richard310's 04 Xterra

[Longrange308]

I just went wheeling last weekend for the first time here in Idaho.. I can say my next set of tires will also be Cooper ST-MAXX tires, again.. I thought for sure I was going to have a puncture while driving through all of the deadfall and such, and they didn't even hardly scuff the sidewalls.. The rim actually took more of a scuff from a fallen tree (tight fit on both sides of the trail) and the tires look perfect.. They also had all the grip I needed and more. I can honestly say that these tires have gotten me over terrain and obstacles than my old BFG T/A KO's would have left me stuck in.

Im a Cooper believer.. Quiet on the road with excellent traction and handling, long lasting (gone 20k now and they haven't even shown much if any sign of wear) and grip for days off road. I also didn't notice more than like a 1mpg hit when I switched to them from the stock tires that were an inch smaller.

 

[richard310]

I just went wheeling last weekend for the first time here in Idaho.. I can say my next set of tires will also be Cooper ST-MAXX tires, again.. I thought for sure I was going to have a puncture while driving through all of the deadfall and such, and they didn't even hardly scuff the sidewalls.. The rim actually took more of a scuff from a fallen tree (tight fit on both sides of the trail) and the tires look perfect.. They also had all the grip I needed and more. I can honestly say that these tires have gotten me over terrain and obstacles than my old BFG T/A KO's would have left me stuck in.

Im a Cooper believer.. Quiet on the road with excellent traction and handling, long lasting (gone 20k now and they haven't even shown much if any sign of wear) and grip for days off road. I also didn't notice more than like a 1mpg hit when I switched to them from the stock tires that were an inch smaller.

Any pictures of said wheeling in Idaho?? I need some coercing to get my butt up there to visit.

Glad to hear you'll be running the ST Maxx again. I'll be picking up a set sometime next week if I have the time from this madness at work. Massive amounts of fabrication with extremely short deadlines... Anyways back to original topic: I was debating with sticking to the BFG's, but after some thought, I'd like to try something new for something similar in price and quality. Plus if my girlfriend can get me discounts, I'm all in.

 

[Longrange308]

Ask and ye shall receive.. I didnt take many photos, but I think these kinda sum up the beauty of it all quite well..

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Theres a dog in this one, somewhere.. haha.
Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Gold Fork Rock by LongRangePro, on Flickr

 

[richard310]

..... Sold.
How far is the drive there from Boise?

 

[Longrange308]

..... Sold.
How far is the drive there from Boise?

About an hour and a half.. Basically the same time it takes to normally drive from your house to Big Bear..

 

[richard310]

About an hour and a half.. Basically the same time it takes to normally drive from your house to Big Bear..

That's not bad at all. We'll have to go when I get the chance to head up.

 

[richard310]

Picked up a Lowrance GlobalMap Baja 480c from FJRanger the other day. Powered it up during lunch today and I have to say, this thing is pretty cool. I just have to find the ideal place to mount this thing as it's larger than I thought it'd be...

Excuse the crappy cellphone pic:

 

[Allof75]

Lucky Dog...

 

[Dmski]

Wow talk about a find! That will be a great addition!

 

[richard310]

It'll definitely be a great addition when I get lost, even with my paper maps. I'll get better pictures up when I get it installed.

Also, Cooper ST Maxx 265/75-16 will be installed this weekend. Not sure if I should just swap out all 5 tires (~950), or just do 4 and swap out one good BFG with the spare (~$750). Part of me really just wants to do all 5 as the rotations will prolong the life of the tires but at the same time it hurts to drop near a grand just on tires. I'm used to spending $400 on an entire set... I miss little cars.

 

[Dmski]

I'm at the same point you are in regards to tires... Its hard to be alright with dropping that much on tires that are a wear item even when they have the potential to last 50k miles. I've been considering used, but that's also a gray area as they could have issues from the previous owner, lack of tread, etc etc. More problems that direction, and the savings just may not be worth it but its an option I'm considering never the less.

I'm envious of the size of screen on that bad boy you got there. I use a USGS map app on my iphone and while it works well without service etc, its still a tiny screen. But its more the back up to paper maps for the time being.

 

[FJRanger]

Glad, you like the new addition, get more use out of it than we did:sombrero:

A note on the STMaxxes... That's one of the reason we did not drive the landcruiser to meet you. I got a tire puncture on one with only 24 miles on them in a freak occurrence. I'll share the photo in the ST Max thread.

 

[richard310]

Glad, you like the new addition, get more use out of it than we did:sombrero:

:luxhello: I hope i get to use it properly... I'm still trying to get the hang of the interface and also to track waypoints correctly. Seems tough to get a clear satellite reception with the antenna on the dash. I may move it to the roof to see if it does any better.



I took my lunch to get this mounted. I had to shift my Kenwood 2m to the left a bit to make room for the RAM mount. There were no other options as far as placing this gigantic GPS without it getting in the way basic driving movements. This was up as can be, clearly visible, with minimal hindering. Also, my passenger can access the GPS easily with it being on the right side of the center dash.

Here it is at lunch, mounted. Not plugged in yet. Excuse the crappy cell picture.



Got it wired after work. Took some shots of it once I got home.

 

[richard310]

I'm at the same point you are in regards to tires... Its hard to be alright with dropping that much on tires that are a wear item even when they have the potential to last 50k miles. I've been considering used, but that's also a gray area as they could have issues from the previous owner, lack of tread, etc etc. More problems that direction, and the savings just may not be worth it but its an option I'm considering never the less.

I'm envious of the size of screen on that bad boy you got there. I use a USGS map app on my iphone and while it works well without service etc, its still a tiny screen. But its more the back up to paper maps for the time being.

I was considering used as well. Craigslist seems to be lacking Coopers though over here. Lot's of BFG's and Duratrac's though. I think I'm going to just suck it up and get all 5 and call it a day. These BFG's are cracking and are way passed their prime.

The screen is nicely sized, but getting me to use it properly, getting updated maps, and learning waypoints etc is another problem. I still love paper maps.

 

[Dmski]

That looks awesome! Question though, do you ever worry about people breaking in to your car with all that stuff out in the open? Looks awesome though... man my xmas list is growing.