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Old 27th August 2008, 13:38   #76
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Headers, you are quite correct when you say that minimal usage on road at low speed will limit the damage to off road tyres. I do not know what kind of hwy usage is in Khan's plans. I do not know his budget. I will just express my concern here and leave it to him. He seems quite capable of making the decision for himself.

For myself I would have a good set of AT tyres for road and exploring. If I wanted to do serious off roading at a site known to me, I might take a second set of tyres and a hydraulic jack just for that. But that's me. I am not saying this is the only solution.
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Old 27th August 2008, 13:42   #77
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Originally Posted by DirtyDan View Post
you are quite correct when you say that minimal usage on road at low speed will limit the damage to off road tyres. I do not know what kind of hwy usage is in Khan's plans. I do not know his budget. I will just express my concern here and leave it to him.

For myself I would have a good set of AT tyres for road and exploring. If I wanted to do serious off roading at a site known to me, I might take a second set of tyres and a hydraulic jack just for that. But that's me. I am not saying this is the only solution.
Thats great Dirtydan. Now I get you loud and clear! Thanks
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Old 27th August 2008, 14:05   #78
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Oh dear Samurai, how i'd love to disagree with you!

The occasional travelling to an offroad location say 30 odd kms away is not a problem at all!
After 30 odd kms, he will be still inside Bangalore.
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Old 27th August 2008, 14:09   #79
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Now do you suggest that offroad vehicles also be transported in a transporter?
I see that happening when hardcore enthusiasts like your goodselves graduate from Gypsies and MM540's to mean custom built rock crawling buggies The rate at which you guys are going that shouldn't be too far off
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Old 27th August 2008, 14:16   #80
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I see that happening when hardcore enthusiasts like your goodselves graduate from Gypsies and MM540's to mean custom built rock crawling buggies The rate at which you guys are going that shouldn't be too far off

Thanks Daddy / Uncle, But I'm not a hardcore offroad enthusiast, just an amateur who loves cars and bikes and...
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Old 28th August 2008, 02:52   #81
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Maxxis have advertised in car mags showing dealers only in Delhi and Bombay. If you need the Bombay number let me know

Shahnawaz my only concern with these tyres is the road noise and increased wear on highway. Ideally we should cart them to the offroad site, have our fun, put back the road radials and drive back in comfort. This becomes an issue when you have to drive for atleast 100 or 200 kms on highways at speeds above 100.

Are these Geolanders available here in India? Excuse my poor knowledge but is that a model from Michelin?
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Off road tyres do not perform well on the road. You will find that the big flat surfaced lugs slip on wet hard surfaces. Other problems you have heard about, noise etc. Also, the wear on hard surfaces will put the heavy lugged tyres out of round in a very short time relatively. Then they will be an absolute hell on road, whup, whup, whup, whup, whup you to death. These tyres are very hard to balance from the day you put them on new because of the heavy tread and they really get only worse after road use. Believe me on this one, I have some experience with this dilemma.
I would agree with Deepak & DD here, off-road biased tyres are a real pain to use on-road & are not really an acceptable compromise unless you do negligible amounts of on-road travelling after the off-road jaunt. It's not just the noise but also the lack of grip/braking that is a concern to deal with.

As far as Maxxis goes, if anyone needs I can provide the number of the India distributor. PM me if anyone needs it.

P.S. The M/T Geolandars are as of now not available in our market officially.

Last edited by iraghava : 28th August 2008 at 02:56.
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Old 28th August 2008, 09:41   #82
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It's not just the noise but also the lack of grip/braking that is a concern to deal with.
Oops we forgot about that totally. The reduced contact patch can severly compromise road grip and safety on highways!
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Old 28th August 2008, 10:46   #83
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Oops we forgot about that totally. The reduced contact patch can severly compromise road grip and safety on highways!
Actually that was very much in mind when I asked Shan to drop the mud tyres. I didn't mention it thinking it was obvious. The reason I am not considering mud tyres for my Jeep is because of the contact patch. The noise is not an issue since the diesel engine will drown it.
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Old 28th August 2008, 10:58   #84
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The reason I am not considering mud tyres for my Jeep is because of the contact patch.
What tyres are you considering? Also what do most experts here feel about the nylon offroad tyres vis-a-vis the new generation radials? Weight can be an issue here

Last edited by DKG : 28th August 2008 at 11:04.
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Old 28th August 2008, 11:39   #85
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What tyres are you considering? Also what do most experts here feel about the nylon offroad tyres vis-a-vis the new generation radials? Weight can be an issue here
Right now I do have a tube type AT tyre on it, so I am leaving it alone.

See the tread pattern, and please ignore the moth.

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Old 28th August 2008, 12:11   #86
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See the tread pattern, and please ignore the moth.
Wow that is one helluva moth !
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Old 28th August 2008, 21:25   #87
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Hi Samurai, DKG and Ishan,

I agree that the contact patch on road in an offroad tyre is not great. But these are the questions one needs to ask himself before making a choice, IMO

1. What is my ONroad travel and the cruising speed?
2. What kind of offroad terrains do i want to encounter and CONQUER!
3. What kind of driving style do i have - One needs to introspect honestly
4. If I select mud tyres, can i cope with the on road disadvantages - Noise, contact patch etc etc.
5. OR do i select a great AT tyre and push myself in an OFFroad terrain to conquer?

The reasons I felt AT tyres are NOT suited for a jeep are:
1. Low speed of the vehicle in general
2. The abuse a jeep can withstand - A gypsy cant hold a candle in front of a jeep here.
3. The looks
4. The steering geometry, ease of turning, ease of braking etc.
5. Ability to wade through slush
6. With AT tyres - One gets a slick tyre the moment he loses traction in slush and all the tyre sipes are blocked. The self cleaning property of NDMS endears it to many jeepers because of this SINGLE aspect. This tyre can dig and MOVE.

I have had 235/75 R16 AT as well as NMDS [600x16] on on my CJ3B to confirm this.


Now, the counter idea is -
Why an AT tyre for a gypsy?
1. Better road speeds
2. Better braking ability
3. Better Handling
4. Better Sand driving
5. Better connering etc.

A very good potent combination is to have NDMS type tyres on a Gypsy. This will enable a gypsy to have the following advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages:
1. Exceptional ability to go off road in sand, slush rough roads
2. Very light steering
3. Increased FE

Disadvantages:
1. Funny looks
2. Lower contact patch
3. Lower top cruising speeds because of #2 above


Hope I have made my points clear for the benefit of all Jeep and Gypsy owners / users / off road enthusiasts.

Good night!
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Old 28th August 2008, 22:01   #88
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Nicely put Headers. You are right that for mud and slush the NDMS rule. But if its deep slush then perhaps the Mudzillas should have an edge as they offer some flotation too. This Sunday we encountered just this kind of slush, easily a foot and a half deep, with a lot of difficulty a MM550 and LSD with the sand grips just about made it. None of the other Jeeps ventured.

BTW are the NDMS tyres available in 750/16?

Last edited by DKG : 28th August 2008 at 22:03.
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Old 6th September 2008, 14:56   #89
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I damaged one of my tyres in the last OTR (sidewall burst after hitting a rock), so the tyre change need is expedited.

Based on suggestions here and driving terrain, have more or less decided on an A/T rather than M/T.

One of the fellow jeeper got Yoko Geolander 235/75/15 in his Classic done a month ago and is very happy with the performance -- both on/off-road

Here is what the tyre looks like:
The Offroad Rims & Tyres Thread-mm_yokohamageolandarg012.jpg

The size available are:
The Offroad Rims & Tyres Thread-geosizes.jpg


The question I have and need inputs on are:
  • which tyre size would be the most appropriate for the Gypsy? I don't mind modifying a bit to get the most appropriate tyre size in there (from an off-road perspective)
  • What's the difference between the tyres(apart from size) that are of 235/70/15 format and 31x10.5 format?
  • If I have to choose between 235/xx and 30x9.5 size, which should I prefer?
  • any other tyre I should consider for A/T besides the Yoko?
Cheers,
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Old 6th September 2008, 15:23   #90
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When I was hunting for AT tyre for GV last year, one tyre came consistently as the overall best. The Pirelli Scorpion ATR, check that out.
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