Simex Jungle and extreme Trekkers

[RageRover]

More or less, everybody that I talk to about what tires they want, it's always the stereotypical tire for trucks, the BFG's. Don't get me wrong, they are good tires, but a lot of people seem to get them.

Another popular tire I see on campus here are Dayton Timberland's, and Michelin LTX's M+S.

[DiscoPilot]

Originally Posted by keptin

Ehh....ive heard thornbirds are a total poseur tire.......even worse then BFG A/Ts.....an MT+AT bastard child.

HAHA POSEUR TIRE!!! thats great


thats my general understanding just seeing if anyone had run them before

[nfrey2]

Originally Posted by p76rangie

The 33x10.5 simex (really 34 inch) will fit under a Disco II with no guard cutting. Just require about 1.5 inch lift in the spring area. On a series 1 Disco they only need a small trim on the back bottom of the wheel arch.

Ian

So 34" tires will fit on a D1/RRC with a small lift and minor trimming? The 35's I was looking at looked liked I'd need to remove about 3" of fender and my friends D1 has about 3" of fender removed to fit is 35X12.50 BFG MT's

[roverX]

Originally Posted by nfrey2

So 34" tires will fit on a D1/RRC with a small lift and minor trimming? The 35's I was looking at looked liked I'd need to remove about 3" of fender and my friends D1 has about 3" of fender removed to fit is 35X12.50 BFG MT's

I might have missed it somewhere...but if you don't already have HD axles...you WILL break them if you decide to run that large of a tire.

[SCSL]

Originally Posted by keptin

Ehh....ive heard thornbirds are a total poseur tire.......even worse then BFG A/Ts.....an MT+AT bastard child.

I didn't realize I've been running "poseur tires" all these years,,,

[rmuller]

Originally Posted by SCSL

I didn't realize I've been running "poseur tires" all these years,,,

In my opinion the BFG MTs and ATs are some of the best tires you can get... Thornbirds on another hand.... well, if you look at the tread, there are these HUGE lugs on the outside, but then once you get to the middle of the tire, it looks almost like a street tire. I've seen them in person and not a fan, and heard a lot of stories how they are bad on both street and offroad... I think they are nicknamed 'thornturds' hah

[roverX]

Originally Posted by SCSL

I didn't realize I've been running "poseur tires" all these years,,,

Don't you mean you're a poseur?

Hey...put up some more pics of yer rig.

[nfrey2]

Originally Posted by roverX

I might have missed it somewhere...but if you don't already have HD axles...you WILL break them if you decide to run that large of a tire.

Oh im not gonna run a Simex that big, but maybe eventually another tire in the 35" range. I was just asking more along the lines of fittment wise on getting 34's on with "minor trimming."

[roverX]

Originally Posted by nfrey2

Oh im not gonna run a Simex that big, but maybe eventually another tire in the 35" range. I was just asking more along the lines of fittment wise on getting 34's on with "minor trimming."

IMHO you may or may not break an axle with another brand but, personally, I'd install some Rovertraks HD axles just to be safe. Alot of damage can occur from breaking an axle.

[p76rangie]

Discopilot, you cannot get 35's in JT's, only in ETs. Then it depends on whether they are ET 1's or ET 2's. the 35 in ET 1's are only about 34.5, they are only slightly larger than JT 33's, which are a bit over 34. ET 2's 35's are about 35.5 to 36 inches and take a bit more to fit. Then how they fit up is all dependant on the width you get and what offset you have on the rims. The narrower 10.5's on standard offset rims tend to tuck into the guards OK, except at the rear on a D1. But if you went wider, you would need to do more serious trimming on a D1.

I have had Thornbirds in the past, they are not a bad tyre off road, but it depends on what you are doing. In the mud they are crap. Be careful with them on wet roads. they can really let go with little notice.

I have not found an increased issue with axles with larger tyres as long as the rest of the drive train remains relatively standard. That is, you don't go putting in a Chevy V8 into it. What caused my axles to break was when I went to 4.11 diff ratios. These put more leverage on the axles.

Ian

[DiscoPilot]

Originally Posted by p76rangie

Discopilot, you cannot get 35's in JT's, only in ETs. Then it depends on whether they are ET 1's or ET 2's. the 35 in ET 1's are only about 34.5, they are only slightly larger than JT 33's, which are a bit over 34. ET 2's 35's are about 35.5 to 36 inches and take a bit more to fit. Then how they fit up is all dependant on the width you get and what offset you have on the rims. The narrower 10.5's on standard offset rims tend to tuck into the guards OK, except at the rear on a D1. But if you went wider, you would need to do more serious trimming on a D1.

I have had Thornbirds in the past, they are not a bad tyre off road, but it depends on what you are doing. In the mud they are crap. Be careful with them on wet roads. they can really let go with little notice.

I have not found an increased issue with axles with larger tyres as long as the rest of the drive train remains relatively standard. That is, you don't go putting in a Chevy V8 into it. What caused my axles to break was when I went to 4.11 diff ratios. These put more leverage on the axles.

Ian

Thanks Ian, as most of my projects do this one has taken a turn for the extreme. I still plan on running the largest Simex tire available whether it be jt or et but thanks for the info as it is very helpful and not the kind of info you can get from their website

[300bhp/ton]

I run Simex Jungle Trekker II's 33.11.50R15 they are awesome. Off road ability is truly amazing. They are as far beyond BFG m/t's as they are beyond racing slicks - they are that good.

In off road competative use they hold the ground better than almost any other tyre I've seen.

On road they are ok, they are a bit of a pita to balcance due to the size and style but they actually ride quite well and are ok on the motorway at ~65mph. They are a little less stable under hard braking and in the wet you need to be a bit more caustious. But that follows with most off road biased tyres.

I have a friend who runs the Extreme Trekkers 31.9.50.R16 these are a little less smooth on the road but just as capable and due to the slightly more agressive tred pattern are probably a little better in the mud.

I run cutout arches and 1" wheel spacers with 3.5" back space clearance rims, this works pretty well on the Discovery, the Jungle Trekkers do rub a bit but nothing serious and only on the inside of the rear wheel well.

Wider tyres will limited turing circle so winding in the steering stops is a must, wide offset rims and/or wheel spacers are a good idea.

I'm not sure what's happened to Simex but little is heard of them at the moment in the UK and their tyres don't seem to be listed with the same people anymore. There are some new Silverstone Extremes available from Bronco4x4 these are available in 35.10.50 which would be a great size for a Land Rover vehicle as they will offer a good turing circle as well as grip.

[Pit Fighter]

Hello All.

To run 35s you will need at least 5inch on rear and 4 inch on the front, and thats with some cutting !!! You have to make sure they can still get up into the body or you will lose to much travel. Up grade your rear axles is a must as they will pop your standards first trip, a good off set on your rims will also be required to give you a wider footing and good turning.
I have a 2inch body lift, 2 inch spring to front and 4 inch spring to rear, both gards have at least 2inch cut out to allow travel req.

Simex and landrover what a match !!

Gav. Perth West Australia.

[washbrook]

Guys,

Interesting thread. I rarely ever post on these boards but thought I might just come online this time. I just came across this board tonight?

I run the 35 x 10.5 Simex Extreme Trekkers on my Disco. I needed a 5" lift and severe cutting of wheel arches to make them fit. I have also changed the back spacing on the Rims to 4.0" to help with the turning circle but should have gone a bit more.

Check out http://www.washbrook.net/1995%20Discovery.htm for some ideas on what I did to strengthen the drive line, axles etc to cater for the upgrades. There are probably better combinations out there that you ahve seen but you have to start somewhere. The Simex work OK on the hard top but are noisy and have limitations in fast breaking and wet road conditons. Here in the USA the 36 x 12.5 ETII's will set you back about US$360 per tire and the 35's are only marginally different. I would not recommend them if you only intend to drive around town most of the time or not do any hard stuff due to the cost. The MTR's, BFG Mud terrains and many others are a better price performance trade off. I have talked more people out of buying them than into buying them due to their aggressive nature and cost.

Anyway good luck with the projects, I'm off Saturday for the Australian Outback Challenge so may not be able to get back here for a month or so.

Regards
Norman Hall
norman@washbrook.net

[p76rangie]

On a Disco II you can fit JT 2's 33x10.5x16 (really 34's) with only a small spring lift and no cutting of any metal. If you are running ET 1's they are only about 1/2 inch bigger than the JT2 33x10.5, so I am not sure why you need the mods you have stated. Could be the offset of the rims.

Ian