Insa Turbo Sahara Vs Recip Trial

[steve200TDi]

Hi,

I've been think about a new set of tyres for my 90, but I need some advice about the above tyres.

The Sahara style tread can also be bought from Greenway and Fedima. I'm pretty sure these will behave well on road - any experience? They seem to work well from what I've heard

I've also found the Recip Trial which is a retread and look like the Maxxis Mudzilla which I'm guessing is not a retread by the price of them. How noisy are these on the road compared to sahara's or standard avon rangemasters.

I'll mostly being driving on road to and fro work and doing pay and play days and greenlaning (When I find some!)

The size of tyre I'm looking at is 235/85R16 and I'll be putting them on 16 x 7 modulars.

Are there any issues with tyre rubbing on a standard set up defender 90.

Another question - How long would you expect them to last beings there retreads?

Thanks

Steve

[nicks90]

i have the greenway version of the sahara and have done approx 15k miles on them and they are just under half worn.

on road they are very good, quiet and grip surprisingly well - even in the wet.

offroad they are at LEAST as capable as the bfg mud terrain.

They work just as well - if not better imho - at road pressures in the mud and grass as when lowered to 20psi. so saves mucking around with tyre pressures and driving home on underinflated rubber.

when lowered to 12-15psi they are awesome!

and no you wont have any rubbinh issues with 235/85 on modulars

[letsgetdirty]

Moving away from those tyres just slightly, Have you looked at the insa turbo dakar?? Its almost identical to bfg mud and i havnt got stuck with it yet, Its a cracking tyre.

Also retreads should cost roughly half that of genuine, My 265 75 16 cost me £200, Less than half the price of bfg, So if they wear out sooner they still wont work out more expensive to run, You can buy 9 remoulds for the price of 4 bfg.

Thats my logic to it

[Escape]

A friend of mine has the Recip Trials in 235/85 under his Classic. They are in fact a copy of the Mickey Thompson Baja Claw (which I use) and not of the Maxxis Mudzilla (which IMHO is a poor attempt to copy the Baja).

The Recips are also retreads. The perform very well offroad, especially when getting out of ruts, but are quite stiff, so dropping pressure can give an advantage.

On road they are noisier and less well-behaved then the BFG Mud or Mickey.

If you mainly drive on road, I would look for a less agressive pattern.

[steve200TDi]

Moving away from those tyres just slightly, Have you looked at the insa turbo dakar?? Its almost identical to bfg mud and i havnt got stuck with it yet, Its a cracking tyre.

Also retreads should cost roughly half that of genuine, My 265 75 16 cost me £200, Less than half the price of bfg, So if they wear out sooner they still wont work out more expensive to run, You can buy 9 remoulds for the price of 4 bfg.

Thats my logic to it

Great, how do the dakar's behave on the road? Where did you get yours from as I have only seen them for a little over £60 each. How many miles have you done with them and hows the wear rate.

I see you have 265/75R16, a slightly wider tyres that 235/85R16 by about an inch. Do you find that you get stuck in ruts or does that only happen with the really wide tyres like 31 10.5 R15 as I am still not sure what size to get really as I am not keen on the really wide tyres as I'll just get stuck.

As I plan to put these tyres on 16 x 7 modulars I guess the tyre will stick out further and should nearly be flush with the wheel spats/arches.

Steve

[nicks90]

as I am still not sure what size to get really as I am not keen on the really wide tyres as I'll just get stuck.

eh?

as you say the difference between 235 and 265 is only about an inch, this wont make any real difference to driving around in ruts. Both are nominally the same height as well.

i personally prefer 265/75/16 as i think they fill the arches out nicer. On modulars the tyre sidewall will be nicely in a line with the edge of the wheel arch and you wont experience any body fouling etc.

either size where a standard size from landrover fitted to new vehicles, so its a no brainer and only really depends on which you think look better.......

[Pete Attryde]

Just to be picky a 265mm width tyre and a 10.5 inch (Approx 266mm) wide tyre are almost exactly the same width.

[letsgetdirty]

Great, how do the dakar's behave on the road? Where did you get yours from as I have only seen them for a little over £60 each. How many miles have you done with them and hows the wear rate.

I see you have 265/75R16, a slightly wider tyres that 235/85R16 by about an inch. Do you find that you get stuck in ruts or does that only happen with the really wide tyres like 31 10.5 R15 as I am still not sure what size to get really as I am not keen on the really wide tyres as I'll just get stuck.

As I plan to put these tyres on 16 x 7 modulars I guess the tyre will stick out further and should nearly be flush with the wheel spats/arches.

Steve

Mailorder4x4 is the place, These tyres really fill the arches as they look chunkier than they actualy are, the supplier told me this before i bought them, He was right. they behave very well on the road with not to much noise, wear rate seems good but at less than half the price of bfg who cares!! I dont get stuck with these tyres full stop, I have got 30mm spacers on to so they stick out loveley and miss ruts completeley! I highly recomend them, There bulky, Excellent off road, And very cheap!! if you pm me your mobile number i will send you a close up of my landy with the 265s on

[steve200TDi]

Just to be picky a 265mm width tyre and a 10.5 inch (Approx 266mm) wide tyre are almost exactly the same width.

That's very true what you say there - I hadn't really thought about that!

Well I think I'll look into the 265's as well, now I know they'll fit.

[steve200TDi]

Maybe a silly question, but is there any pros and cons/advantages or disadvantages over having 15 or 16 inch wheels.

[Escape]

Maybe a silly question, but is there any pros and cons/advantages or disadvantages over having 15 or 16 inch wheels.

A 15" rim gives you a bit more rubber, which means it can flex more on low pressure. But the difference is very small.

Much more relevant is the availability of tyre sizes. In 15" you'll be limited to US-style sizes, like 32x10.5R15 for LRs

On 16" rims there is much more to chose from.

[chrisp]

A 15" rim gives you a bit more rubber, which means it can flex more on low pressure. But the difference is very small.

Much more relevant is the availability of tyre sizes. In 15" you'll be limited to US-style sizes, like 32x10.5R15 for LRs

On 16" rims there is much more to chose from.

Slightly off topic but - what tyre pressure would be best for fuel economy since diesel is so costly now and my chunky Macho's may well be dragging when on road and costing more on short non green lane journeys?

Is high presure right and how high for round town?

Thanks

Chrisp

[Escape]

Slightly off topic but - what tyre pressure would be best for fuel economy since diesel is so costly now and my chunky Macho's may well be dragging when on road and costing more on short non green lane journeys?

Is high presure right and how high for round town?

Thanks

Chrisp

I try and keep my pressure quite high and get real good mpg, about 30 to 40 psi depending on the tire, car and route.

[steve200TDi]

I have finely come up with a plan.

As my Avon rangemasters are still usable I mite as well keep them and use them, as apose to storing them or selling them (wont get much for them anyway) and buy a set of slightly more aggressive tyres for using to drive to the pay and play site and using them.

Now I've said this people will probably say 'buy insa turbo special tracks/simex' but I still quite like the idea of Recip trials. Any other people had experience with these tyres?

Steve

[roybatty666]

I have some Sahara 31/10.5/R15 on 15x8 steelies coming in the next few days. I prefere a slightly widewr tyre as the arches on the defender need filling up! I will take somne piccies when I get them

I was a bit bored with BFGs and the Insa are a bargain so worth a punt, from pictures the tread looks pretty deep

I may also get some spacers to help the old steering lock, but not sure which to go for

[Graham Thomson]

I've been running on 265/75 Insa Turbo Dakars for about 800 miles now............and largely it's been pouring with rain....they seem to hold the road reasonably well....

Not had them off-road yet tho! Bumping on a kerb doesnt count. The depth of tread is magnificent!!

[steve200TDi]

Thanks, I would be interested in seeing some pics of your new tyres.

I was also thinking about insa turbo sahara's, but thought I'll go for something a bit more aggressive. And BFG Muds are a bit more expensive and I also want something a bit different.

Steve

[Graham Thomson]

There are some pictures here.....

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopi...p;hl=insa+turbo

if you want a close-up let me know.

[roybatty666]

Thanks, I would be interested in seeing some pics of your new tyres.

I was also thinking about insa turbo sahara's, but thought I'll go for something a bit more aggressive. And BFG Muds are a bit more expensive and I also want something a bit different.

Steve

They should be here on Wednesday,it's going to have a busy weekend as I have the wheels, rear prop, F4OR Tubular Shadow bumper + Superwinch and an indicator stalk to fit

[roybatty666]

As Promised some pics

31 / 10.5 / R15 on 15x8 8 spoke wheels, They fill the arches beautifully and cause no wheel rub without even touching the steering stops.

Performance wise they just ate up the boggy old green lanes we went on at the weekend, My mate in his Disco with BFG ATs (not an apple for apples comparison) had real troubles and where I drove without even thinking about it he had to keep re-attempting and eventually had to be winched out by yours truly

Road noise was un-noticeable but then the inside of a bare Defender is hardly silent to start with, road manners were fine (didn't really much of a change) even up to 80 odd. The big tread gap did pick up and hurl some impressive sized stones about though )

I paid £395 odd for 4 wheels and Tyres which seems a bargain

Any questions give me a shout

I am also in West Sussex if you want to have a look in person and am also called Steve funnily enough

[steve200TDi]

As Promised some pics

31 / 10.5 / R15 on 15x8 8 spoke wheels, They fill the arches beautifully and cause no wheel rub without even touching the steering stops.

Performance wise they just ate up the boggy old green lanes we went on at the weekend, My mate in his Disco with BFG ATs (not an apple for apples comparison) had real troubles and where I drove without even thinking about it he had to keep re-attempting and eventually had to be winched out by yours truly

Road noise was un-noticeable but then the inside of a bare Defender is hardly silent to start with, road manners were fine (didn't really much of a change) even up to 80 odd. The big tread gap did pick up and hurl some impressive sized stones about though )

I paid £395 odd for 4 wheels and Tyres which seems a bargain

Any questions give me a shout

I am also in West Sussex if you want to have a look in person and am also called Steve funnily enough

Great pics, they look good on your LR.

Do they touch the wheels arches on articulation?

You said you went green laning, was it any where local?

Steve

Just been looking at other tyres in 31x10.5x15 and found the Maxxis M8060 Trepador - Anyone had any experience with this tyres?

[steve200TDi]

Another quick Question Steve - What's the average depth of your Insa Turbo's when new?

This goes for the Recip Trials if anyone knows?

[roybatty666]

Another quick Question Steve - What's the average depth of your Insa Turbo's when new?

This goes for the Recip Trials if anyone knows?

The arc of the axel as it rises/twists pulls them within the arches, even with a straight axel compression doesn't seem to cause a rub, neither does turning full lock as the steel wheels have a greater offset pushing them out more than LR wheels.

Tread depth is 20mm or so, I am really impressed with them, I wouldn't have been disapointed at twice the price (but then I am no hardcore challenge event type )

As for Green lanes there are about 6-7 that we go on around lewes and Heathfield way, some are very sedate others involve really pushing through overgrown bushes without dropping into a marsh

Seems to be a vast lack of Greenlanes down south

[muddy]

I run some 750 fedimas on the back of my 90, i thought they were the dogs but after swapping the fronts for some dirt devils (no longer available) i realised that they seem a little lacking in sidewall tread, if i am in ruts i can pretty much just turn and drive out of them with these as opposed to the fedimas, however the fedimas are awesome for digging in to find grip as well as self clearing much better than the devils.

I like the setup i have now and it works for me well, i would recommend the pattern to anyone.

On a side note i have found 31:10.50:15's quite lacking in height, they are nice width wise but height wise look marginal on a 90, I had some on the 130 for a while and they looked completely lost not to mention the gearing was way off, it was screaming at 65. 235/85's now fill the arches better although still lacking on such a large vehicle.

31:10.50:15 vs 235/85 16

235/85 16 (130 has some lift)

Side lugs

No issues with rubbing with standard suspension travel

Even with this much travel on mega offset rims the spats only required minor trimming it was the wheelboxes and spring mounts where the problems lied.

Just my 2p, Will.

[roybatty666]

I went from some 235/85/r16 to the 31/10.5/r15 and I lost 0.7" so only 0.35" of ground clearance, I also found they rubbed at full lock where the wider tyres on the steel 8 spokes didn't.

As for asthetics it is a very personnel thing, I don't have any lift on my 90 and thought the 235s looked way to thin for their height and a bit retro, the 31/10.5 look more purposeful, fill the arches and I don't notice the minor drop in diameter.

And on the road I do think I notice a slight raise in revs on the motorway but I don't tend to hussel in her anyway (I have the Rangie for that)

At then end of the day tyres are a very personnel thing and ideally you would anet to try them on like running shoes before purchase but they don't seem to like taking them back with mub on them