Best of the West....some pics

[Goatman]

Well, I got my pics up. Unfortunately, I lost my digital camera and had to use some of those disposable cameras, so I don't have any pics of 21 Road or Scratch and Dent, and the quality of some of the pics isn't real good. I found my digital camera in a side pocket as I was packing up to leave Avalanche Ranch for the trip home.......bummer!

There will be many more good pics as the other guys get them up, but here you go for starters. Keep in mind that pics never do a trail justice. Here's the link:

http://fototime.com/inv/8657D7EA3F74313

[4ward]

Brings a tear to my eye that I missed it Oh well, gonna go break something on Fri to make it all better Looks like a heck of a lot of fun you guys had, even without the CO guys on DT.

Sean

[ACE]

Wow, great pictures Richard.

[Ghost]

So, what was the average tire size on these xj's? 35's?

[Goatman]

Originally posted by Ghost
So, what was the average tire size on these xj's? 35's?

Yeah, I guess average would be 35's. There were 4 with 33's, 4 with 35's, 1 with 37's, and 3 with 38's.

[ROCKWGN]

I'm jealous as usual. Is there a main write-up of the run. What was the damage report? Looks like beautiful country...
Sean M.

[David Taylor]

Richard,did the big 37and 38 tires seem to help any? Do you so
bigger meats in your future, or are 35's still big enough? Dave Taylor

[Handlebars]

Sorry I didn't make it out there! You probably could have used another trailside photographer and I could have used the sunshine and fresh air.

[Porch Puppy]

Here are the pictures we took on 21 Road:
http://community.webshots.com/album/74790217eAODMA

Here are the pictures we took on Die Trying:
http://community.webshots.com/album/74798686dAOoZI

It was definetly a great time!!

I apologize to Bill, Mike, Eric, and Jeff -- we didn't get many pictures of the rigs towards the back of the line.

We'll post the pictures of Avalanche Ranch tomorrow evening.

Andy

[Goatman]

Originally posted by David Taylor
Richard,did the big 37and 38 tires seem to help any? Do you so
bigger meats in your future, or are 35's still big enough? Dave Taylor

Nah, I'm sticking with the 35's. I rub the 35's even with lots of trimming and 8+ inches of lift, and I don't want to give up any compression to run bigger tires or have to add any more lift. I like the stability of completely stuffing the tires, so I'd have to figure out how to clearance the wheel wells more to run a larger tire......not something that would be easy in the front. Plus, I'm happy with how the 35's work.

I didn't see any advantage that the bigger tires had over the 35's on the trail, but you can get additional opinions on that. Everyone got hung up about the same amount, and even the guys with 33's made all of the climbs. There was one obstacle on Sidewinder that Led was the only one who was able to run it without winching, and it was all a matter of breakover angle. Led had 38's with the tallest lift in the group, and he was the only one with enough breakover angle to make that obstacle. The others with 37" and 38" tires still couldn't make it because they didn't have enough lift. Also, my shaved front D44 and Tera60, and Paul's D30 and shaved HP9" had at least as much clearance under the pumpkin as the D44 and D60/14 bolt that Grant and Led were running with the 38's.

I know that bigger is usually better, but when you account for reliability, stability, and performance, it all has to be a package, and just going to bigger tires does not guarentee better trail performance. Long answer to a short question.....

[Paul S]

Originally posted by David Taylor
Richard,did the big 37and 38 tires seem to help any? Do you so
bigger meats in your future, or are 35's still big enough? Dave Taylor

Dave, as Richard said, there was no clear advantage to any particular setup. I'd say that tire size was the least determining factor. The guys with 33's did every bit as well as the guys with 35" +. The major difference was in height. There were some pretty extreme obsatcles at Avalanche Ranch, & from one to another you could see the advantage/disadvantage of tall verse short. I'm sticking with 35's on a short lift & putting all my energy into weight savings. I've got my rig to under 4,000lbs fully loaded & it's much more stable than it use to be, I'm hoping to shed another 50 - 100 lbs.
Paul

[ROCKWGN]

Hey Paul,
I like your idea. How did you get to below 4,000 pounds? My rig loaded with gas and no tools weighs 4,500 pounds. Thats a big difference. Sounds like a fun trip, AHHH some year I will go.
Sean M.

[Paul S]

Originally posted by ROCKWGN
Hey Paul,
I like your idea. How did you get to below 4,000 pounds? My rig loaded with gas and no tools weighs 4,500 pounds. Thats a big difference. Sounds like a fun trip, AHHH some year I will go.
Sean M.

The short answer is I cut the back off. Really I was very selective about the metals I used to put it back together, avoiding anything that would add any noticable weight. I believe the carpet weighs over 100lbs, so that's coming out this weekend.
Paul

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

As for tire size, I believe my little 33x10.5's and good turning ability helped me squeeze between things that others had trouble on. I was way more maneuverable than some others. I was not that impressed with the bigger tires. I think 35" small lugged tires worked nicely out there. It's a different story here in the midwest though where you need some LUGS! What I want to know is why all those California boys bailed so early? I went to the Rock Garden my Aztec NM as well as Chokecherry Canyon by Farmington. I even found a pile of MUD on a mountain south of Chama NM. It was SO MUDDY I filled my MJ trailer (with ATV, chairs, spare parts, etc.) with mud flying off the Jeep's rear tires! Cost me $20 at the car wash to get MOST of it cleaned off! I think I'll take the dust instead of that mud. Jeff

[XJJPR]

Originally posted by Paul S
The short answer is I cut the back off. Really I was very selective about the metals I used to put it back together, avoiding anything that would add any noticable weight. I believe the carpet weighs over 100lbs, so that's coming out this weekend.
Paul

Ask him what it is called!

mark
orgs mfg