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Why International Overlanders DON'T USE HUGE TIRES

Certainly makes sense.
 
37's are for girls. Get some 44's on. Stop messing around man.

Landrovers never break driveline components :laughing-rolling:

Remember all this is coming from a bloke who drives a Jeep.
 
I think part of what he is referring to regarding seeing big wheels at American overlanding shows is that Americans use the term 'Overlanding' to mean 'weekend 4x4 car camping' and you'll often hear Americans saying they going on a 2 week overlanding trip to XXXXX , where they will go 4x4 driving on crazy roads, set up camp in wild and beautiful places, do some crazy roads the next day etc etc for a few days or a week, then head home.

What is says is absolutely right (IMO) for cross continent overlanding, but for short trips based on extreme 4x4 terrain, then you can understand why they might want the bigger tyres.
 
valid points, although Dans has some odd ideas at times he has done some long duration remote trips and isn't just a weekend warrior.

Big tyres might look good sat in the campsite, showground or for extreme offroad but they are hard to find and if you can find them expensive in more remote regions. Majority of sensibly equipped overlanders will chose a tyre size that is common and easily available over looks
 
Can't be bothered watching the vid but while i accept the validity of common size easy to source surely the more expensive oversized tyres are less prone to puncture , when distance is the goal then caution is the priority , weekend warriors like to challenge themselves and the truck by aiming for the most difficult terrain , terrain they would avoid whenever possible when distance is the goal .

Being sensible is rarely fun .
 
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he has done some long duration remote trips and isn't just a weekend warrior.

Agreed. I started following Dan as he entered Mexico on his Pan-America trip, and watched him complete that trip, prepare the new Jeep and do his Africa trip. He was a good account to follow on the Pan-America, but like many people, as soon as his followers got above a few thousand he started to become less natural about his posts, and as the numbers grew higher he was obviously looking for ways to monetise is account, as demonstrated by the product advertising and later the various talks at shows/ youtube videos/ books and i'm sure somewhere down the line there will be a movie starting Tom Hanks....

He is a good traveller tho, respects local communities and finds some cracking wild camping spots.
 
surely the more expensive oversized tyres are less prone to puncture , when distance is the goal then caution is the priority ,

A BFG or STT etc is the same construction whatever the size so puncture protection doesn't change.


WRT to the common sizes, over the last 20 years sourcing good off road tyres in Morocco has become easier yes they are about 20% more expensive with import duties but common sizes are available within 24 hours pretty much anywhere in the country, but if its not a common size it needs ordering and could take weeks to get here, normally due to delays at customs.

We have a big MAN 6x6 Overlander with us at the moment in need of new tyres and its cheaper and faster for them to drive back to Europe than get them delivered to site.

A plus side of more remote places that almost every reasonable sized town has tyre repair places that will keep you moving, but I've yet to find anywhere that bigger tyres would be an advantage. A little increase in ground clearance is valuable but only an inch or so is needed. Big tyres also have a detrimental effect on fuel use so its another factor to balance when planning routes and vehicle builds
 
i've made a few expensive mistakes buying tyres
i now know for what i do 31''-33'' is big enough
 
Valuable points guys thanks for sharing .

Always a interesting subject. Like all things how practical is it I would ask?
How functional would it be and what are the pros and Cons always helps.

Have slightly bigger tyres as most common size being 285-75-16 is more than enough I’m sure for most.

In working out my overland build weight is for sure an issue in an already heavy vehicle.

Like most trying the keep the weight down is a priory and to me and maybe you too its easy to find it creeps up if unchecked and not comprised.

Landcruiser are very well built work horses the question always remain how much more do you want to work them and is it necessary?

I’ve tried to keep my added weight down to around 500kg . With this includes 100kg roof tent / awning
Sub tank / fridge and draws / accessories for the rest 400kg maybe?
Not accurate for sure would need to weigh bridge it taken into account other added extras on the vehicle over time. Could be a shock!!
 
Another one who would vote for 285/75/16 as the ideal size as you can get away with standard diff ratios....another thing to bear in mind when building a vehicle ...use as many OE parts as you can and still do the job ......certainly on an 80 little needs upgrade for reliability unless doing extreme stuff
 
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