SKINNY verses FATS

A can of worms Reggy. No, actually it’s horse for courses. I don’t actually consider my tyres “fats”. I’m running 285/75-16’s (33” in the old). Member Jaydub is running 305/75-16’s (35”) which I call Phat! I’m a fan of a tubeless tyre as it makes temporary repairs fairly easy where as a tubed tyre on splits is a totally different kettle of fish in the repair and get going stakes (pardon the pun). To my mind they (tubeless) also offer a great deal of flexibility in dealing with varying terrains. In sand you can achieve a hell of a lot with a thin tyre providing you know what you’re doing with tyre pressures and your vehicle is not overloaded. Of course having a greater footprint provided by a wide tyre helps in sand. The reality is it’s all about the sidewall strength.

I’m no expert on MRF’s but I’ve seen the consequences of their use combined with improper use and hard country. It’s not a pretty sight. For a definitive appraisal about “thin” tyres have a look at Mick Hutton’s tyre articles on the Beadell Tours website. He’s a bloke who knows just what a tyre is capable of. Again, his main priority is the toughness (robustness) of the tyre in dealing with crappy conditions as you so often encounter in off track work. Sidewall strength is again a key factor he comments on. You can’t reduce pressure and ‘bag’ a tyre out if the sidewalls aren’t strong enough.

If you're going to be running over pristine dunes as a recreational activity, then wider tyres are probably a good option for you. If you're going to be crossing vegetation and stake infested dunes of the Australian deserts, somewhat more consideration is needed. My tyre choice is based on the type of travelling I do, the loads I carry and the terrain I carry it over not forgetting my ability to fix the damn donuts as well. My experience has led me to the Toyo and I’m very very happy with it.

Toyo Open Country MT - Review


Cheers Mick

Isn't it all about which ones look the best when your travelling around the bigsmoke on the blacktop ???? LOL

Wether its fat or not depends on vehicle weight mainly Reggy2 check out white paper below.

If I had 285 on my Patrol I'd consider them fat.

Either way some loose all round , consider the landcruisers with 90mm offset between front and rear axles - they have a much bigger frontal wave and consequent resistance in sand , and greater chance of hitting a stake - all this is completely un-necessary


http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

Also there is a massive amount of uncooberated talk about this stuff , hence why we do so many on the ground comparisons.


In the picture below is a petrol 80 series running skinny 7.50 tyres - cause he could follow us anywhere with them.
I think we were onto our second cup of coffee before every combination of trying to get up this steep sand hill was tried and he gave up.





Image Could Not Be Found

recently had to pull out an identical vehicle to mine exept he was running 33x12.5 tyres to my 235 tyres didnt matter how myuch we lowered his pressures he still went straight down and i pulled him out twice before giving up and just towing him off the beach

to show off i actually drove around him
sand was very soft but the fats were no match for my skinnies

what this pic doesnt show was my tyre tracks going right around him here

Hi Reggy
Purely my experience, I have 2 sets of rims. One standard 16" split with 235/85x16 10 P.R. Hankook's for what I would call rough country.
One set 15"x8" steel rims fitted with Bridgestone 10.5x15 tyres.
The splits go on if I am going to be doing mainly outback travelling (yes some sand dunes) and the 15's if doing a beach fishing trip.
I have a trolley jack and rattle gun to change them before I go.
Rattle gun to remove ONLY.
The "skinnies" do work ok in sand but the "widies" work better IMHO.
Yes I adjust pressures to suit conditions and slow down a lot if required.
Oh ...the vehicle is an old but trusty HZJ75 Landcruiser. So not exactly infested with horsepower..........lol

ob

Gday Reggy2,
Most people have opinions on this, and they often differ because people have different experiences. I'll assume you mean desert sand dunes rather than coastal. I travel in groups of usually 6-12 vehicles and it gives a good opportunity for comparisons.

Width doesn't matter 2 hoots.....DIAMETER does.
A 205R16 (740mm diameter) doesn't go as well in soft sand as a 750R16 (810mm diameter) all other things being equal.
A 285/75R16 (835mm diam) goes better than a 10R15 (770mm dia).

But most vehicles I travel with are Landcruisers with either 750R16, 235/85R16, 265/75R16 or 285/75R16 which are the most popular sizes and the first 3 are the same diameter. The skinny 750's go everywhere the 265's go.

I also have a strong preference for tubeless - if anyone stakes a tyre, we are going again in 5-10 mins after plugging it on the vehicle. With splits we stop for 30mins smoko while the wheel is changed and then someone spends an hour at beer o'clock patching it. And its really annoying when the thing's gone flat from tube fatigue at low pressures, or the valve got ripped out from the tyre turning on the rim.

My head always says 235/85R16 on 6" tubeless rims is ideal for the desert, while my heart says 285/75R16 on fat mags :-))

HI ALL
Thanks for your response I have been running 235x85 x16 on most trips but doing off tracking in dune country I just needed other people's thoughts looks like I will stay with the same
Thanks again Reggy2