theesotericone's Trails and BS Thread
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theesotericone
New member
Yeah, wheeling is the best training for wheeling. lol
In a normal snow year most things above 10,000 hold snow until July. This year I'm betting it's all gone by May.
I had no idea you where ex-military. Thanks for your service. The funny thing is I just ran a trail that goes into Soldier Canyon today.
Thanks man.
I've always been that way. If there's a trail that's not got track I'll always point the rig in that direction. You never know what you can do till you try.
You guys in Colorado don't seem to have it too bad. Every time one of you guys post up Imogene, Carnage and Chinaman, and a whole host of others it makes me want to start driving out that way. lol
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
A little late to the party, but as always, great catching up on your adventures. Glad you and your wife are OK from the fire. Haven't been able to swing any tools this winter. Hurt my lower back and heading in for PT on Thursday. Problem with the L1/L2. Back injuries are so damn debilitating. Sure do cramp the ole lifestyle. Been on a few snowshoeing trips and still plan on climbing St. Helens in March and skiing down. I'll keep you posted. Still a bunch of catching up to do...again...
theesotericone
New member
Soldier Canyon(95S01)
After the huge snow dump I decided staying at a little lower elevation was a good idea. There's a trail out of Big Pine that you pick up off of Death Valley Road. It heads up into a canyon called Soldier Canyon. As usual there's no info online about it. Satisfied that it met my obscure criteria I loaded up the rig and pointed it south.
The trails pretty easy to find if you've got a topo atlas. You can pick up one at any Forest Service branch and they come in pretty handy for finding new trails. I always use Backcountry Nav Pro when I'm in my rig but I spend hours at home on the couch browsing the atlas for obscure trails.
I was about 1/2 mile in when I decided to air down. I wasn't really needed at this point but I like the cush ride 10PSI provides. The Sierra's also make one hell of a backdrop.
The road stays pretty mellow for most of the trip. I think I'm shooting for that ridge in the background. It's still about 5 miles away.
After two miles you enter an area with a few trees and a small spring. The main road goes north(left) here. There's a really steep spur road that goes south. It ends up being pretty doable but looking up you'd think it was dirt bike territory.
After reconnecting with 95S01 I came across another cool spring about 3 miles in.
About 3.5 miles in you have a chance to go up a spur road(95S01C) to an old mine claim. Once there you get to see the old collapsed shaft as well as an antique sluice box.
At about 4 miles you come to a very flat valley that's about 2 miles long. Nobody out here but me. Which is the way I like it.
At 5.5 miles you get to a Forest Service closure. That's where you turn around.
Why they decided to close the road here is beyond me. It's another mile to get into the upper canyon from this point. One day I'll ask the powers that be what the hell they where thinking.
Let's imagine that I went past the barricade for a moment.
I imagine that after 200 yards you'll come to a very washed out section of road. There's probably a small drainage entering the road here that has eroded a 30" deep section of bank. I imagine you could barely drop in cleanly with true 33's. I also imagine on the way out you'd have to find a bypass or get out the shovel.
Maybe about another 200 yards past that last obstacle you enter the old dry river bottom. It's probably very loose and very rocky. Most likely it would require low range and some driving skills. Maybe there's a few oh shit sections that will get your attention.
Probably after another 1/2 mile you come to the end of the river bottom. It probably ends at a small rock step about 10' high. It could be a cool spot to see when there's water running.
Maybe, probably actually, that's what I imagined the rest of the trail to be like. lol
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Dezert4Runner
Senior Member
I love the steady trip reports. Is there any decent fishing to be had this time of year at the lower elevations? It seems like it could be productive if it’s not iced over. Also, do you always air down to 10 psi? It seems awefully low for anything other than a snow run without running beadlocks.
psraff
New member
Soldier Canyon(95S01)
Stunning as always! Thanks!
AssBurns
New member
10 psi really isn’t that low if you are just going at a calm speed. I’ve ran 12 psi out at the desert for a long time with no issues at some pretty decent speeds. If I know I’ll be staying calm speeds, I have never had any issues going down to 9-10 psi. I was wheeling with my buddy in his XJ this weekend and he was aired down to 6psi all weekend without beadlocks and no issues.
theesotericone
New member
The only trout fishing open right now is the Owens River. It's always good fishing and it never ices over. Once Fishmas rolls around I'll be up in the alpine going for Goldens.
As far as PSI goes it all depends on your rims and tires. With my 17x9's and 295/70's I can go down to about 6PSI before I start to slip the rim. Most of the terrain I run is rock or shale base. Staying low on that stuff helps not puncture a tire as well as provide better traction.
Yeah, I have never run into any issues even at higher speeds. Eventually I see beadlocks going on my rig though. How nice would being able to go down to 2PSI be? Plus with beadlocks it's almost impossible to damage the lip of the rim on an obstacle. It's a win/win. lol
Dezert4Runner
Senior Member
Yeah, I run 15 but am hesitant to go lower. I might have to try 12 psi to see how it does for me. You’re on a 315/75/16, right? You run 12 psi when you had a smaller/ skinnier tire too? I have a lot less sidewall since I’m running 285’s on 17’s.
I was always under the impression that the more tire bulge from the wheel lip you have, the lower psi you can get away with aired down without losing a bead. I would think a 9” wide wheel would lose a bead easier than a stock 7” wide wheel. I know you run a taller/ wider tire than I do, so maybe that has something to do with it?
AssBurns
New member
I've ran down to 6psi with 285/75R16's on stock 7" wide wheels with no issues out at Glamis. As long as you keep your speed under control, especially when cornering, you'll be fine. I'd say you can easily go down to 10-12 psi without issues. Just watch for rocks at higher speeds as it's easier to dent your rim if you hit really hard. My buddy this weekend was running 6 psi all weekend on 275/75R16's. You just gotta be careful.
theesotericone
New member
A lot of this depends on where and how you wheel. A lot of old info that I've never seen any type of scientific testing on, It boils down to peoples observations on the trail and there opinion of one to be more likely to roll a bead then the other. I based my choice on personal experience and driving style.
The type of wheeling I do I've seen way more sidewall tears then tires coming off a bead. One reason I went with my tire/rim set-up was to help prevent that. Sure having 11" tires aired down and poking 2" out on each side of a 7.5" rim looks cool but I've seen a lot of them get ripped. With my set-up I've got just enough tire sticking out past the rim to have great traction but not enough to easily allow a tear. If I roll a bead and you tear a sidewall, who do you thinks gonna be back on trail faster?
If anyone does happen upon a wheeling specific study about this topic please link it here. I've always been curious what the results of various rim heights, rim widths, and tires would be. I'm betting it has mainly to do with the aspect ratio but I'm still curious.
psraff
New member
X2 on this. I would love to have some good 4Wheeling events that teaches ones about their rig and how to use them in different conditions. None up here that I know of. I've seen pics of ones down in the lower 48 though.
Heck, I never would have thought my tires would be running 28lbs. everyday until I did a chalk test (35" though). So I'm always learning!
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Dezert4Runner
Senior Member
:surfer
I’m not too well versed with sidewall slice flats or popping beads, but part of that is because I don’t go overboard airing down and I also run E load rating BFG’s. Love ‘em or hate ‘em they have a tough side wall. I also don’t get out nearly as much as you or [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] so I’m just gleaning info here to use for my application. I thought I had my air down pressure figured out but this discussion has opened my eyes a bit with what you can get away with without headlocks. You nailed it spot on with sidewall aspect, terrain, driving style, etc. I have less side wall with my 285’s & 17’s so it would really just make it riskier to bend a wheel or whatever at low double digit PSI.
[MENTION=28808]psraff[/MENTION] I tried the chalk test a couple weeks ago but was too lazy to keep deflating my tires and figure out where the sweet spot is. I had been driving with 42 front and 40 rear based off info on this website but I left them at 36 front and 34 rear after a couple chalk tests. I’ve been driving around with kid’s sidewalk chalk in the back seat and get asked about it by the fam lol (my daughter’s 12 so they know it’s not hers).
I’m not too well versed with sidewall slice flats or popping beads, but part of that is because I don’t go overboard airing down and I also run E load rating BFG’s. Love ‘em or hate ‘em they have a tough side wall. I also don’t get out nearly as much as you or [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] so I’m just gleaning info here to use for my application. I thought I had my air down pressure figured out but this discussion has opened my eyes a bit with what you can get away with without headlocks. You nailed it spot on with sidewall aspect, terrain, driving style, etc. I have less side wall with my 285’s & 17’s so it would really just make it riskier to bend a wheel or whatever at low double digit PSI.
[MENTION=28808]psraff[/MENTION] I tried the chalk test a couple weeks ago but was too lazy to keep deflating my tires and figure out where the sweet spot is. I had been driving with 42 front and 40 rear based off info on this website but I left them at 36 front and 34 rear after a couple chalk tests. I’ve been driving around with kid’s sidewalk chalk in the back seat and get asked about it by the fam lol (my daughter’s 12 so they know it’s not hers).
thezentree
Senior Member
:surfer
I’m not too well versed with sidewall slice flats or popping beads, but part of that is because I don’t go overboard airing down and I also run E load rating BFG’s. Love ‘em or hate ‘em they have a tough side wall. I also don’t get out nearly as much as you or [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] so I’m just gleaning info here to use for my application. I thought I had my air down pressure figured out but this discussion has opened my eyes a bit with what you can get away with without headlocks. You nailed it spot on with sidewall aspect, terrain, driving style, etc. I have less side wall with my 285’s & 17’s so it would really just make it riskier to bend a wheel or whatever at low double digit PSI.
[MENTION=28808]psraff[/MENTION] I tried the chalk test a couple weeks ago but was too lazy to keep deflating my tires and figure out where the sweet spot is. I had been driving with 42 front and 40 rear based off info on this website but I left them at 36 front and 34 rear after a couple chalk tests. I’ve been driving around with kid’s sidewalk chalk in the back seat and get asked about it by the fam lol (my daughter’s 12 so they know it’s not hers).
I had my 285/75R16 KO2s at like 30psi. It made a HUGE difference in ride quality and seemed to be the sweet spot for contact patch for me.
psraff
New member
:surfer
I’m not too well versed with sidewall slice flats or popping beads, but part of that is because I don’t go overboard airing down and I also run E load rating BFG’s. Love ‘em or hate ‘em they have a tough side wall. I also don’t get out nearly as much as you or [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION] so I’m just gleaning info here to use for my application. I thought I had my air down pressure figured out but this discussion has opened my eyes a bit with what you can get away with without headlocks. You nailed it spot on with sidewall aspect, terrain, driving style, etc. I have less side wall with my 285’s & 17’s so it would really just make it riskier to bend a wheel or whatever at low double digit PSI.
[MENTION=28808]psraff[/MENTION] I tried the chalk test a couple weeks ago but was too lazy to keep deflating my tires and figure out where the sweet spot is. I had been driving with 42 front and 40 rear based off info on this website but I left them at 36 front and 34 rear after a couple chalk tests. I’ve been driving around with kid’s sidewalk chalk in the back seat and get asked about it by the fam lol (my daughter’s 12 so they know it’s not hers).
There's so many combinations when it comes to tire inflation, I think it would be hard to have a standard. Different tires, different sidewalls, vehicle weight, road conditions... the list goes on. For me there was a thread somewhere asking where people ran their 35" tires. I started there. When they were installed they were close to 40 psi. I dropped down to 35 and did my first chalk test. Dropped to 30 and did it again. Dropped to 28 and did it again. I was happy there (plus it was beginning to snow and that didn't help).
So yes, I did drive around with rainbows on all 4 tires. Surprised I didn't attract all the gay prostitutes in the area.... :twitch::twitch:
I've got right at 2K miles on these now and at 3K I'm going to get them Road Force Tested when I rotate them, and another chalk test to see if 28 psi is still the happy spot.
theesotericone
New member
ARB, WTF?
OK. So some of you guys are probably familiar with ARB's locker/compressor promo. For those of that that aren't they have been doing a promo of buy a locker get a free compressor forever. Seriously at least 10 years. It's always run from March 1st to May 31st. It's like clockwork.
So, my plan has been to get that deal and offset the cost of my diffs buy selling the compressor. I've been looking at ARB's promo blog and looking online for the promo to go live for the past 6 days. Today I finally just called ARB USA to inquire. After talking with marketing they informed me it's not happening in the US this year.
So, everyone call ARB USA and complain please. Thanks. lol
OK. So some of you guys are probably familiar with ARB's locker/compressor promo. For those of that that aren't they have been doing a promo of buy a locker get a free compressor forever. Seriously at least 10 years. It's always run from March 1st to May 31st. It's like clockwork.
So, my plan has been to get that deal and offset the cost of my diffs buy selling the compressor. I've been looking at ARB's promo blog and looking online for the promo to go live for the past 6 days. Today I finally just called ARB USA to inquire. After talking with marketing they informed me it's not happening in the US this year.
So, everyone call ARB USA and complain please. Thanks. lol
Road Bull
Senior Member
That's weak sauce! That's about as annoying as if Discount Tire ever decided to stop doing there twice a year eBay sale. A lot of us make plans around of these memorialized sales and it throws a wrench in the works when the decide to change things up.
They didn't bother to say they were going to have any other type of sale or promotion?
They didn't bother to say they were going to have any other type of sale or promotion?
ltsr
New member
That does suck. I was dead set on getting a supercharger from magnusson. They run a yearly Black Friday sale. Guess what.. they decided to skip it this past November.
I feel the pain, hopefully you can find your locker.
theesotericone
New member
They didn't say much other then they're not running the locker promo in the US this year. I didn't really inquire beyond that one point either. lol
Did you get the SC anyway?
I still plan on getting built thirds from ECGS but it would have been nice to have the compressor to sell. lol
The Nitto Terra Grapplers for my Taco showed up at my mailbox today. That was FAST.
I'll have them mounted and balanced tomorrow.
ltsr
New member
I was a bit turned off so i'm just holding off on the SC purchase.
I have been quietly following your taco build. Post some pics up of the new rubber. I'm a bit surprised you 'splurged' on the tires. The beginning of mods for the taco..
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