The new winter tires are Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2 LT315/70R17 121/118 S as I am trying to go to 17" wheels.

These Nokians are finally available to the general customer since late 2015, as until then they where only sold to the military and I spend 3 years trying to get a set :-(

Robert
 

Oilworker

Explorer
Up next on my list are new wheels.

I did find the perfect wheel while in the US for the King of the Hammers and the Parker 425 this year...

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But since then, even though we discussed it all, they are unreachable and my slot on a friend´s container has passed unused, too :-(
Got 2 more months until the Bad Kissingen show and nearing my deadline for finishing the preparations for this summer´s overland expedition, and it´s more than a bit annoying that after all the promises neither Method Race Wheels nor Nitto Tyre are responding to emails or calls left :-( :-(

(This just as an additional note if they read this thread!)
 

The Rover Shop

Explorer
You should post up who it was that you were in contact with at both of those...a couple of dozen emails from people might be enough to make em answer you..:)
 

LRD130PUMA

New member
Hi Robert, love this read and good to hear from you again. I have a question regarding the Hutchinsons you were after, can't you get them or is pricing to high??
What's the story with the Hutchinsons?? I think they're great, would love to have a set of 5 myself.
 

Oilworker

Explorer
Well,
first of all, Hutchinson and especially MH4x4 in Austria are a pain to deal with.
Their arrogance is beyond believe and if you´re not representing a medium size military outfit they just hang up on your requests.
I´ve tried for 4 years and when they finally understood that they actually had the wheel that I was looking for in their portfolio they threw prices at me that only government agencies won´t discuss! :-(

That´s why I´ve been looking for alternatives and after speaking with a few teams using Method Race Wheels, Raceline Wheels and KMC Wheels on their trucks, I found just about the right wheel as a blank at Method Race Wheels, as for me the easiest way is to fit a Mercedes G 5x130 bolt pattern and then modify the mounting plate of my tire inflation system (TPAS).
I just need them to get back to me as we´d discussed at their shop in February and find another container to put it all in to be here for the Abenteuer&Allrad Show end of May.

The same is for the tires, which will most likely become the NITTO Tire EXO Grappler AWT (http://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/exo-grappler-all-weather-traction-light-truck-tire/) in 37"x13.5" as this will also lower my revs a bit and the tire is perfect for all the driving, on- and off-road, that I do, plus it can be studded for winter use.
 

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