Aluminum Camper Forum

We just towed 1100 mi in the four corners area and returned 10.5 MPG for mixed 70+ highway and forest rd / off road trails.

Same towing MPG as our 94 Grand Cherokee V8, but the Cayenne is a more comfortable and much safer vehicle.

Have fun out there : )

Hello Mojo.

Good to know your Touareg is serving you well!

These awesome vehicles are overqualified for most driving tasks.

What kind of mileage are you seeing?

: ) S

New 32.5" ATs for the Cayenne...

I finally replaced our interim (see above re 22" vs 18" wheels) standard 28" tall street tires and doughnut spare with a set of 5 off-road worthy tires and gained back a couple inches of ground clearance too !

Now, how to best stow that huge full size spare?

Pics below...

1. How we bought the vehicle it with aftermarket 22s and performance tires, in full lift mode

2. With our swapped 18s with stock street tires, in full lift mode

3. With our new 32.5" AT tires, in full lift mode

4. With our new 32.5" AT tires with air suspension in full slammed down mode

5. New full size spare

6. Compared with Jeep on 33s

I love the AT51s - They are quiet, comfortable, handle great, and have amazing wet and snow traction (been running them on our Lexus SUV for two years)

Turns out that the lowest denominator is the Dexter axle itself. As pictured on the label image attached. So the factory off road 195/75 14" BFGs are appropriately matched to the axle capacity.

That means that I will need to look into a more stout axle option to safely make use of the higher weight capacity of a larger tire.  I suppose I will wait to figure this out until my existing axle eventually needs replacing.

I  took a glance over at the Dexter online catalog - more research will ensue at some point.

The LT27 X 8.5 works out to be something like 215/75 14 in metric terms.

I am sold on the GRABBER AT 2 - SIZE: 205/75R15, unless someone would advise otherwise. I realize that this would require buying new 15" wheels for the CL, but it would open possibilities with load rating and tire choice going forward.

Any specs / suggestions, or where to find wheels with the right bolt pattern and offset that don't look like generic trailer wheels?

When you say,  "trailer service rating", would the specs for the Grabbers (see attached below) meet or exceed this rating you mention?

Thanks

Allegedly the Cayenne can do near 170. It came with 'W' rated 22" wheels and tires when we bought it from the dealer. However, I was able to trade straight across for a set of 18" OEM wheels and tires with decent tread left on them. But the spare is useless, so we are going to an extra full sized wheel and then get 5 new 32" AT tires.

At any rate, our CLs factory equipped 195/75 14" BFG ATs tread blocks are starting to chunk (like BFGs ATs do), so it is also time to upgrade to the next pair of AT tires for the QBB. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that with my 13QBB, its current weight limit is a function of my tires load capacity.

Those dying BFG 14s are rated about 1500lbs per tire. They don't make them any more and there is only one other AT 14" tire that I can find -the  GRABBER A/TX - SIZE: LT27X8.5R14. I would happily 'Grab' these except, they too are only rated at 1500lbs? I have been pondering moving up to a 15" tire, the GRABBER AT 2 - SIZE: 205/75R15 that are rated at 1600lbs. Am I right to assume that I would gain 200lbs of capacity if I go up to the 15s?

Now I have hijacked my own TV thread, and bent it towards asking for advice on CL tire choice. Any opinions?

: ) S

Here it is with the 22s vs 18s , air suspension at full height - the 22s are 32" in diameter, but the the swapped 18s are only 29" tall, so our next pair of ATs will restore it to at least 32" again : )

Hello All.

It has been quite a while since my last post. This is partially due to the fact that most of our priority trailer mods for our 13 QBB had been performed and documented in detail here on this forum back in 2017.

Unfortunately, our 2018 travel plans unraveled due to transmission issues with our previous tow vehicle, the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Upon saving enough extra cash to put a new transmission in the Jeep, I thought perhaps that money would be better spent as a down payment on something different with more power for towing.

Well, long story short, we did find a vehicle with more towing capacity. And a whole lot more, all around.

We purchased our pristine 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo in March. After putting a few thousand miles on it already, I am smitten. It is ridiculously capable of any and all tasks so far. Although it has a nasty habit guzzling premium fuel an alarming rate. But happily better than the Jeep, now getting two miles per gallon better, at 11 MPG towing at 70MPH at 5000 feet in altitude.

At any rate, we have camped only once so far this season for a semi local shake down trip a couple weeks ago. The Cayenne is rated at 7700 lbs. It tows our CL like it's a toy. Looking forward to longer trips in the coming months to CO, UT, and NM.

With no further adieu, here are some pics...

Ditto here.

Our 13 QBB awning support leg blocks the window from opening unless I pop out the support leg and dangle it against the window edge. Lame.

However, I would like to just get a longer awning assembly (maybe from a 14 footer) and move the lower support mounting bracket over so that the support leg will clear the window AND provide an additional width of shade as well.

Why they didn't do this at the factory I can't understand. Keep us posted on your solution.

: ) S

Hi 4Runner.

Thanks for the cautionary tip. So far, no signs of bending, distortion, or cracking with my 32º plus 3.5" Casita lift combo setup. We have twisted and flexed it pretty good in our travels - even enough to bend the receiver end of the ball mounting plate on our Reese friction sway controller. The 13QBB is pretty light tho at 3300 ish lbs dry. We have another big CO & UT trip coming up soon. I'll keep my eye on it and report anything of concern.

: ) S

I'm sure they weld up all the hard parts first before they install the rubber mechanism at the factory. I'm glad that we got the factory off road package as a starting point, because even after adding 3.5" of lift, it now looks like a 'normal' ride height. As Scout mentioned, after adding his 3.5" kit, his 13 footer sits 1.5" lower than mine. Not a huge difference, but I'll take all the height I can get for the places we like to go.

Take care,
   : ) S

Hello Patrick.

We're probably talking apples to apples, but I installed a 3.5" lift, not the 2 5/8" lift. Regardless, the install process should be the same in principal. Meanwhile, my 3.5" 'Casita' lift has performed flawlessly, both on road and off, with a minimal 1 MPG impact on my mileage so far. Highly recommended !

Best of luck on your install. Enjoy your new height and happy travels

: ) S

It's been hard to watch over the last couple years as Thor has systematically (or sloppily) denuded the once superior LL/Cl brand. The only CL champion left standing was Dan. With him gone from the company (can't blame him for walking away), there is no hope to rise to former glory. The bean counters have won, and we all lose. Thor bought a brand unique in its ethos and innovation, only to factory farm our once exotic breed. I'm so glad we have a 2014 13QBB from the good ol' days. They don't make them like they used to and they never will again.

I feel bad for all the recent LL purchasers who focused their buying decision based on years worth of genuine warm and fuzzy sentiment from previous ownership, reviews and accolades. Seems a little bait and switch to ride on a reputation no longer deserved. Perhaps a new filter for this forum should include a "Pre Thor" and "Post Thor" option.

RIP LL : (

Hi Steve.

Thanks for the great clarification on metric tire sizes. Always interesting to see the difference in actual tire dimensions between two different brands of identically sized tires when I look at them in Tire Rack's excellent 'actual dimensions' sizing matrix.

Happy camping!

S

Quote from: nolichuckyjake on October 13, 2017, 09:02:36 AM

Regarding tire sizing, the middle "75" number correlates to tire height (aspect ratio). The higher this number, the more sidewall height will be, and therefore more true lift. The first number "225" id related to the width of the tread (section width).
[/quote]

Yeah, metric tire sizing is complicated, and I always have to refer to a chart to remember how it works.
As I understand it, both the first and second numbers are relative to each other, so "235" is not a clean dimension, but relative to the "75".


See: https://tiresize.com/comparison/

If this is true, there is .6" difference in overall height between a 235 X 75 and a 225 X 75, and that is what my comment was referencing.

Thanks for the info on other tire options.  Gonna run these Chinese tires around the southeast this fall, and replace them before I head cross-country, probably in the spring.   I'll be asking for recommendations for boondocking spots then.   

The first place I see potential problems with clearance on my DBS 16 is the rear jacks, which look like they are just waiting to ground out in a deep wash.    Might need to become 'removable' for some trips.
[/quote]

Yes, the middle number is ratio, of tread width / sidewall height. Tire Rack shows the actual tire height for each size (under specs). You will notice that there is a slight height deviation between different tires of the same "size".

S

Quote from: nolichuckyjake on October 12, 2017, 11:40:33 PM

Thanks for the reply.   Yes, airing down is at least a possibility in our future, though I don't have any experience off-roading---we do want to get out into the deserts of the SW.  Towing with a 2500 series Ram Tradesman 4WD, which looks lifted, but they tell me it's stock.  Good clearance, anyway.  Running Goodrich ATs on it, and currently some Chinese mud-tires that came on the trailer.

Have been considering Goodrich Endurance STs, but they only come in a 225 X 75 X 15 (trailer takes 15"), whereas current Chinese tires are 235, and I don't want to lose any height.  On the other hand, my feeling is that the straighter the tread, the better the mileage,  and it's a long way from N.C. to Utah. 

What do you think about the relative strength of sidewalls in a compromise like the Goodyear Wrangler?
All tires in the sizes we're using on trailers are going to be C-rated, I believe.

I am not a fan of Goodyear Wranglers (I had 2 blowouts on two different sets). We have BFG KOs on our CL 13QBB, and have gone through several sets on our Jeep. There's a lot to like about the KOs, but on the Jeep they do tend to wear quickly (in fairness, I do regularly run them as low as 15psi on 4x4 trails around Sedona, and don't always air back up around town).

I've heard really good things about Falken Wild Peaks lately from other experienced off roaders (compared with the KOs they are equally capable off road, really good teadwear, better on snow and ice, quieter and cheaper. I'm going to try them next.

Regarding tire sizing, the middle "75" number correlates to tire height (aspect ratio). The higher this number, the more sidewall height will be, and therefore more true lift. The first number "225" id related to the width of the tread (section width). I did come across a 14" tire that is at the top of my list when the BFGs on our 13QBB wear out here : https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+AT+2&partnum=785QR4GRAT2OWL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

... but they have almost the same tread pattern as the BFG KOs. They make them in 15" too. The wheel wells on our 13 are pretty dinky and our tires are a moderate 26" diameter overall. 28" max is what I could fit without rubbing unless I go into mod mode. In which case I'd like to accommodate some 31x10.5x15"s for the CL. But hacking into my virgin wheel wells is off the table for now.

Let me know if you head out west. I could make some recommendations for some must see places.

: ) S