Thread: Tyre Sizes

I remember a similar agrument when the army started taking Unimogs to the Cape. They would dig out the ruts to an extreme extent that other vehicles would bottom out on them. The Unimogs still travel and the agrument has subsided. I do however believe that monster vehicles take the driving out and the fun out of 4WDing. There needs to be a challenge.

Regards,
PeterW
Without big Tyres

I would be happy if they changed the laws to make 33" tyres legal

Surely the problem lies with the driver tearing up the tracks in most instances and not the tyres themselves. I have seen many drivers on stock ruber tearing up tracks due to either not driving appropraitely or with enough experience.
I hear what you are saying, but not sure banning 35" or above tyres will achieve much.

Aye, Mick

I'm one of "those" people on 35's and agree that it is usually the way people drive rather than the tyre itself. I like to believe that with the my larger tyres and diff locks that i do less damage than what otherwise might be inflicted. Having said that eventually the constant traffic wears the track down and a 35 wont make it regardless.

I also think that we as a 4wd community need to self police ourselves so that we can continue to enjoy our sport in freedom, so yes a 33 limit should be more than adequate and may help us keep a clear of offending others.

This is a ridiculous suggestion (sorry).

For starters - some vehicles came standard with big tyres:
Unimogs (up to 40-50")
Volvo C303s
Land Rover: one-ton / 101FC / etc. (9.00x16 is actually 35-36"). The Forest/Roadless rover had up to 52" tyres!!!
And quite a few more. Now these aren't especially common, but how does this blanket ban on tyres over 33" work for these vehicles?

Secondly, many of the (more common) 4x4s that run 35's are doing so ILLEGALLY - so how do we make something that is already illegal illegal? e.g. in QLD, larger tyres CANNOT be approved at all, under any circumstances. The largest you are allowed to go is +25mm on a solid axled 4x4 (so that makes 33"s legal for 110s, but not discos and rangies).

Thirdly, the NCOP, which will hopefully be implemented - is like the QLD system. It will limit tyre diameter increases to 50mm over standard. So 35s would be legal on 110s, but no larger.

As others have said, it isn't tyre size that is the main issue - but how do we stop all the idiots who think it is fun to go out 4x4ing in wet weather and rip up the tracks with lots of right boot (especially when they get stuck), and 50 attempts at each section they can't get up???

Originally Posted by TwoUp

I remember a similar agrument when the army started taking Unimogs to the Cape. They would dig out the ruts to an extreme extent that other vehicles would bottom out on them. The Unimogs still travel and the agrument has subsided. I do however believe that monster vehicles take the driving out and the fun out of 4WDing. There needs to be a challenge.

Regards,
PeterW
Without big Tyres

In the early 1970's I had a slightly lowered VW beetle that always thought it was a Land Rover. After traveling up the beach from Noosa to the Cherry Venture ship, and back to the next town north [is it called Tin Can Bay?] I met some pommie hitchhikers who had tried to hitch up the beach to the ferry over to Frazer, but told me no one would pick them up, so I told them I would take them to Frazer Island if they paid for the ferry and a bit of gas. So my off road very standard, slightly lowered, with wide wheels and fibreglass flared gards on it, VW beetle got to go to up the beach at Frazer Island. It had 6 inch wide on the front and 7 inch wide at the rear, and a 4 and a half inch spare which is all that would fit the spare wheel well. On the ferry we found I had a puncture in the rear, so after trying to pump it up--had one of those pumps that ran by removing the spark plug and screwing the pump in--and finding it would not hold air, we moved a 6 inch back onto the rear, and put the 4 1/2 inch spare on the front in its place. It was okay on the beach, but when I tried to go inland to see the fresh water lakes it sat on its floor pan with the wheels spinning in the deep ruts from the lancruisers [I think no Landrover would be unlady like to leave a deep rut, so blaim the Landcruisers.] This happened on several attempts to get inland on different tracks. Luckily we were blocking the track so a landcruiser had to pull us back to where it was firm to get past us, otherwise they may have left us there. So I am aware of this sort of problem.
Would love a Unimog to own but cannot afford one. Would swap my son's 1985 Range Rover for one any day. Some of the fun of 4WDing is getting out when you are stuck. Till this post I had never considered bigger wheels meant bigger ruts, as I thought it was just that my of road standard beetle that had been slightly lowerd by the previous owner just lacked ground clearance. but it should have been obvious. About 50 km up Frazer, I had watched a stock standard beetle with narrow tyres that appeared to be slightly raised go over some rocky type stuff to get to the ship wreck where it was too rutted for me, but I got up their by waiting for the tide to drop and driving around this on wet sand. Main problem I learned with the beetle is they did not have a oil seal on the crank behind the Harmonic Balacer pulley, but instead had a screw araingement on that crank that wound the oil trying to get out of the engine, back into the engine. Trouble with this arangement it wound sand in as well, as I found out when I checked her oil and found it was extremely gritty once back in Sydney. Asked a VW expert friend what to do. He said drain the oil, mix diesel with motor oil fifty fifty, and run it for five minutes and then change oil again. Do this several times tuill it was clean. It appears to have worked, but got rid of it soon afterwards, sio do not know. Not really a Rover strory but thought I would share it. John.

This discussion reminds me of tracks I encountered in Burma - used extensively by wagons pulled by water buffalo - with six foot wheels, they often had the axle scraping on the ground between the wheel ruts, creating real problems for us in Landcruisers!

As pointed out, the problem is not the tyre size, but the drivers - and in any case there are vehicles around with bigger tyres - e.g. ACCOs, not to mention most farm tractors.

I have not voted, as I believe the poll is meaningless, since most of the tyres being disparaged are illegal anyway.

John

Yes i would support this , What happens to all you do gooders when you are out numbered by the yobos with 35" plus tyres that dont give a toss and dig the tracks up

Would you change to 37'" tyres and still say your a do gooder and doing the right thing , I do acknowledge that smaller tyers do cause damage as well

Maybe another poll should be set up for or against using a grading systerm for tracks

This is a very hard question that some will fight to the death , It will open a can of worms for some

Now all i want is rovercare,s popcorn smiley