Thread: Show us your Deefers !

Not really the correct thread for it, but a quick answer...

The only 2 factors that increases footprint is "height" or rolling diameter and pressure. There is very little to be gained by going wider except additional drag to slow your momentum. Think about it - in sand you are constantle pushing a little "hill" of sand in front of the tyre. The wider your tyre the bigger the volume and weight of the sand hill your momentum's got to overcome. Wider is in fact considerably worse than "skinny" on all soft surfaces. Wide or "fat" tyres only has benefit on blacktop and for those who like the looks.

Have a read on the article attached for a detailed explanation of the height/pressure relationship.

About.com: http://www.4x4now.com/sfjun96.htm

This is why a vehicle with 315/70/15 tyres on has a far greater chance of getting stuck in sand than a 255/85/16 at the optimum tyre pressure.

We can start a new thread if there's different opinions on the matter

Originally Posted by 4wheeler

Hi Didge,
It does look a bit clean doesn't it. It does actaully get used for what it was designed for and does have the odd dirty weekend. I have been a 4x4 club member for 16 years now and my 4x4s have travelled a good bit of the country. Having said that, my fellow club members warn me if there is a mud hole coming up and generally rib me about getting the car dirty. I don't know why.

yeah, just kidding! I haven't met a defender owner yet who hasn't taken it into the bush. If you know of one, let me know I'll buy it. When I first got mine dirty, I was proud and kept it that way for a week, but then the novelty wore off. Nice looking rig though

Originally Posted by Loubrey

I second that!

When warranty’s run out you could look at taller (255/85/16) if you really want to, but there is no gain whatsoever (except higher fuel consumption!) in going wider than 265/75/16.

Remember that sand "footprint" only works front to back on lower pressures, but wider tyres just increases your drag without adding much if anything to the footprint.

yep, I've got a video somewhere on the laptop from a training guy at Stockton beach who says it's all in the pressure and the length of tread on the sand not the width and that people running 750R16's at the right pressure will do just as well as those with fat tyres.

Got my new roof rack fitted and stuck on a Mantec RAI, have not gone to much effort to make sure it is all watertight yet as I don't foresee too many water crossings in my Simpson trip later this yr, once the warranty has run out then I can get modify the air intake more.

Went to the 4wd & camping show at the weekend on the GC, if I had a million dollars came to mind.. I have a few things outstanding to do and loads of money not earned yet to spend, need to finish the bits I have been buying and not fitted, Decat pipe is in the shed waiting to have some wrap put on it and then the mission to fit it.

3rd row seats are coming out, and so is the second temporary, and so is the roof lining and all the trim, getting a few mm of Rhino lining over all metal in the back through to the bulk head might even strip out the boxes under the seats and do them if I feel energetic but the wiring scares me, once that is done then I will reassess the sound/heat proofing requirements before I put it all back together.

Tyres are looking to be the next urgent issues the last 10k has taken its toll on the tyres but can't complain, 88k so far on the GG's just need to get some black wheels, the Boosts are not doing it for me these days, and would be good to keep them in the shed with the GG's on them or what's left of them. Anyway.

Tidy setup there Pat! Snap on that Mantec "Plastic Jobbie" RAI.

I met a guy from Mantec at the Land Rover World Show a couple years ago (used to live in Worcestershire, so no name dropping!) who worked on the aerodinamics and intakes of that RAI and he claimed that the shape and angles of the intakes actually seperated dust and heavier particles (vortexes, spinning air, high pressure, low pressures and a load of techie talk) to allow for cleaner air reaching the filter.

Might have been complete bumpf, but constantly driving dirt roads in the Pilbara, I've never seen cleaner filters on any of my previous Defenders.

Originally Posted by Loubrey

Tidy setup there Pat! Snap on that Mantec "Plastic Jobbie" RAI.

I met a guy from Mantec at the Land Rover World Show a couple years ago (used to live in Worcestershire, so no name dropping!) who worked on the aerodinamics and intakes of that RAI and he claimed that the shape and angles of the intakes actually seperated dust and heavier particles (vortexes, spinning air, high pressure, low pressures and a load of techie talk) to allow for cleaner air reaching the filter.

Might have been complete bumpf, but constantly driving dirt roads in the Pilbara, I've never seen cleaner filters on any of my previous Defenders.

I reckon he is probably right, this is based on my complete lack of knowledge regarding the subject, but I think all those metal blades under the intake head are shaped the way they are for a reason, and the one at the top on the back looks perfect for ejecting unwanted particles

I've got the same raised air intake. Can't go wrong!

Easy to install. Rovercraft delivered it overnight for me.

Originally Posted by patclan

have not gone to much effort to make sure it is all watertight yet as I don't foresee too many water crossings in my Simpson trip

Making the intake watertight also makes it 'dust-tight'. You generally get cleaner air up at the top of the snorkel and as Loubrey has already pointed out the design of that thing helps to remove foreign particles in the air.

Air leaking in downstream of the head would not only limit the effect of it's intended design, but would also carry dust in with it which kind of defeats the point of having the thing in the first place.

Just something to think about before heading into the dusty ol' Simpson.

Either way you have a nice rig there and I don't think you'll have any difficulties crossing the Simpson in it.