how big is too big ???

skid · Post by **skid** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:17 pm

I asked this question in another thread, and it was suggested to put in a new topic. Here goes.

WHAT IS EVERYBODYS OPINION ON TYRE SIZE. SOME CLUBS HAVE A 33" MAX RULE. THE WINCH TRUCKS HAVE A 36" MAX RULE(I think). THE TRIALS GUYS HAVE A 35" MAX RULE.

ARE YOU HAPPY WHEN YOU GO INTO THE BUSH AND HAVE TO WINCH YOURSELF THROUGH ALL THE 37" PLUS SIZED HOLES THAT OTHERS HAVE DUG BEFORE YOU.

I'M NOT BITCHING, I'M JUST CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLES VIEWS ARE ON THIS TOPIC.

let us know your 2 cents.

DaveM · Post by **DaveM** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:21 pm

I personally think the 33" club rule is a load of bollocks.
A hilux on 33's can dig deeper ruts than a Safari on 33's, and at the end of the day its the driver, not the tyres that will be doing the damage.
I would run 35's just to get the extra diff clearance I need on the Safari if I was driving it more often

doddzee · Post by **doddzee** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:27 pm

I run 37's on my safari. I dont have a problem with people running large tyres. I do not approve of any dickheads sitting there digging holes till there diffs are on the ground.

There is also the arguement that with larger tyres you do not diff out as much therefore being to move along with out excessive wheel spin.

As Dave said diff size comes into it as well 37's on my truck is no different than 35's on a lux or crusier.

Sadam_Husain · Post by **Sadam_Husain** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:28 pm

just like we have freedom of choice of what sort of truck we have we have freedom of choice of our preference of tyres :wink:

truck-fixer · Post by **truck-fixer** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:29 pm

I suppose it depends on what your doing, where you are going and how capable of what your vehicle can handle. I think it depends on what you as the owner/driver of the vehicle wants. I've got to agree with Dave though, there is always the "heavy footed" people who just want to see how big and deep of a hole they can dig with their tyres. Thats my 2 cents.

swampa · Post by **swampa** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:32 pm

when i was in the nelson club that was what safari and cruiser owners kept on saying i need 35's to have the same clearance as hilus's on 33's, that is not sound reasoning if you own a hilux as they would reply, if you have 35's so should we, it will never end but responsible clubs set limits

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:35 pm

it should be down to owner prefrence.....
it dosent matter if the ruts are from 33s or 40s my zuk
has such a skinny track it cant get into both ruts anyway!!!
haha big rubber good!!

Leithfield · Post by **Leithfield** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:35 pm

A lot of clubs have a 33" rule because they ascribe to politically correct asinine mythology. Review the evidence and you will I suspect be surprised - large tyres 35"+, used responsibly, are actually more eco-friendly than 33's.

Smurf · Post by **Smurf** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:37 pm

I used to get stuck rather easily back when I ran 31 inch tyres. Now on 33's I can easily drive over/through what would have previously got thebetter of me.

xj · Post by xj » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:42 pm

Well, for my point of view...

Without doing a SERIOUS suspension lift (ie 5 inches just ot get 33's on) Im forever going to be running 31's.

Hence im nearly always in a shithouse storm of big wheeled bastards, and i wouldnt have it any other way. As someone else said, we have a choice of the vehicles we drive, and mine has limitations. Sobeit. I cant expect others to give a rats left butt cheek about the ruts im going to be driving in can I.
If anything, it makes me think a bit more about how to straddle the ruts ahead of me, or taking alternatives. Rather than hitting the gas and "rah rahing" my way through, I have to think a bit. (which is a big ask sometimes) And if it comes to pass, which it does often, that I come unstuck, or stuck, then i get a snatch, and we carry on.
No-one moans at me for needing a drag evey now and then, and i dont moan about the big footed boys.

If i could put em on i would too. I can recall one day perched up, dead centre..... front and rear lockers in, wheels spinning merrily in the air, going no-where. You can have as many traction aids as you want, but without diff clearance, you are always going to have to look at diversifying driving style/tactics.

hiriklux · Post by **hiriklux** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:52 pm

well my point of view is the bigger the better for what im into and it pisses me off that people blame the tyres for the big holes and not the dickhead behind the wheel and think smaller tyres cause more damage as people tend to got at holes with all the tyres spinning flat out so they can get through
my 2c worth

Mikey · Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:57 pm

Personally I don't have a problem with people running larger tyres than 33" and agree that driving style has more influence over track damage; but it should also be noted that it can be quite annoying when an otherwise capable truck (with good approach/departure angle, tyre grip etc) gets stuck due to being hung up, all because someone with large tyres has taken an aggressive approach through an obstacle digging deeper ruts than than normal. Obviously this is going to be a bigger issue in certain areas of the country depending on terrain characteristics.

Just my perspective anyway.

Cheers
Mike

coxsy · Post by **coxsy** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:02 pm

hi was told south island runs have a max tyre size of 33 , i stated i wanted to stop at 33 's . Is their fittment is acheivable with miner changes to my truck in lift , had the truck well over 45 dec and stayed on all four not sure this can happen with a bodylift and a large suspensoin lift and 37 's

xj · Post by xj » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:33 pm

coxsy, either your drunk, or callum is typing for you... i dont understand any of that!!

(or....... maybe I'M drunk...... yes that could be it......)

Leithfield · Post by **Leithfield** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:24 am

coxsy wrote: had the truck well over 45 dec and stayed on all four not sure this can happen with a bodylift and a large suspensoin lift and 37 's

Don't you believe it Coxsy - all comes back to how well your truck is set up; I'm on 37's with a major suspension lift (coils, no body lift), with long travel shocks and am able to safely pull some crazy angles.

lowbox · Post by **lowbox** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 6:36 am

I have 33's and 35's. I use the 35's on tracks which have been reshaped with 35" holes and ruts and 33's would just get stuck. The 33's I use everywhere else.
If you take a dozen trucks on 35's through a muddy track even if you are all driving responsibly it ends up with ruts that will belly a truck on 33"

So I see some logic in the 33" max thing. Some guys in our club are on 38's now, so I might have to go to 40's!

hosehustler · Post by **hosehustler** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:04 am

This subject has been thrashed out over the years but it comes down to opinions and as we all know everyone has one :lol:

Several clubs do limit the tyre size to 33inch, to help limit damage to tracks, but mainly to keep the farmers happy as they do a few trips on private property.
The problem is a huge percentage of trips done by clubs are on public property, certainly more than on private, "joe average" (as clubs refer to non joiners) have whatever size tyre they can run, and consequently club trucks with limited tyre sizes suffer on most hard public tracks, so by limiting tyre size you're only disadvantaging your own members :shock:

The flip side of the arguement is a truck without lockers on small tyres does a lot of "spin damage" which would of been avoided with a larger tyred locked vehicle.......but the latter does a lot of damage to tracks when conditions are such that digging to the diffs on all four corners occurs..
Thats my opinion

from a staunch 35inch twin lokka luva :mrgreen:

Post by **mike** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:27 am

Don't forgot you need 35's minimum to drive the ruts that have been chewed out to this depth by the nutty fruit cakes WHO TRY TO DRIVE THEM IN 2WD with their rear lockers in :lol:

Normally these nutty fruit cakes are safari owners from what ive seen. But then the bigger the tyre the further you have to go a field to find a challenge. I vote 31's or 32's and then everything is a challenge :twisted:

My LR on 32's hasnt been towed by a nissan yet but its towed plenty :lol:

Mike

Goose · Post by **Goose** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:40 am

A safari on 35's in 2wd????? :shock:

Whoever are you talking about mike??? :roll:

I run 31's on the surf, been towed once or twice by a cruiser and a shity old landrover..... :lol:

I do want to go to 33's, but I enjoy the challenge of the 31's, as XJ said, it then becomes more about the driver, picking lines, straddling big ruts etc..... :twisted:

So you "buggers" on your 35's+ just make it more interesting for me :wink:

hinsonberger · Post by **hinsonberger** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:15 am

lowbox wrote:If you take a dozen trucks on 35's through a muddy track even if you are all driving responsibly it ends up with ruts that will belly a truck on 33"

I fully agree with this. While driver responsibility & caution can limit damage, tracks are always going to end up dug down to the largest common size tyre being used.

It's also amazing how people talk about how they drive sensibly on 35+ tyres & then in the next breath talking about having enough torque to spin the tyres up & clear the tread!

I'm on 32's in the Ninety & happy with them. As mentioned by others, its a nice challenge! Also, where does the tyre size issue end? Everyone used to have 31's, then 33's, now 35's seem the norm, with more people moving to 37's...

hosehustler · Post by **hosehustler** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:33 am

hinsonberger wrote: Everyone used to have 31's, then 33's, now 35's seem the norm, with more people moving to 37's...

Everyone used to have landrovers as well (including myself, having had two series style rovers) but time moved on, and so have I :lol:

If I choose to go to 37's then I will, my choice, just like the type of vehicle I buy, my choice, we have enough clowns in this country forcing bullshit legislation on everyone at the first sign of trouble without looking at the wider issues.
Hmmm portals on 33's, now there's some serious thought :mrgreen:

rokhound · Post by **rokhound** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:39 am

As long as you have plonkers who like slipping in the slipper, this arguement is totally useless. I have seen guys on 33's do twice the damage that a rig with bigger tyres will do. If your truck isn't up to driving the track with the tyre size you have, then don't do it. All you do is rip the shit out of every thing and the next guy with bigger boots comes in and has to give it more snot to get through. And the whole cycle starts over again (with bigger ruts and tyres involved).
I do concede that when you get a dickhead running 35" tyres and bigger who just goes in full noise, spinning up and making a mess, you do have an issue with track damage etc.
I always drive in slow to an unknown hazzard, and if I can't make it, I can either back up and go in with slightly more momentem, or just bail. There aren't to many tracks I can't get through on the slow in approach, (I am running on 39.5 swamppers though) but there are still some.

Go rock crawling instead, you can't damage the rocks, but they can do some serious damage to you if you get it wrong. The other bonus is that you only need a very small area of ugly rocks and boulders to fill in a whole day.

My 5c worth any way (and overvalued at that)

Ralfie · Post by **Ralfie** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:56 am

"As long as you have plonkers who like slipping in the slipper, this arguement is totally useless. I have seen guys on 33's do twice the damage that a rig with bigger tyres will do."

And I have seen far more damage done with 35's plus size tyres.

Yes, many of those with larger tyres look for more challenges and on safari's etc they often come back saying well I didn't get into 4WD it was so easy. They don't think of the damage they have done in the process or think of the people coming behind.

Generally speaking more damage is done on private and public land by those people with high powered vehicles and generally those are the vehicles with 35's or bigger tyres.

Steve_t647 · Post by **Steve_t647** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:34 am

I like driving things on 31 and 33 tires and not getting stuck it is more of a challenge. You can also get the most capable 4x4 on 35's stuck too but when I get stuck I love the fact that there is someone running larger gear there to snatch me out, it mean's I dont have to buy and fit a winch or larger tires they usualy have them.

As far as damage goes any vehicle can do damage I have seen a honda accord in teritory it had no right being in, was it the car? the size of its tires or the drivers fault? And what a mess they had created trying to get out of where they were!

Put the blame where it should be in the drivers. Of those I have met in CHCH that have well setup 4x4's they are usualy the trip leaders so are all happy to help those in lesser equiped vehicles and are responsable for the following drivers and their vehicles getting home at the end of the day, is this not what we expext and want?

If you see damage being done it is your duty to photograph it and supply that to someone to follow up if it is a trip participant then teach them better driving styles don't blame the vehicle or tire size.

rangimotors · Post by **rangimotors** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 12:58 pm

why do we bother? when we start limiting tyre size whats next? we as 4 wheel drivers choose to modify standard trucks to get places we couldn't in standard vechicles, I try and go new places sometimes i go out alone and try and go places others haven't been, i don't want to modify my truck to keep up with the guy in front of me i want to mod it to push my boundrys and explore places that previously i couldn't, this doesn't mean i don't want to also go on club days etc but when limitations are put on us it means we can't go as many places and if its about keeping up with the guy in front we might as well all be in standard trucks competing agains't each other, i agree and no that being on 32's following a guy on 35's is sometimes a fun challenge to test driving skills, but this doesn't mean that the guy's on 35's can't find places to test there trucks, skills and boundarys..
my 2c

Sadam_Husain · Post by **Sadam_Husain** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:10 pm

.... and what happens when a keen enthusiest wants to take his unimog on a Sunday outing with the boys, does he have to try and squeeze 33 inch tyres onto it :shock:

fweddy · Post by **fweddy** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 1:15 pm

I'll add another totally different spin to this (probably end up with mud chucking too).

Of course what I say depends a lot on the area being driven in but...

In some cases who really cares if the track gets a bit more ripped up! Some places it seems to me that there is much effort to limit 4x4 use to protect the tracks for 4x4 use.

If you have smaller tyres or less capable vehicle and go in and find its got deeper ruts you either:
don't attempt
try and get through and make it
try and get through and don't make it, then give up or find means to get through!

Remembering that even if there is a limit of 30inch tyre size, that doesn't mean that the water or a tree or a washout won't happen.

Not all the tracks are actually essential access routes that must be maintained in good order, some of them are 4x4 tracks that are there for the purpose of 4x4ing. None are tailor made for any vehicle so where do you draw the line because a Leone driver might complain that they can't get through, or they might not complain and give it a go anyway, get 5 meters, get totally stuck, dig themselves out and go home with a great story to tell!

Where is our pioneering spirit! Not every thing needs legislation!

Of course I'm not blanket covering here, its different for private land if the owners wants it a certain way or places where the route gives access to something (waterfall, picnic area etc) and respect must still be shown.

spanky · Post by **spanky** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 2:00 pm

i run 30s on my scudo cause they fit good and the front diffs are as weak as piss ,on scudo2 i will use 33s as it will be lux axles ,if i had lots of money i would run 35s that is all that is stopping me, the price , cheers
vaughan

Ralfie · Post by **Ralfie** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 3:27 pm

In some cases who really cares if the track gets a bit more ripped up! Some places it seems to me that there is much effort to limit 4x4 use to protect the tracks for 4x4 use.

This is precisly why many tracks and areas for four wheeling have been permanently closed. Not an attitutde that will allow continued access for much longer.

The I don't give a damn who is going to be coming behind me today, next week or in years to come attitude is a selfish one and one too many people seem to adopt. It is this attitude that closes the door on access.

But I suppose enjoy it, rip it up what the hell, while you can.

Barbie · Post by **Barbie** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 4:00 pm

Hi Guys, first post be nice. Well here is what I think.

Yes there needs to be some size there otherwise there would just be a lot of splashing and mucking around on the surface, so in this size does matter. :oops:

Those guy's with bigger ones are in and out and done sooo fast they don't even break a sweat, talk about booring and they think the size is all the technique they need!

Then you get guys with the average ones, they work it more and have a lot better technique, some even get out and poke and prod and have a few other tricks to make it all happen!

Then you get the small ones, I have found that these guy's whilst having vastly superior technique and a lot of tricks do so much work to get in... they still can't overcome my dissapointment! yes it all hapens most of the time but when it misses it really misses. :shock:

so in summation I prefer the guy's with average ones they think about it more get in and have a play and give it a really good go! and will poke and prod and check things out more carefully before getting in.

But remember you can't get away jumping into and out of any hole, you will get caught out one day! :twisted:

how big is too big ???

how big is too big ???

tyre size

Re: tyre size