|
One problem is that wheel spin immediately turns snow in the contact patch into slush, which is slippery. As I recall you're running mud tires or allterrains - the latter are better for snow but not as good as dedicated snow tires. I run nothing but Firestone Winterforce UV original design right now on snow, but unfortunately they're discontinued and the 2 UV design is looking like it will be nowhere near as good on muddy roads, despite probably being better on snow, so I won't be buying those.
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2022 06:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 04:26 |
|
|
ryanrs posted:OK, I will take a look at chains. My oversize tires already rub the body at full lock, so I bet that'll sound great with chains when I turn too sharp, ha ha. I wonder if actual chains would be best for off-road snow but the CHP used to use spider spikes on their crown vics in the Tahoe area. Spider spikes look a million times easier to put on than chains and probably would do less damage to your van than an actual chain coming loose or at full lock.
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2022 07:29
|
|
|
I've never actually used either, but both spider spikes & autosocks seem to solve the biggest problem with chains, installation, and as long as you creep your rear end along as you should, they'll take care of you with the spider spikes appearing to be a sturdier option long term. With that said, actual meaty chains gonna be your best bet off road. Cable chains will provide the best low-profile traction after that. I'm going to buy some 315/70/R17 studded Nokians with one season on them for dirt cheap tomorrow and am pretty hyped about that. Not sure why CHP is deploying vehicles without traction tires in Tahoe, but go off coppers, you're doing a good job. highme fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Dec 1, 2022 |
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2022 08:21
|
|
|
highme posted:I've never actually used either, but both spider spikes & autosocks seem to solve the biggest problem with chains, installation, and as long as you creep your rear end along as you should, they'll take care of you with the spider spikes appearing to be a sturdier option long term. With that said, actual meaty chains gonna be your best bet off road. Cable chains will provide the best low-profile traction after that. CHP is all awd SUVs with traction tires now. When they still ran crown vics they had traction tires, but they're 2wd and the law is the law and chain control means chains (or all wheels driven).
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2022 18:19
|
|
|
Love going to Big Bear in the winter with people in Camrys with bald tires clunking around on chains when the roads were plowed and salted and dried 3 days prior.
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2022 18:43
|
|
|
The Truckee CHP Instagram account is good content https://instagram.com/chp_truckee?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
|
|
#
?
Dec 1, 2022 19:54
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Love going to Big Bear in the winter with people in Camrys with bald tires clunking around on chains when the roads were plowed and salted and dried 3 days prior. My favorite was when you'd see a FWD car spinning it's tires with chains on the rear. The Govy 500 is not much better, but that road to Big Bear was always a fun adventure. Anyways, drove my rear end to McMansion hell today and picked up a set of 34" studded Nokians for $70 a corner.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2022 01:13
|
|
|
I'm planning on getting a hitch mounted winch for ranch chores. What's the best way to get the power from the front of my truck to the rear? It's going to be used on the truck, jeep, tractor, and a trailer so I'll need something cleaner than just jumper cables. Or just go all on on a battery setup that I can move with it and use as an extra battery when needed?
Atticus_1354 fucked around with this message at 05:22 on Dec 2, 2022 |
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2022 05:18
|
|
|
Chains work really well in snow and ice, obviously, but they also work surprisingly well in mud and mushy road surfaces. You do NOT, i repeat, DO NOT want a lot of wheel spin with chains, though. Doing so tends to get them caught on things, torn off, and then they take off your fender, kill people, etc. This is why chains are banned at most offroad parks. Sometimes with snow you want normal tire pressures and a lot of wheel spin, your situation here may be that. You have solid ground with good traction under the snow, high wheel spin digs you into the solid ground and flings out the slush, allowing you to crawl your way up. If you're in deep snow all the way down, wheel spin will just dig a hole and then you're stuck, you need to try and float on top of it, or at least not spin yourself to the frame. Snow isn't a one-size-fits-all kind of situation with regards to tire pressures and wheel spin.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2022 14:52
|
|
|
Atticus_1354 posted:I'm planning on getting a hitch mounted winch for ranch chores. What's the best way to get the power from the front of my truck to the rear? It's going to be used on the truck, jeep, tractor, and a trailer so I'll need something cleaner than just jumper cables. Or just go all on on a battery setup that I can move with it and use as an extra battery when needed? Forklift connector (SB175) mounted at the bumper and nice beefy cables to the battery. Fuse or circuit breaker highly recommended. Cut up a set of jumper cables and put connectors on them and you can jump poo poo without popping the hood, too. I've done it to every work truck I've had, incredibly useful.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2022 15:21
|
|
|
ThinkFear posted:Forklift connector (SB175) mounted at the bumper and nice beefy cables to the battery. Fuse or circuit breaker highly recommended. Cut up a set of jumper cables and put connectors on them and you can jump poo poo without popping the hood, too. I've done it to every work truck I've had, incredibly useful. That's a good idea. I was thinking about a long cable that I could roll up in the tool box, but a bumper install wouldn't be that hard either.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2022 06:49
|
|
|
I'd probably go SB350 for a dedicated winch hookup, but I too have SB175s on every vehicle and love being able to jump start anything with anything without opening the hood. I even built a 24ft 4ga SB175-SB175 cable so I can jump start one mostly dead vehicle parked rear end to nose with another one without moving either.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2022 07:21
|
|
|
Atticus_1354 posted:That's a good idea. I was thinking about a long cable that I could roll up in the tool box, but a bumper install wouldn't be that hard either. +1ing the SB175, put a circuit breaker up by the battery for it to keep from frying things. The super handy way is to get a beefy receiver mount for your winch and so you just carry the winch between everything and plug and play it. Also an excuse to put front receivers on your vehicles which are handy not just for winching but for tight-maneuvers with trailers and building stupid cherry pickers to mount to.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2022 16:58
|
|
|
I use SB175s with an older Warn M6000 winch and they definitely get warm under sustained near-stall usage.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2022 06:05
|
|
|
"Definitely warm" at full load means you're probably using the right size connector for the job. Self-heating is the underlying property that determines the current rating of a connector.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2022 20:00
|
|
|
ryanrs posted:"Definitely warm" at full load means you're probably using the right size connector for the job. Self-heating is the underlying property that determines the current rating of a connector. Please elaborate. I get that too hot is bad, but is too cold also bad? Or just not necessary?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2022 21:09
|
|
|
Nah, just talking about the upper limit electrical load. Signs you are overloading your connector: - burning smell - melting plastic, soft or warped - too hot to comfortably handle (grip, unplug, etc) But "feels pretty warm" is fine.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2022 21:23
|
|
|
incogneato posted:Does anyone have suggestions for true winter tires that have an aggressive enough tread to also handle moderately muddy/crappy forest service roads they are not snowy? Just figured I'd follow up on this in case anyone cared. After some half-assed research and some back-and-forth debating whether just running the KO2s all winter would be enough, I'm likely just going to be throwing some Blizzak DMV2 on the 4Runner. They're allegedly for light trucks and SUVs, although nothing in the tread implies (non-snow) off road capability to me. But realistically I'll be spending very little time off-roading below the snow line during winter anyway. Most of our time off pavement is getting to hikes and camping, which in the winter means snowshoeing (so driving icy/snowy roads). I debated getting the Blizzak LT, meant for trucks. But as far as I can tell they're really just a higher load rating. They probably have better durability (so maybe also puncture resistance?), but it's unclear if they actually have better non-snow off-road performance. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 were tempting, but 50% more than the Blizzaks and difficult to find unstudded (I prefer no studs). I wouldn't be surprised if these are better than the Blizzaks off road, but I'm not convinced it'd be a huge difference. Others that caught my attention were the General Grabber Arctic LT and the Cooper Discoverer Snow Claw. Both at least look like the tread would be more aggressive off road. But I could find few reviews, and the ones I did weren't especially convincing. And frankly by this point I was tired of endless researching. So in the end I decided to just go with the Blizzaks for their reputation in ice and snow performance. We'll see if I regret it and end up getting stuck in some mud. I'll just try to be proactive switching back to the KO2s in spring.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2022 02:04
|
|
|
Thought I’d ask here hoping for some real world info… I’ve got my dream 80 series shipping tomorrow from Japan, so I’ll have it in 5-6 weeks. Any info on rear drawer setups? I like storage. But I’m not paying $2k+ for a lot I see. I DO see plenty in the $1-1200 range but who knows if that is garbage. Build a setup? Or don’t do anything? I’m a mild off-roader, mainly family vacations and camping with the kids. Don’t want to fall in the trap of being so excited about a new vehicle and buying stuff I regret
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2022 21:05
|
|
|
I'd poke around in the IH8Mud 80 series forum. I know there are plenty of threads in the GX forum talking about them. I feel like somebody here posted a relatively cheap, generic, half side drawer system from Amazon recently. Since adding some to my rig is a desire I looked at them, but don't think they were what I'd like. Was in San Diego a couple of weekends ago and spotted this. The guy had just picked it up from port and was getting ready to drive it home to Utah. Said it got hail damage on the hood in transit. I couldn't see anything but he said it was real obvious when driving. Regardless it made my pants fit funny. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2022 21:37
|
|
|
highme posted:I'd poke around in the IH8Mud 80 series forum. I know there are plenty of threads in the GX forum talking about them. I feel like somebody here posted a relatively cheap, generic, half side drawer system from Amazon recently. Since adding some to my rig is a desire I looked at them, but don't think they were what I'd like. Nice. Yes I’ve mainly found the links through ih8mud forum I’m not on there but it comes up in google. I’m not even sure putting drawers in is right for me but I like the idea. Here is mine on the way 
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2022 22:08
|
|
|
ryanrs posted:"Definitely warm" at full load means you're probably using the right size connector for the job. Self-heating is the underlying property that determines the current rating of a connector. I'm right in the range for it current-wise, only issue I have seen is that it is bumper mounted and, even with the cover, tends to get dirty. I also wish I had the handles, I didn't order the kit with them and am kicking myself for it. The interior has 75A Powerpole disconnects for the "house" battery and will get changed to the SB175 when I get the battery combiner switch hooked up so I could winch with both batteries, or even possibly start the engine with the (solar charged) house battery. Its funny, I did a whole setup (AGM, isolator, solar, all custom wiring with distribution panel) on my Daihatsu Rocky and used it once, whereas I've camped in my 94 Montero a few times already and only have a Ryobi inverter and run the freezer off the rear cig outlet. Its more fun to build that use, I guess. DJ Commie fucked around with this message at 05:24 on Dec 6, 2022 |
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 05:21
|
|
|
DJ Commie posted:I also wish I had the handles, I didn't order the kit with them and am kicking myself for it. This handle? There's also a cheaper SKU that doesn't come with the screws.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 06:52
|
|
|
DJ Commie posted:I'm right in the range for it current-wise, only issue I have seen is that it is bumper mounted and, even with the cover, tends to get dirty. I also wish I had the handles, I didn't order the kit with them and am kicking myself for it. The interior has 75A Powerpole disconnects for the "house" battery and will get changed to the SB175 when I get the battery combiner switch hooked up so I could winch with both batteries, or even possibly start the engine with the (solar charged) house battery. Wish I was closer, I bought a few sb175 kits last year with the handles because they were about the same price as without and I've got a few extra still. I'd just give em to you but I never manage to get to the post office.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 10:34
|
|
|
everdave posted:Thought I’d ask here hoping for some real world info… Figure out all the gear and crap you want to haul around first and then go from there. In my 100 series I did a wood platform with black iron pipe feet. When you fold the rear seats down its flush for sleeping. Under the platform I have a floor jack, misc towing crap, and two harbor freight hard cases, one is for tools and the other recovery gear. They slide out easy enough and I squirrel away other crap around them. I don't see any need beyond that for my use. Working races the recovery gear I need is on top of the platform. Camping the gear and fridge is on top of the platform. etc. If I did go drawers I'd do DIY or just sack up for the ARB ones. Switching to my xterra I get annoyed because the rear cargo area doesn't have such a thing so I end up losing a lot of versatility. But I don't want another platform or to move it between the two plus I like having one truck that lets me fit big crap in it.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 16:07
|
|
|
Harbor freight has a 25% off coupon that works on the Badlands winches if anyone needs one. It's saving me $90 off a winch.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2023 18:48
|
|
|
I was going to put in a hidden front winch mount, but then I thought I'm really just staying on fire roads, and I'm very happy to turn around instead of dragging my daily driver across and through things. So I bought a big stupid lightbar instead.
|
|
#
?
Jan 1, 2023 21:15
|
|
|
I have finally joined 4x4 land
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2023 07:33
|
|
|
I really need to post my foray into second generation Monteros. I bought one (a 1994 250k mile mid-tier model) for $3000 and somehow the 1995 300k mile completely trashed $200 base model parts car is better in every way so I'm just going to sell the nice one to pay for doing up the newer one.
|
|
#
?
Jan 5, 2023 22:41
|
|
|
DumbparameciuM posted:I have finally joined 4x4 land Fucken bewdy. Love a good hilux.
|
|
#
?
Jan 6, 2023 00:02
|
|
|
ili posted:Fucken bewdy. Love a good hilux. Taking next week off, will film some of the baby trails I do while I wait to get my winch fitted and post ITT if blokes are interested.
|
|
#
?
Jan 7, 2023 07:11
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:I was going to put in a hidden front winch mount, but then I thought I'm really just staying on fire roads, and I'm very happy to turn around instead of dragging my daily driver across and through things. So I bought a big stupid lightbar instead. Beware, half the times I've gotten stuck have been while trying to turn around. 
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2023 07:09
|
|
|
DumbparameciuM posted:post ITT if blokes are interested. Blokes are interested
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2023 17:42
|
|
|
Atticus_1354 posted:Blokes are interested DumbparameciuM posted:I have finally joined 4x4 land
|
|
#
?
Jan 8, 2023 17:51
|
|
|
I drove around in the sand near Ocotillo, CA!   https://vimeo.com/788818977 https://vimeo.com/788823471 The sand was firm and I had good flotation at 15 psi in the Sienna. The only issues were getting high-centered on roads with huge ruts cut by the side-by-sides. I got stuck maybe once or twice a day. My $99 traction boards really proved their worth on this trip. They seemed solidly 'meh' on loose, rocky trails. But on sand, they are great! Also great was my big shovel. It is 60" long to reach under my skid plates. It is really nice to be able to dig out the van without having to crawl under it. I never had to use my winch in the sand. The shovel and traction boards always worked. And digging sand is easier than manual winching with a come-along.
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2023 08:22
|
|
|
Is that a state park or something? I've been looking to expand behind the maple creek truck trail in OC.
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2023 08:48
|
|
|
It's the Superstition Hills BLM land, south of Ocotillo SVRA (CA State OHV Park). About 20 miles from Mexico. See this post in my van thread for maps and info re. avoiding the border patrol checkpoint.
|
|
#
?
Jan 14, 2023 09:26
|
|
|
Watching the snow storms in the Sierras, I kinda want to try catching one in the minivan someday. I'd drive up a day or two before a predicted blizzard, get snowed in, live surrounded by snow for a few days, try to dig back to the road, etc. I would do some due diligence on the spot, somewhere very close to a major residential road that will get plowed eventually, that kind of thing. I guess my main concerns are (1) can I guarantee it won't become an actual danger situation? and (2) what if there is a chain of storms and I'm stuck there for 2 weeks? I think it'd be super boring after the first couple days. I suppose I'd need snowshoes, so I could go tromp around in the snow during the day? And a snow shovel. Maybe a backup snow shovel. The minivan can't drive through serious snow, so it would be stationary until it was dug out.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2023 19:05
|
|
|
ryanrs posted:Watching the snow storms in the Sierras, I kinda want to try catching one in the minivan someday. I'd drive up a day or two before a predicted blizzard, get snowed in, live surrounded by snow for a few days, try to dig back to the road, etc. I would do some due diligence on the spot, somewhere very close to a major residential road that will get plowed eventually, that kind of thing.
|
|
#
?
Jan 15, 2023 19:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 24, 2024 04:26 |
|
|
ryanrs posted:Watching the snow storms in the Sierras, I kinda want to try catching one in the minivan someday. I'd drive up a day or two before a predicted blizzard, get snowed in, live surrounded by snow for a few days, try to dig back to the road, etc. I would do some due diligence on the spot, somewhere very close to a major residential road that will get plowed eventually, that kind of thing. As you've already found out, snow basically adds 20-50% difficulty to any trail regardless of anything else. Doing this with an unknown amount of snow coming is how you lose the vehicle even if you do walk out and get picked up by passing cars. A few years ago a Jeep XJ literally got buried for the entire winter under ten plus feet of snow on the Rubicon trail after it broke down and they couldn't fix it and get it out before it started snowing and snowing and snowing. It caved in the roof and windshield. Even if it doesn't get turned into a glacier, if you have to leave without it, don't assume it'll be in one piece when you come back. People are assholes and anything that's abandoned on the trail for more than a couple days is liable to get vandalized, gone through, and stripped for parts.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2023 11:52
|
|