Overland Journal: Discovery I, 5-speed

[Big D]

Ha Ha I have to admit this is good!

 

[David Harris]

I don't know about the UK, but here in the US 25 years ago wide tires were pretty popular. Most of the ads in the magazines I still have from that period are for wide tires.
Personally I've always preferred narrow, from my first Rover I ran 7.00x15's on to the 7.50x16's on my 109's, Lightweight and coilers. I'm disappointed that 7.50x16's are so hard to find now.

I guess the closest size to these today would be 235/85R16, right?

 

[Antichrist]

I guess the closest size to these today would be 235/85R16, right?

Close. 7.50x16's are usually about 32+" OD.

 

[SeaRubi]

Good news Sea and Alia, I found your PERFECT set up. Theyre skinny, tall, AND ignore all current tire technology!

HAWT. :ylsmoke:

 

[Wander]

I wonder if that Hummer was a static display of irony (and a good one) or did it actually move on those hoops? That took some thinking to get that right.

 

[David Harris]

I wonder if that Hummer was a static display of irony (and a good one) or did it actually move on those hoops? That took some thinking to get that right.

It took some real woodworking skills. That guy must have been reincarnated from the horse and buggy days!

David

 

[Nonimouse]

I don't know about the UK, but here in the US 25 years ago wide tires were pretty popular. Most of the ads in the magazines I still have from that period are for wide tires.
Personally I've always preferred narrow, from my first Rover I ran 7.00x15's on to the 7.50x16's on my 109's, Lightweight and coilers. I'm disappointed that 7.50x16's are so hard to find now.

True for the States but in the UK we had such a small selection of tyres it was a joke. The only way to get wide stuff was personal import form accross the pond. Big wide tyres were ex mil 9.00x16's! 7.50x16 Firestone SAT's were the way to go, with ex mil XCL's being the second choice
General Grabber's in 31/10.50 were the first common imports

 

[Paladin]

And if there isn't anything under there, then the wide ones will sink anyway. The flotation you get only works if you have a lot of speed and power to spin the tread clean, and keep moving. That's why they work on mud boggers with high horsepower motors. As I said, the flotation of the tires decreases control in the mud, just as wider road tires will hydroplane easier. This also makes the narrow tires better in the snow as well.

Better in the snow... when there's something solid underneath it. Go ask the Icelanders which tires work better when driving on a snowfield.

So you're saying the British drive through mud differently than we do, or that the mud in one of the rainiest countries is different than our mud? Their mud requires skinny tires compared to ours? Also, they were running these tires up to the late 90's in the CT. There were no other tires to choose from in Britain at that time? All of them were small and skinny?

The British enjoy winching. They set up entire competitions which are winchfests. On the other hand, most Americans hate winching. It's a mark of shame. It's slow an unspectacular.

I go everywhere the big boys go with my skinnies. But I have to winch a lot. I hear the "Oh geez, not again..." all the time.

Therein lies the real difference in approaches to tire width.

Maybe it has something to do with the restrictions on 4x4 use in the UK. They can only legally use their trucks on private land. That restricts the places they can go greatly. If they built trucks like Americans do, they'd spend all day running in circles around a piece of land. Instead, they enjoy getting stuck, and winching themselves out. They can spend all day on 10 acres of land and never see the same piece of trail twice.

 

[Nonimouse]

Slow - winching!?! You need to come over here and watch. We upgrade winches like you upgrade trucks. A Gigglepin can achieve enough speed to bump start a five speed. We have hydraulic winches in mass production that can achieve 275 ft/min under load. It's got so bad that we are now getting injuries to 'Winchbitches' (slang for the guy who does all the work) who have misjudged the no load line speed. The drawback is that when you make winching a sport, you forget it's an art and then the accidents happen

Guys like SImon Raferty from X-eng are working on multiple motor low mount TDS''s that make a custom 8274 look slow - with the added bonus of not falling apart like the 8274 does when you make it quicker.

Even my work winch runs a 6hp 5k rpm motor, oil impregnated bushes and custom freespool

Mind you our Challenge vehicles are fairly capable without using the winches. Most competition limits trye size to 35" but that's what is written on the side not a true measure so re-mould copies give you an extra 1-2". Boggers are fashionable but Simex ET2's are still pretty damn good. Trucks tend to be 93 to 100" wheel base, the lighter the better so 1600kgs is nice all up as they need to be strong. Unlike the Europeans we tend to use trees for steering and leaning on; tight softwood forestry plantations that are no good for man nor beast are popular. Front rear and mid mount winches are de rigeur. Mind you the standard class guys need to be watched - no lockers and one winch takes skill
Oil burners are no longer in favour - Rover's Buick upgrade is popular again, often rebuilt or taken out of a TVR. 275 to 300 English BHP is nice but with the ability not to hit the red line to 7K. Ashcroft 4 speed auto 'Monster boxes' are the trannie of choice, with Ashcroft doing the most of the rest of the drive train

Here's a report and piccies from on of the best event organisers in my own small part of the world http://www.4x4adventures.co.uk/_main/_reports10/101016_wce.htm

This is one of our top drivers on a friendly in portugal a few years back [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL1rCQDI0Wo"]YouTube - rainforestportugal2006adrianeveritt[/ame]

Sorry Scott; more hi-jacking

 

[Paladin]

Hardcore.

Thanks for proving my point though.

So that's the pinnacle of the sport over there. This is it over here:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy_a1pmrP74"]YouTube - 2010 Griffin King Of The Hammers III : Anarchy Trailer[/ame]

Notice though. Nobody is using "skinnies" on either side, anymore. Skinnies are a compromise to street use. The discussion is not, should not be, "what's better for off-road, skinnies or big tires." But rather "what's the size that offers the best compromise between road performance and off-road for an overland vehicle."

 

[Nonimouse]

No, not the pinnacle, definately not. The video is of the top Portugese event four years back. It's all changed so much since then.

In the UK there are a number of events that claim to be 'the toughest' but they all vary so much; The Phoenix, The 90 degree, The Decider are all tough as hell but so very different. Most are 'punch' hunts - using orienteering punches; or have Special Sections ( a timed 'stage')

The european challenge scene differs from country to country. The Eastern European stuff is fast; with events like the Berlin-Breslau (or whatever name it runs under next year) being quick rather than technical; same goes for The Transylvanian or The Croatian. The Ladoga or The Vepski are just completely insane - liek an extreme version of any of the Scandianvian Challenges (imagine your rock crawling without the nice grippy rock (lots of lichen) and bogs, lakes, more bog with extra bog). The Murmansk to Vladivostok is different again - 12,000kms (7,500miles) of high speed endurance in snow along the Trans SIberian Highway. The winning team gets 22lbs of Gold.
Western European stuff varies from tight as hell with lots of mud and slippery rock in the UK, through rock and sand in Portugal/Spain, Jungle in the Canaries, Uber technical in Begium and France to just about everything in a hot climate in Morroco...

We also do a lot of endurance rallies in Europe - like the Baja, but less bumps, collections of shorter stages and much faster.

I've travelled over a big old chunk of this globe and what people do with 4x4's for fun is so varied

Personal favourite goes a bit bigger [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssCirsswooM"]YouTube - Europa Truck Trial 2009 - Ostrava[/ame]
Used to do this but it got so expensive just getting there - I ran a Volvo TL22/916 hybrid back in the '80's

 

[Fuzzy]

that looks like sooooo much fun

This is what most of my off roading has been in...with 28 TON in the box as well

 

[Scott Brady]

I go to Baja and come back to semi-trucks in my Disco thread.



Regarding the tires: The 245/75 ATs have been a great tire for this truck- probably the perfect tire for what I use the Disco for. I will probably put some 7.5s on there purely for fun and out of curiosity.

 

[David Harris]

Regarding the tires: The 245/75 ATs have been a great tire for this truck- probably the perfect tire for what I use the Disco for. I will probably put some 7.5s on there purely for fun and out of curiosity.

I run 245 Silent Armors and love them for all around use. Where can you get 7.5's, out of curiosity?

David

 

[Scott Brady]

Where can you get 7.5's, out of curiosity?

It is not easy, but I love a challenge