rruff
Explorer
How much do you air down for that?
Ground Clearance Needs
- Thread starter swrider
- Start date
How much do you air down for that?
D
Deleted member 9101
Guest
You win.... you're 100% correct....the entirety of the South Eastern US is nothing but "wet, hard, flat sand." Not a single road made of sugar sand... No dunes... No white fluffy beach sand.... Nope .. not a bit.?
Peter_n_Margaret
Adventurer
Depends on the load, the sand and the day.
Maybe to half of highway pressures, maybe lower. Whatever is required to stay on top.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
Smileyshaun
Observer
Soooo what does any of this have to do with the OP question ? To the OP , run what you have then judge from your trips how much more tire you may need. most all of us are just driving down gravel roads with the occasional little obstacle that even a passenger car could make it through. If you find yourself regularly tackling harder and harder obstacles out exploring start worrying about more tire and lift then .
Peter_n_Margaret
Adventurer
Maybe you missed the question marks ?????????
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Im in Las Vegas, so I get some sand, some gravel and lots of bushes. Roads aren't too bad unless u go after the rain. Lots of ruts everywhere I go and the occasional rock outcrop in the middle of the road sometimes.
So typical Southwestern terrain.
I'll run 33's if I can fit them, and it should be plenty for now, and if it's not, then I will reevaluate and see what I need to change.
I like my 18" wheels, to change them out would require more $$$ which i do not have.
Im in Las Vegas, so I get some sand, some gravel and lots of bushes. Roads aren't too bad unless u go after the rain. Lots of ruts everywhere I go and the occasional rock outcrop in the middle of the road sometimes.
So typical Southwestern terrain.
I'll run 33's if I can fit them, and it should be plenty for now, and if it's not, then I will reevaluate and see what I need to change.
I like my 18" wheels, to change them out would require more $$$ which i do not have.
alanymarce
Well-known member
We've travelled around South America during about 10 years with 200 mm clearance on two X Trails (T30 and T31), which was OK - a bit marginal in a few more challenging places but we were never unable to get where we wanted to go. We replaced the second X Trail with a Montero and lifted it 50 mm so we now have 285 mm clearance and this has given us more capability - we've spent 3 of the last 5 years with this vehicle in South America, and one in Australia where it was perfect for everywhere we went including a Simpson crossing.
We were in Africa for most of a year in our LC80 with 312 mm clearance and never had a problem anywhere.
The only recent trip where we found clearance to restrict us was a month in Iceland in a rented Tucson with 170 mm clearance and this did limit our exploration of Þórsmörk however we found that we could get around most of the F roads with no problem.
So, I'd say that 285 mm (11 in) will be fine for overland travelling.
The other concern, as others have noted, is approach, breakover, and departure angles.
We were in Africa for most of a year in our LC80 with 312 mm clearance and never had a problem anywhere.
The only recent trip where we found clearance to restrict us was a month in Iceland in a rented Tucson with 170 mm clearance and this did limit our exploration of Þórsmörk however we found that we could get around most of the F roads with no problem.
So, I'd say that 285 mm (11 in) will be fine for overland travelling.
The other concern, as others have noted, is approach, breakover, and departure angles.
My '04 F150 XLT 4x4 had factory ground clearance at 8.3" to the differential with the OE 255/70R17 (32" diameter), My current tires are 35x12.50/17 with a 2.5" level / lift with a "California trim" fender trimming to eliminate rubbing, Due to the differences in tire diameters I am looking at 9.8" ground clearance.
Is it worth it?
Honestly, I wish I had not gone past 33s. Easier to fit, no trim.
Invest in a winch, basic recovery gear. At the very least insure you have a snatch strap, tree saver, at least one snatch block and 2 D rings, some logging chain, a folding GI shovel, and a set of traction boards. Oh, and a heavy jacket / blanket to use solely to use to weight the winch cable should it snap.
Last time I was out, I was called to help out a guy with an older F250 with gobs of lift and 44s, but no winch, he managed to bury the thing to the axles in dune sand he had no business being in. I had him drag the winch cable and hook up, and managed to have to drag him about 30 feet before he could actually get traction.
So long winded story short. The problem wasn't the ability of the rig, but the smart use of the truck. Don't get into stupidly bad situations and you are good to go. Can't tell where the bottom of that mud hole is? Don't go into it!
Is it worth it?
Honestly, I wish I had not gone past 33s. Easier to fit, no trim.
Invest in a winch, basic recovery gear. At the very least insure you have a snatch strap, tree saver, at least one snatch block and 2 D rings, some logging chain, a folding GI shovel, and a set of traction boards. Oh, and a heavy jacket / blanket to use solely to use to weight the winch cable should it snap.
Last time I was out, I was called to help out a guy with an older F250 with gobs of lift and 44s, but no winch, he managed to bury the thing to the axles in dune sand he had no business being in. I had him drag the winch cable and hook up, and managed to have to drag him about 30 feet before he could actually get traction.
So long winded story short. The problem wasn't the ability of the rig, but the smart use of the truck. Don't get into stupidly bad situations and you are good to go. Can't tell where the bottom of that mud hole is? Don't go into it!
phsycle
Adventurer
But winch and recovery gear sometimes acts as a common sense blocker ?
“Alright, Roy, watch this…….”
Todd780
OverCamper
Sad, but true...
It is best to always start with a good head on your shoulders, and go from there.
Todd780
OverCamper
Wait. It will be an extra cost option like the 37's on the Raptor...
Smileyshaun
Observer
I think a lot of people get hung up on ground clearance numbers as a judge of off-road ability but personally I believe approach/departure is more important but the biggest number people should be looking at is break over . You could have 12” of ground clearance but still gut Stuck in places someone with 6” of ground clearance would have no problems with if they have a shorter vehicle . A Subaru has around 8” of ground clearance but not much more for the rest of the rig so they drag the belly a lot .
Alloy
Well-known member
We have a 2020 Subaru Outback. I was able to deal with the break over by crossing diagonally but coudn't do anything about the approach and departure (scraping the bottom off the front cowl and bending the exhaust manifold) angles so I stopped using it off road.
Just a bit of perspective here, and mind you I am an old fart. I lived in Arizona in college, and had a couple of vehicles I would offroad all over the desert out there. A '79 International Harvester Scout 2, a 65 VW Westfalia, a 65 VW Baja Bug, and a 76 Toyota Celica. And given the proper driving technique, I wouldn't hesitate to take the Celica to places I would take the Scout.