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Is 100" STILL the ideal wheelbase????


PITBULL

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Right everybody says 100" is the ideal wheelbase BUT I've been thinking bout this and I believe that one of the benefits to the 100" wheelbase was that back in the days that everybody was using 90's 100"s were getting through sections that 90's were failing and I put this down partly to the front wheels climbing out the hole the front wheels of a 90 made before the back wheel enter the hole the back wheels of a 90 made.

So I was thinking is 100" the "perfect" wheelbase still? I've only ever done play & pays and am noticing that 100" vehicles are getting stuck in the dreaded holes that people have made in there 100" vehicles but 90" is making it which I partly put this down to the back wheels climbing out of the holes before the front end enter.

now i know a longer wheelbase is more stable so my question is

is a 100" wheelbase still the ideal wheelbase or is 90" or even 110"?

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Depends how big the hole is :ph34r:

Also, I reckon 100" is popular because for most club trials you get an extra shunt if you are 100" or over, so 100" was the smallest you could go whilst keeping the extra shunt.

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Some people think that 92 inches gives a choppy ride and 110 inches is too long, big overhang and terrible steering lock.

Whether that's looking for justification to build a "hybrid" after the event I don't know. Thing is way back when the choice was coil sprung RRC or leafer, if you wanted the suppleness of coils you built a RRC based series lookalike, lighter, narrower etc, best of both worlds. Do you then justify it by saying 100" is a better wheelbase?

Does 8 inches make that much difference to what sort of hole you get stuck in? when you fit bigger tyres the approach and departure clearence is bigger still, and it takes a bigger hole to swallow you up.

Personally I like the 100 inch wheelbase because I like RRC, but I find our lifted RRC a bit, not choppy exactly but it pitches back and forth a little at times on a fast lane for example. My long wheelbase RRC on the other hand is great on the termac and at high speed, great for towing etc but a bit of a cow to park.

Can't have it all.

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It all depends on what you are doing, ignoring fashion or what's easy and available.

Generally speaking a longer wheelbase will be more stable at speed and climb better than a short wheelbase. A short wheelbase will be more manouverable and have a better break-over angle (for a given lift and tyre size). In the US longer wheelbases are more popular as the terrain is often a bit more open and they have more climbing and decending - on the West Coast it's common to see 105"+ and up to 130" on dedicated 'trail' rock crawlers.

Then there's how you build it, if you start with a 90 and stretch the wheelbase by lengthening the front or rear suspension arms (or both) you will be able to get better suspension articulation, which in turn will over come some loss of break-over angle.

Also manouverability comes down to steering angle and what you hit as you turn, so if you have wheelspacers and plenty of steering lock with added body protection if a tree gets in the way then a 100" should be better than a 90 as you still get better stablity and climbing ability.

I've actually been thinking that stretching a 100" chassis by stretching the rear arms in the way that people are doing 90's at the moment to 107" could be a good machine.

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The reason I ask is at a pay & play I go to has got some really bad bits and one bit in particular there is a section that people try use to be drivable but where people fail and spin tyres just digs holes 100" apart with there special tracks :unsure: i use to have a disco on 33s and a rear locker and got through this section no problem then watched a guy just sit there for like 5min wheel spinning digging big holes, then after him i could not get through but a 88" did with open diffs and to my knowledge no 100" has made it through since but the other weekend I was down there and in my mates 90 with open diffs and 37" boggers I would have made it (I think :huh: ) if it wasnt for when the rear wheel entered the hole made by a front wheel I almost ended up on its side so had to reverse out :rolleyes: but my mate disco on 35" simex with front and rear lockers didn't even come close :o

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You will find there will be places a 100 inch will go where a 90 wont and vise versa, in the end you makes your choice as no one wheelbase will do it all !

I had a 88 inch challenge truck and a 100 inch, I found that each had plus's and minus's now i'm building a 90 :lol:

Not helping am I :P

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not really no :lol: I'm in the process of building a 100" but i'm now thinking about a bobtail 110 :rolleyes: maybe i should get a 2 door 110 and if it turns out to long then i'll have all the panels to make a 100" already got the chassis :ph34r:

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There used to be funny little set of bumps down at Slindon that gradually got longer spaced so eventually any wheelbase got left spinning wheels. I remember driving into it with friends in Suzukis and 110's, each truck got stopped at a different point.

In theory if you have lockers and large enough tyres lifting a wheel in these situations will never stop you, but you'd need to be thinking portals and 44" tyres! Just decide on a wheelbase and except that you'll get stopped somewhere, sometime.

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There is no right answer, go look on Pirate they all think (rightly for their case) even 110 is far too short for proper rock crawlin'.

Go with whatever you want and just learn to drive it, everything has as many pros as cons, sometimes a 130 will beat an SJ.

Of course if I had to pick a number I'd say it has to be 109" :P

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No matter what wheelbase you've got, you'll get stuck eventually, though a longer wheelbase will help you get over small holes, ditches and hill climbs etc. I have a 100" and it does everything i want, more storage space and better ride than a 90, yet not as bulky as a 110 for city driving/parking and in the woods.

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