Thread: tyres & pressures for Fraser Is

Originally Posted by Loubrey

I agree Slunnie, but the wide vs narrow tyre argument has been dead and buried for so many years now and there is actually no point in revisiting something that has been proven many many years ago to be fact.

Wide tyres offer very little other that "looks" and higher fuel consumption (that is unless you're in the Arctic Circle where the fat balloon tyres definitely still have a place!)

Cheers,

Lou

I really don't think any vehicle or tyre manufacturer agrees there - that's why almost no non commercial 4wd comes with them anymore, no comp 4wd with uncontrolled tyres use them and no tyre manufacturer has put any technology into them - mrf being a leading skinny is a evidence of this. Glass testing debunks all of the footprint myths, I've not ever seen a skinny work better offroad anywhere, not even mud and interesting ages ago when 4wd monthly did a direct compare all those years ago they concluded that wides also work better. Aesthetics in modified vehicles is always determined by function. It's an old school debate much like manual vs auto, chains vs snatch straps etc but I've never seen any evidence that a 7.50 etc is a better tyre with the exception of being puncture proof - they've been superseded.

On this LJ 50 I've tried 235/75 r15, 30/9.5 r15, 31/10.5 r15, 7.50/16 and 235/85 r16. The best ones are a toss up between the 7.50s, which steer better and have the larger diameter, but roll under on the rims causing stability issues (at pressures appropriate for such a light vehicle) and the 235/ 16 which don't steer as well. Depends on the vehicle and load. Sand performance isn't really an issue though.

Originally Posted by GuyG

There are lots of exposed sections of rock that I have never seen, even some sections of White Coffee Rock.

There's a nasty bit of this white coffee rock (that might be of dolomitic/limestone origin according to an old fella I work with) about 100 metres north of the entrance to the Dundubara campground. (When you see the big green QPWS sign you should be able to make out this rocky section.

I'll try and post a photo later if I can find it.

If you're running along that way on a mid-high tide and you needed to move up the beach to avoid some waves and you were in this exact spot you'd be given a nasty surprise when you finally realise that this shape you're heading toward is not just a bit of darker coloured sand....DAMHIKT.

Let's just say it's one of the few times I've hit something on the beach, landed all four wheels back onto the sand and then jumped out to check what I'd broken underneath. But I was driving a Landcruiser....

Enjoy your trip. Don't run away from the dingoes either. Some of them like chasing things, kind of like a dog will do.

Edit: someone already noted the location of said white rock...that's what happens when you don't read the whole thread.

These are the rocks referred to above.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

I really don't think any vehicle or tyre manufacturer agrees there - that's why almost no non commercial 4wd comes with them anymore, no comp 4wd with uncontrolled tyres use them and no tyre manufacturer has put any technology into them - mrf being a leading skinny is a evidence of this. Glass testing debunks all of the footprint myths, I've not ever seen a skinny work better offroad anywhere, not even mud and interesting ages ago when 4wd monthly did a direct compare all those years ago they concluded that wides also work better. Aesthetics in modified vehicles is always determined by function. It's an old school debate much like manual vs auto, chains vs snatch straps etc but I've never seen any evidence that a 7.50 etc is a better tyre with the exception of being puncture proof - they've been superseded.

That's why Defenders come standard with 235/85/16... I'm not advocating a return to old technology, just dispelling and contesting the myth that wide tyres are better in sand...

This is not opinion for a debate as suggested, but fact proven over and over discussed on many threads right here on the forum.

Cheers,

Lou

Wow bell1975, that looks like the stuff of nightmares. I dread getting caught by the tide (I've even had bad dreams about it) and I certainly do not intend driving through salt water or being one of those being filmed as I watch my car drown. Were those photos at high tide? What exactly is coffee rock? Soft sandstone?
I attached a couple of pics showing my tyre choices. The side walls on the 31x10.5R15's are actually larger than the 7.50s (surprisingly), the 7.50 in the pics is just a spare as the others have better tread. The side on view shows the very small difference in overall height and the end view shows how the 7.50 looks a lot taller due to the width variation. I had a look at a Camel trophy video of some retired Defender and it was tearing all over the sand dunes with reasonably skinny wheels although I think they were still a bit wider than my 7.50s.
Given the state of the beaches I'm wondering if its worth going. I don't want my first visit there to be a bad experience due to the poor beach driving conditions and the chance of sinking the old girl, etc.Any thoughts on that guys?
cheers Gerald

Go and enjoy. The white coffee rock was covered 2 weeks ago. Aim to travel 2-3 hours either side of low tide. Depending where on the island you are staying/camping, you may need to be aware of travelling timeframes, eg, if staying at Eurong, you might not have enough time to make it to Sandy Cape and back all on the one low tide. There are a couple of rocky sections as noted in QNPWS fortnightly updates. If it was too dangerous I'm sure they would advise in this update. There are a couple of roads on the South West of the island that were closed, but these generally aren't part of the normal touristy stuff.

Most of the beach driving is easy, the bypass behind Indian Head can be soft and quite a few get bogged there. If there hasn't been any rain for a few weeks then the tracks can turn to powder but with the correct tyre pressure for the vehicle/tyres fitted, you shouldn't have any dramas.

Take a fishing rod as its coming into Tailor season.

Originally Posted by Didge

Wow bell1975, that looks like the stuff of nightmares. I dread getting caught by the tide (I've even had bad dreams about it) and I certainly do not intend driving through salt water or being one of those being filmed as I watch my car drown. Were those photos at high tide? What exactly is coffee rock? Soft sandstone?

It's about a mid tide IIRC when that was taken. Sometimes even at low tide when there's a big swell the waves can run all the way to the foredunes in some places.

Coffee rock is just layers of compressed organic stuff - better summarised [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_rock"]Coffee rock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

You'd have to be incredibly poor at planning to drown your vehicle on Fraser - you'll pretty quickly get a feel for what sort of beach you are happy flogging your vehicle down. A high tide beach north of Dundubara up to Indian Head is generally doable depending on whether it's a big high or if there's much swell. You will probably use 1/2 as much more fuel than if you were doing the same trip on a hard sand low tide beach though. If you were to try to head south of Dundy on a high tide you'd not make it past Eli Ck or if you did then the Mclaughlins Rocks and/or Chard rocks would stop you most probably. And at the best of times it's a slow crawl over these sections - your wife will let you know how comfortable your driving is!

Originally Posted by Didge

Given the state of the beaches I'm wondering if its worth going. I don't want my first visit there to be a bad experience due to the poor beach driving conditions and the chance of sinking the old girl, etc.Any thoughts on that guys?
cheers Gerald

Nah, go for it. Take it easy on the beaches and slow down to enjoy the scenery. The 80km/h limit is not a target to aim for...

Originally Posted by GuyG

Go and enjoy. The white coffee rock was covered 2 weeks ago. Aim to travel 2-3 hours either side of low tide. Depending where on the island you are staying/camping, you may need to be aware of travelling timeframes, eg, if staying at Eurong, you might not have enough time to make it to Sandy Cape and back all on the one low tide. There are a couple of rocky sections as noted in QNPWS fortnightly updates. If it was too dangerous I'm sure they would advise in this update. There are a couple of roads on the South West of the island that were closed, but these generally aren't part of the normal touristy stuff.

Most of the beach driving is easy, the bypass behind Indian Head can be soft and quite a few get bogged there. If there hasn't been any rain for a few weeks then the tracks can turn to powder but with the correct tyre pressure for the vehicle/tyres fitted, you shouldn't have any dramas.

Take a fishing rod as its coming into Tailor season.

I've been off work for the past few weeks so wasn't aware that the white stuff was covered again. It's most dangerous when there's only about 30cms of it sticking out - that's the point at which I hit it. Two weeks later it was about a metre out of the ground as a spring had started trickling water around it.

FWIW the bloke I referred to in my first post who told me it was supposed to be limestone has worked on the island for over 30 years. When this rock reappeared a few months ago he said it was the first time in over 20 years that it had popped up again. It just goes to show how dynamic the place is.