Hiking vehicles

[rally_toad]

What kind of vehicles do you guys all drive when your going hiking? Im thinking about investing in a 4wd high clearance Jeep or something of the sort so I could get to some places where I definitely couldnt get to with what Im driving now (73 mustang):) I saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee today for $2600 and I was thinking about checking it out. What "hiking vehicle" is easiest to drive and which gets the best gas mileage (even though I know most wouldnt be too fuel efficient.)

[PatrickL]

Yokohama Geolandars seem like decent on/off road tires. I considered them but decided to go with the grabbers because of all of the snow we get in Buckeye.
The Grabbers have a bit more hum than my previous tires, but turning the stereo up a level or two drowns it out just fine.

[chumley]

Nothin wrong with a little hum when you're driving.

Just means you can take it out and get dirty.

Quiet highway tires won't do as well on a rough road.

[hikeaz]

Frequent rotations (and rebalance if necessary) can add many miles to a set of tires (especially if they are larger sized or have aggressive tread).
I imagine that most larger tire stores do the same, but @ Discount they will rotate and re-balance tires bought from them (OR - even if you buy online elsewhere, but have Discount MOUNT the new tires) for free as long as you have them - I rotate by (kinda beefy) 285/70/17's every 5000 or less. So, if I get, say, 40,000 miles, that's 7 rotations and re-balances included in the price of the tires (or install, as the case may be).

[Bradshaws]

@chumley
I agree highway tires don't do as well as off-road tire on rough terrain and I also like the hum of large tires but I see WAY too many people buying mud/snow tires or even more aggressive rock crawling tires for their daily drive that they take off road 2-3 times a month.
There are people on HAZ that can and do need tires like this but for the majority of people a tire like the BF Goodrich Long Trail or something similar to its tread pattern is more than enough for the roads they travel.

[JoelHazelton]

@chumley
A little hum can be distracting, though.

[SpiderLegs]

@big_load
Was it an Earth Roamer? http://earthroamer.com/

I saw an Earth Roamer in the Sprouts parking lot up in Flagstaff a few weekends ago. Think I need to start saving up, it was a thing of beauty.

[Bradshaws]

Here is my choice for extreme hiking vehicle

[FOTG]

@wallyfrack
I wish I could say that about the Ancha...got one of my $$$$ ones, thank God for life time warranty..

http://hikearizona.com/photo=414473

[Grasshopper]

BG Goodrich "All Terrains" are 3-ply sidewall which is one of the main reasons I have been loyal to BFG's for my Grasshopper Jeep on road & off road needs. Does Yokohama and/or General Tire offer an "All Terrain" style LT (light truck) tire that is 3-ply sidewall?

[SuperstitionGuy]

@Bradshaws
Is that winch on the front of your vehicle of choice for pulling out Ford F550s?

[Bradshaws]

@SuperstitionGuy



That's a picture of a Russian troop transport

[FOTG]

@Bradshaws

Russian troop transport

I am disappointed in you Bradshaws, you choose Russian I will stick with American made ;)

[Bradshaws]

@friendofThundergod
Yes, yes I also like the MRAP but I'm one of those kids that like to have different toys than the other kids on the block ;)

[big_load]

it was a thing of beauty.

That's OK to think, but be careful how you express it out loud. Anyone who sprang for that much capability probably doesn't want to hear "that sure is a pretty truck".

[Bradshaws]

@Grasshopper
Yes, both Yokohama and General offer 3 ply sidewalls.

The BF Goodrich A/T is a very good tire(And they look great on your Jeep ;) ) I ran them for many years on my '76 Chevy K10 and I loved them. The last set of BF Goodrich I ran were LongTrails on a F150 and I was disappointed They just wore out so fast. After that set I went to Yokohama and they were great. They drove great on the road and never left me stranded off-road. I'll be running them in the future

I do have to say, right now I'm driving an Accord So what I'm saying is from experience both on my past vehicles and the vehicles I repair for work

[Jim]

I had a set of performance tires, Falken Ziex ZE-612 in size 185/65R15, for my Honda Civic. I bought them near where I currently live, but back in late July 2 years ago when I was living on the Rez. At the time, I was doing a lot of driving, frequently driving long distance at high speeds, and usually early in the day. So, I got out before tourists and tended to go fast. I almost never drove under 90 MPH, and liked to go about 100 to 105. I was very happy to test out the old car and once got her up to 115, but a hill stopped me from going faster and I never made it up to 120. Anyway, the difference between a touring and performance tire was really incredible. After I got the performance tires, the ride over 100 MPH was smooth, where as before the car shook when going that fast. It gripped the road really well, and I could corner on to HWY 98 to Page, at 45 to 50 MPH and not slide. It was a lot of fun to drive, with those tires. If I had stayed out there, I would have bought a Camaro, or some other fast car.

I guess that is part of why I find my present vehicle to be less than, since it is just not anything near a high performance machine. Not that a civic is, by any stretch of the imagination. It was smooth, handled well, and nimble. It was just getting on, tight, low, cramped on trips, and sand blasted from Kayenta. Still, those tires. Oh, those performance tires.

Liz, I would buy the performance tires, just because i think a grippy tire tat wears a bit faster is a better bet, than a hard, slip and slide tire that might last longer. I had the last set until I traded the car, about a year. They looked fine. I had the older set 2 1/2 years, but they were dry rotted on the edges and needed replacing well before even though the tread was legal. Personally, I have lost interest in off road. I'll still do it, since I have my Fuji Heavy Industries clunker for pretentious white people in moderately affluent suburban areas, but I would rather go back to a car that is fun to drive, conveys a general disdain for children, and doesn't leave me regretting every choice I ever make.

[Bradshaws]

@Jim_H
Yes the higher the speed rating the better the tire. On our Tahoe and Impala patrol units we run get V speed rated (up to 149mph) and on the few '07 Crown Vic's we're running, get Z speed rated (149mph + ) They're awesome but "awesome" is expensive

[Jim]

Well, the nice thing for me about the Falkens Tire was they were cheap. $68 each! No, they were not supposed to last long, but I got at least 20,000 miles out of them. I think I got about 30,000. H rated was fine for me.

[SuperstitionGuy]

I almost never drove under 90 MPH, and liked to go about 100 to 105.

Jim I would really like to know the brands of radar detectors and laser jammers that you recommend! :whistle:

[Jim]

I almost never drove under 90 MPH, and liked to go about 100 to 105.

Jim I would really like to know the brands of radar detectors and laser jammers that you recommend! :whistle:

Well, when I lived in Kayenta and drove across US 160 from US 89 to Cortez, CO, there were basically no police. The tribe had 3 officers on duty at a given time, but they were over an area the size of the Phoenix metro area. There are and were AZ State police, but I chanced to live out there at a time when they let numbers fall by attrition for budgetary reasons. They also were not 24 hours, as I understood it, as I would see them all hanging out in Kayenta at the PD station on 163 around 0730 or so. If I did see them, they were in towns and turn offs, like in Dennehotso or the Black Mesa turn off. They did not seem to be on the roads much, but with the long lines of site, you could see the road and any place to hide from miles a way. Keep in mind, traffic is scarce, and any accident would probably have killed me, and me alone. Well, maybe some sheep or a cow. When I drove to Tucson that July, I was uncomfortable doing 65 in Phoenix and here.