ChasingOurTrunks
Well-known member
I wouldn't say that 35" tires are exclusively an exercise in vanity. They do improve performance in technical off road sections. But I do note that they certainly are a predominantly North American practice, with an honorary nod to the Australians as 35" are catching on over there. Personally I've never been on a trail in North America that wasn't just a "challenge track" -- i.e. a rock garden that is intended for crawling through, usually in a loop, over a few hours or so, as distinct from a "through route" (which is typically the Overland application) -- where 35's were required. I've certainly been on a few where 35" would make the trip easier, but I don't mind getting out to winch or use the MaxTrax or be a bit more cautious on my lines. The 4wd24/7 folks on Youtube show this reality quite a bit -- some in their convoy will be on 35s, but others are on 32s, and all of them typically end up at the end of the trail one way or another, and that challenge faced by the smaller tired rigs is part of the fun.
My two cents as to why Ineos isn't offering them from factory (pure speculation, as others have said we have no idea what the full paradigms were for Ineos' decisions): For most of the world, the biggest tire you will typically see for a passenger vehicle rim in tire shops is 32". This reality can become a problem in remote parts of the world, where "odd" tire sizes are even more rare. I would wager that Ineos not offering a 35" tire from factory, but obviously testing with a 35" tire, is a recognition that some folks will want 35" tires, but for many folks, selling a 35" from factory would be contrary to the "you can fix it anywhere" ethos of the Grenadier. You can't fix it anywhere in the purest sense if you have to wait 6 weeks for the right sized tire to be shipped in, especially given how often off-road use will take out tires relative to on-road use. And, the overall use case of the vehicle isn't intended for "hard" off-road/rock-crawling. There are way better options already on the market for that that are compact, lightweight, with big wheels; the Gren is really designed more as a utility/touring wagon and has the size and weight to match, and if I need to winch a few times a year to get my touring wagon through highly technical sections, that's probably less of a disadvantage for my experiences off-road than the hit to fuel economy and other "cons" of a bigger tire, or by leaning the design more towards the extreme end of off-road performance.
. We're well over$2 for gas on the coast.
