Best of the West....some pics

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

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

Wow, great pictures Richard.

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

Ghost said:

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

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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.

Hey Richard...

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.

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

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.

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

David Taylor said:

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

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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.....

David Taylor said:

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

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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

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.

ROCKWGN said:

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.

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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

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

Paul S said:

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

Click to expand...

Ask him what it is called!

mark
orgs mfg

Led and I both run 38's, he has a little over 10" of lift and I am probably just under 8". I was jealous on two obstacles of his ground clearance, but was thankful for my lower CofG in a couple spots.

I am only able to fit 38's on such a "low" lift due to the full width axles.

I know I would lose a huge amount of weight dumping the roofrack and the 38" spare from the roof but where would we sleep in summer?

"I am only able to fit 38's on such a "low" lift due to the full width axles. "
And alot of help from Mr. Plasma cutter
Led

More Pics.

Here are some more pics from the trip. I did not have a chance to go through them yet. Just uploaded them from my camera. I will try and clean them up tonight.

In the mean time here is the link.

http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=5459273203.79207600903&n=895238896

Re: More Pics.

wrk24wheel said:

Here are some more pics from the trip. I did not have a chance to go through them yet. Just uploaded them from my camera. I will try and clean them up tonight.

In the mean time here is the link.

http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=5459273203.79207600903&n=895238896

Click to expand...

Kevin -
Great pictures.....

Here are the pictures we took on Sidewinder:
http://community.webshots.com/album/74884471DORjMg

and the pictures we took on Alien/Aliens (one roll of film is still in the camera):
http://community.webshots.com/album/74899596avbbuS

Andy

Kevin, how do I view your pics without joining Ofoto? Jeff