NW WA Meet / BS Thread

Yes the 285/85r16!

 

If you need to float (sand, snow, etc) wider is typically better, outside of that it seems skinnies could be a better choice due to how long the footprint gets when aired down.

Edit - also MPGs if you care about those

 

Gotcha, does the longer footprint helpful with crawling or stuff like that? (I basically know nothing so I'm a sponge at the moment)

 

Yep, helps the tire mold to whatever you are trying to climb up/over

 

Skinny tires do NOT offer a longer contact patch.
But, they have less rolling resistance and are obviously lighter. That makes for worse cornering on road but less float which is sometimes what you want... eg, mud, so the treads can grab more solid ground below

 

That's not what I have read but I guess if that is true that goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you read....esp on the interwebs.

 

Every tire offers a longer contact patch when aired down. Someone here( i believe it was this thread?) posted an old Expedition Portal article about skinny Vs wide tires, that article stated that when you air down, only 20% of the expanded contact area(to the ground) comes from the sidewall, 80% comes from the tread pattern elongating on the ground.

 

Heres some info from the famous Scott Brady. Founder of expeditions west, expeditionportal.com and overland journal magazine.

Benifits of a skinny tire are:

"Less rotating mass- Easier to start and stop
Less reciprocating mass- Easier to dampen
Less wind resistance- Better economy and range
Less rolling resistance- Better economy and range
Easier to fit a taller/narrower tire with less lift
Lighter spare
Lighter tire
Lighter wheel
Less unsprung weight
Less weight and leverage on steering components, bearings, etc.

In terrain:
1. Less frontal resistance in mud and sand. Where is most of the increased contact patch (for flotation) gained? In the length, not the width. Tall and narrow allows for more length and greater deformation with less resistance.

It is as simple as understanding the coefficient of friction (COF), which is (Ff = Cf x Fv).

Ff= Friction Force
Cf= Coefficient of Friction
Fv= Force Vertical

As you make a tire wider, you reduce the Fv over a larger area, but gain Cf. As you make a tire narrower, you increase the Fv, but reduce the area of contact, which lowers the Cf. It is proportional, though there are times when the material interaction (lets say a drag tire on concrete) favors Cf, but those conditions rarely exist on the trail, on a perfectly flat surface. So, if a wide and narrow tires benefits with relationship to Cf and Fv are proportional, than the decision must be made on other factors, like weight, resistance, etc., as listed above.

Now of course, there are limits at both ends of the spectrum. Too narrow of a tire, and the torque applied to the surface, even with extremely high Fv (which a super narrow tire would have), would exceed the rubbers ability to resist tearing. Literally, burning rubber.

It is all a balance, with tires for most of the trucks we drive being ideal in the 9-11" wide range."

 

Love me some physics in the morning

 

Being a total nerd, I love this answer.

 

There’s a very thin line of you look closely

 

This popped up 5 minutes after I got my annual bonus letter. Is it a sign?

https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2018/usmi-naval-special-warfare-rib-3679858/

 

Maybe a sign a F-350 is in your future too.

 

sadly, its one or the other

 

I noticed the tow rig is an old Humvee in the pics. Pretty cool setup.... bet the neighborhoods are thrilled.

 

I dont think a humvee can actually tow one of those. It says it weighs 18K

 

It is florida so at least there are no hills

 

Everyone but the mechanics

 

Ok anyone have any idea wtf this noise is? It’s making a rotational squeal and then some sort of knocking noise when I actually brake and come to a stop. Coming from my right rear drum. I took the drum cover off and cleaned everything. Nothing look broken and we adjusted the star adjuster. The noise stopped for a while but came back after a week. I feel like it has to do with my ebrake because my left rear doesn’t make that noise and the right rear has froze up before when it’s really cold. Drum brakes are so stupid.

 

Finally bought switches, now I’m waiting for the wiring to show up