Tire width and lateral sliding.

[SpencerFitch]

I understand the skinny vs fat tire debate and contact pressure pretty well.
What I don't understand is lateral sliding and what part width has to play in it.


I cannot find any other information on THIS subject.

 

[IdaSHO]

I dont this the rubber is your problem.

What type of diffs are in your Discovery? I bet they are not "open".

 

[SpencerFitch]

What type of diffs are in your Discovery? I bet they are not "open".

Only a lockable center differential. same as the 4runner.

 

[AxeAngel]

Same mud conditions? Regardless of tire if the voids don't clean themselves your tires will just be a slick mess.

I've seen 2wd trucks with swampers outperform fully locked 4wd with mud tires. NC mud especially is just awful.

Sam

 

[Hilldweller]

Weight of the vehicle, momentum, amount of air in the tire, & dumb luck. Did you try airing down?
Real mud, the stuff on the off-camber trail and not in the pit at an offroad park, is an unpredictable affair.
We have an OHV area around here called Beasely Knob; the state closes it when it rains a bit. That's how dangerous the mud is there.
You can't beat mud; you can only declare a truce, one battle at a time.

I was almost stuck; the sideways action was excruciating.

Right after a no-control sideways slide on an off-camber slope; wife was in surprisingly good spirits.

Here's the slope; doesn't look like much but you couldn't even walk up it.

 

[AxeAngel]

We have an OHV area around here called Beasely Knob; the state closes it when it rains a bit. That's how dangerous the mud is there.
You can't beat mud; you can only declare a truce, one battle at a time.

I was almost stuck; the sideways action was excruciating.

Try Uwharrie after it rains, makes Beasley Knob look like a walk in the park. It's a no go. I've slipped on flat roads, inclines, had the rig slide every which direction. Judicious usage of the skinny pedal with boggers/swampers is pretty much the only way to go.

-Sam

 

[Desert Dan]

Your Disco weighs much more than your previous vehicles which may be part of it and you are sitting up higher too??

 

[SpencerFitch]

No, the 4runner had a 3" suspension lift and a 3" body lift.

I really want to keep this thread TIRE WIDTH specific,

In a perfect world, would skinny be better than width?

I know a skinny tire has more pressure per square inch. They DIG into the mud, however their lack of area could be the factor between catching something and not.

A wide tire seems to float on mud, but I don't want to FLOAT sideways.

I know its not MUCH of a difference, but I'm going with 235/75/16 or 255/75/16

 

[Desert Dan]

A square sharp edged MT will make a big difference.

If you are going to be in mud often get a good MT tire.

 

[frgtwn]

So far, this is what I've heard:

"I have a problem.

Is it A

or B?

I only want to talk about B"

Well, if you were to solve A (tire design), and B (tire width), you will still slide downhill on mud. (Sideways.) If this truck performs at a different level than others in your experience, then, it seems to me that limiting the discussion to one possibility will limit your results as well.

 

[Sangster]

x2

 

[SpencerFitch]

READ the title, Im sorry Ill delete EVERYTHING else pertaining to it.

 

[SpencerFitch]

A square sharp edged MT will make a big difference.

Best answer so far. Didn't consider THAT factor.

 

[Hilldweller]

Best answer so far. Didn't consider THAT factor.

eh, maybe.
I still think it's a recipe, all the ingredients matter.

Tread, inflation, weight of vehicle, tire profile. In that first picture I posted, I was wheeling with two YJs in some bad mud; one had Swampers and one had some worn ATs --- I had MTR/Kevlars. Both of the lighter YJs ran circles around me (1000 pounds lighter). The Swamper-wearer did pretty well but the AT-wearer did the best and floated over everything. Frustrating.

Mud is evil and very fickle. Just when you've figured it out, something new is introduced.

 

[dzzz]

It depend on the amount of "MT" in the tire. At one extreme, street tires, skinny may be better. Running a true MT, wide is better.
But as Bill indirectly mentions, the reason overlanding tire are normally tall and relatively narrow is to make the contact surface changeable by air pressure while still maintaining decent highway performance.
People primarily put on big AT's for looks. Generally a tire size the manufacturer had in mind will perform best as an all around tire. A wider AT will likely perform a bit better in mud, but will be inferior in snow and on the highway. Horses for courses.