4x4s on skinny tyres

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Sun 24 Jun 2012 03:13
4x4s on skinny tyres - 1litregolfeater

What's that all about.

I'm not a snob, it just isn't aesthetically pleasing, and I doubt the concept works technically or engineering.... wise.

In my opinion they should have steel wheels and plenty of rubber.

Let me recount the day back to front. Second one I looked at was a Nissan, it didn't have steel wheels. But the alloys were massive, very solid, like the old Porsche wheels on steroids, and it had big rubber tyres. Looked quite good.

The first was a BMW, so big it was like a tank. But from my little window near the ground I saw it had thin, spindly alloys, clad in low profiles about two inches thick.

It's just not right.

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Sun 24 Jun 2012 13:01
4x4s on skinny tyres - ChannelZ

"Proper" 4x4s still come with 7.50x16 tyres. Fashion statements come with 20" runflats on a 30 profile. Simple as that.

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Sun 24 Jun 2012 13:29
4x4s on skinny tyres - RT

"Proper" 4x4s still come with 7.50x16 tyres. Fashion statements come with 20" runflats on a 30 profile. Simple as that.

4x4 and offroad are different things - but old-style offroaders don't understand that most people don't want to do their thing.

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Mon 25 Jun 2012 12:35
4x4s on skinny tyres - SteveLee

4x4 and offroad are different things - but old-style offroaders don't understand that most people don't want to do their thing.

Why do people need 4x4s? Presumably to get them through the winter. In which case you need plenty of ground clearance and chunky tyres. A poser machine on big low profile tyres - 4x4 or not - will be hopeless in the snow or on wet grass. So what's the point of them? A four-wheel drive saloon is equally hopeless unless it is fitted with suitable tyres. A couple of years ago I towed a sheepinsh looking man in his four-wheel drive Audi out of an icy carpark with my old front wheel drive C5. The slight incline totally defeating his car. I had (cheap nasty Chinese) all season tyres. His sporty rims and premium tyres left him totally ill-equiped for the conditions.

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Mon 25 Jun 2012 13:02
4x4s on skinny tyres - RT

Do you not remember Audi Quattro's and Subaru Legacy's - they were/are designed for tarmac, just like BMW's, and being able to spread all that power/torque over 4 contact patches instead of 2 gives a big advantage.

You could equally ask what's the point of £70,000 upwards Range-Rovers - they have huge off-road capability but only crazy people take a £70,000 car anywhere that a cheap Korean 4x4 couldn't get to.

Personally, I use a 4wd SUV with 200mm ground clearance to get off wet grass fields and down muddy tracks, often unsurfaced - so I use All-Season M+S tyres - nothing to do with winter.

Don't confuse driver incompetence with vehicle inability - there's plenty of true tales on the interweb of road-going Subaru's hauling much bigger things out of trouble.

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Mon 25 Jun 2012 14:29
4x4s on skinny tyres - SteveLee

Suburu, Land Rover - whatever, it is - it's useless if it's on the "wrong" tyres. You merely validated my point by saying you use M&S tyres, a front wheel drive car on M&S tyres will take you places a four wheel drive sporty car can't on sports rubber.

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Mon 25 Jun 2012 14:38
4x4s on skinny tyres - RT

The point is that BMWs aren't meant to be taken off tarmac so don't need off-road tyres.

It's wrong to assume that 4x4 is intended exclusively for off-road use.

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Thu 28 Jun 2012 11:17
4x4s on skinny tyres - Ed V

Tyre width is also directly proportional to noise levels. The thinner the quieter. Thin is best in mud, snow and ice too.

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