Deliberatley contorversial comment

[Mark90]

I've only seen them in action on j**p's so it was hard to tell if it was the tyre or the car that was carp

[Paul Humphreys]

I've only seen them in action on j**p's so it was hard to tell if it was the tyre or the car that was carp

I know someone with some 37" ones for sale as I told him not to get them and he did not listen.

Paul

[pugwash]

I've only seen them in action on j**p's so it was hard to tell if it was the tyre or the car that was carp

ooh harsh

but fair

(just so long as Angela Royston or Mike Cuff aren't reading this lol)

[FridgeFreezer]

Just as you have people who modify their cars to go faster and handle better, and those who look at them and say "I wish I could do that" and then go to halfords and buy every piece of plastic chrome and blue flashing LED they can find in a (usually failed) attempt to create an impression that they might be part of that group. When you get enough of them, folklore is created (these days including forums) whereby fitting a badly designed anodised piece of carp instead of the standard bit is "worth 20bhp". Just look at the 1.1 Novas, Saxos etc. with 4" bore exhausts. If they actually knew anything they'd fit something with better gasflow, not something whose only purpose is to act as a megaphone.

Often these people are too afraid to sound like they don't know something (EG how any given mod may affect their actual performance) so will not ask or look it up and just believe what they read in the magazines.

Same is true of off-roaders, it's people not wanting to think for themselves and attempting to emulate those they look up to. They see someone win a winch challenge with an 8274, next week they bolt one on and extoll the virtues of it to anyone who'll listen. Fast forward a year and every bugger has twin 8274's on their truck and any other winch is a big girl's blouse. (Before any of you fashion victims kick off, this was only an example )

Tony - if you decide you can't build stuff then no, you can't. If you make the effort then yes, you can. I hadn't done any more complex stuff than routine maintenance before I started on the 109, now I can weld, fabricate and drink coffee at an apprentice-ninja level OK I had a little help from Jez & Vince, but by the sounds of it you're not stuck for help if you made the effort to go for it. Teach a man to fish and all that...

[Les Henson]

I don't really have a problem with people buying bling or tat for their vehicle - it's their money and their choice, if someone else doesn't like it, then that's their problem. There's a lot to be said for doing your own work and fabricating things yourself - there's the ultimate pride in it in my opinion. It's also not possible for a lot of people to do it for a whole variety of reasons from ability to money to lack of time to lack of workshop facilities. In this case, then if there's any 'keeping up with the herd' (and there obviously is), then buying stuff is the only way to go.

People that buy a winch, snorkel, chunky tyres etc and then never use them for the purpose they were intended , is a bit beyond me though. I have seen a black TD5 Defender here in Swindon, it's as shiny as a shiny thing, has a snorkel, winch and bumper, chunky tyres, three aerials, etc. I've never even seen it dirty.

Les.

[MudAllOverIt]

There's a lot to be said for doing your own work and fabricating things yourself - there's the ultimate pride in it in my opinion. It's also not possible for a lot of people to do it for a whole variety of reasons from ability

In my case fabrication is just not on -- it's just something I'm no good at. Never been a lack of enthusiam of my part, just a complete lack of ability

So I don't have any problems with the bolt-on approach -- it's the only sensible way I can mod our 90. But I do make a point of only adding things we actually need and also I choose very carefully who I'll buy from. These days almost all the stuff I buy is from smaller suppliers who more often than not have invested their own time and money to develop stuff that is actually useful and works. Mud UK, X-Eng (ony 2-off X-caps so far if you're reading this Si ), Cheviot 4x4 in the recent past. For the stuff that'll need done next year (re-con g/b looming and some suspension work) I'll use bits from Ashcroft and Gwyn Lewis.

People that buy a winch, snorkel, chunky tyres etc and then never use them for the purpose they were intended , is a bit beyond me though.

Me too. It's generally the case that the best offroaders I know have the least bling trucks

[white90]

John

I have decided not to do anything

and will try all jobs.

having someone to show you how is much better than paying.

but still things do need to be purchased at times.

[FridgeFreezer]

No argument there Tony - the price some people chuck stuff out for these days it's not worth making it. Stuff like steering guards, dislocation cones, etc. have now reached market saturation and prices have come down accordingly.

It's stuff like trick suspension or other major upgrades where the bolt-on approach ends up as a compromise due to the problems with making it bolt-on: You have to compromise the design, complexity, cost, strength or performance to retain ease of fitting / production etc. which means you either end up with a compromise, or an empty wallet.

[discodave]

I come on here for the porn, sod the L/R content

Les.

i'm too thick to work out how to use the quote button let alone fab my own parts.

i dont go off road for fun but need to for work. (pipelines)

i know jack about 4x4s exept they break a lot and seem to end up costing a fortune to fix coz (in some cases) the small

things are cheap, but they've mostly got big bits on!

i'm with Les, i think in this situation rule number 6 applies!