Tiger Build up

[ed604]

As I have recently joined the brotherhood of provan tiger owners, I am now starting the build up of this platform.

Main areas of my build are as follows:

Tires and wheels, gears and lockers, addition of a second fuel tank, front bumper and winch for self recovery, shake down of all operating system and adding some rubber bumpers to help eliminate squeeks and rattles, storage of spare and recovery points.

The first thing I am thinking of is the tires and wheel combos, it makes the big change in look/stance too!

I have it narrowed down to 3 contenders all to be mounted on a simple flat black, 8inch steel wheel. The size I would like to run is a 35inch tire.

bfg km2, Good Year mtr + kev, Dura trac.

all things considered with the amount of on road driving I will be doing I am thinking of going Dura trac this tire being also available in an e rating.
I see alot of wet conditions where I live and have read good things about the winter capabilites of this tire.

I think my currrent gearing is 3.54 in the dodge. I am not sure if I will be forced to re gear? Cummins has a ton of torque but, it is a big tire.

I will post the before and after pics as soon as I make my final choice. I welcome any and all feed back as always.

Ed

[lqhikers]

we are waiting for our tiger,due to be picked up 2nd week of april
( 2012 reg cab bengal 4x4 chevy work truck manual transfer case)).
will be interested in your build for ideas.
so the question is what year model did you acquire ?
ready for your build!

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"
Les,lqhikers.

[ed604]

Sorry, that was silly of me, the tiger I have is a 95 cx with a pop top. This is on a dodge chasis with the cummins.Not sure if you call it a gt?

Ed

[motrhed]

Regarding tires, have you considered the BFG All Terrain T/A's? I have been running them for years and have had great luck with them. They work much better in snow/ice plus hard trail/highway conditions than any mud tire I have owned. I use them exclusively on my work trucks that see all road conditions in the oilfield, mine sites, and logging roads. They are not the best in mud, but I travel snow, gravel, and highway much more than straight mud.
Just my 2 cents worth...

[DiploStrat]

I, too, like a at least a 32" tire with between an 8 or 10" width. (Old '70's 4x4). I have used the BFG A/T tires in the 12.00x15 size. But a Tiger is much heavier than a Blazer and I have been impressed by the reports of Rickson wheels and 19.5 commercial tires. Especially for on-road use.

I like mild lift kits that incorporate oversized or double shocks with soft springs. The goal is more suspension travel with minimal lift; only 2-3" if possible. (A little lift is always nice to keep from knocking things off the underbody. Again, with a vehicle as tall as a Tiger, I would probably look at anti-sway bars.

I would look at the Aluminess front bumper, but would use the winch space for tool storage, not a winch. I have never found a winch useful, but YMMV. Might have it set up to carry a hi-lift jack and a shovel.

I ALWAYS like extra fuel and hate Jerry cans. (Except perhaps for one, to fetch or deliver fuel.)

I used to run KC Dayliters with an uprated alternator, but modern headlights are so much better that I am not sure I would go that far. Might like floods for camping/parking in the dark.

Auto trans and a diesel will help with larger tires, but, having run gears that were too high, I would change gears to keep the engine in the torque band - might save that for last, after everything else was done.

Fun to spend YOUR money!

[fisher205]

With the weight of your rig you will burn through those tires fairly quickly. You may want to consider Toyo M55's or go to some load G tires on 19.5 rims. I had some softer tires on, Dayton MT's and Buckshot Mudders on my Dodge CTD with an Alaskan Camper and used them up in less than 10,000 miles each set.
The M55's have a little over 10,000 miles and are showing wear but still good for a lot of miles (I hope). I've been told to rotate them more but they seem to be wearing fairly evenly.
Brad

[ed604]

Thanks for the feedback guys. What makes this a hard choice for me is a lack of experience in the central american clay based mud. I have been watching team equipts trip and I really would like to hook up with the no limit guys and join a tour as a tag along. I would hate to be a burden and need constant pulls especially with a heavy vehicle like mine.

I am planing on running the truck over the scales soon. I really want to know what I weigh.

I guess I am leaning dura trac because I think it will be the best overall compromise but I do really like the look of the km2.

I will be going from a 245 75 up to a 35 x 12.5

Can,t complain these are fun decisions to have to make.

Ed

[ExpoMike]

Pics!!! We need pics!!!

What gears are in it? I went from a 245/75-16 to a 285/75-16 (~33") on my CTD Ram with a FWC. It has 3.55 gears and I don't think I would want a taller tire unless it was regearded. You're likely heavier (I'm at 8500 lbs) and if you are geared too low, with more weight, you might find it to be a real slug to drive, especially any mountain driving.

Just something to think about. Did I mention we need pics?

[ed604]

Here is what the tiger looks like as it sits. soon to change!

starting point for hte tiger.jpgstarting point for hte tiger.jpg

[lqhikers]

if i had run across a set up like you did i maybe /might not of ordered a new bengal!
you might just think about driving it the way it is for a while as it looks like
the previous owner was happy with it as it is.
will the cost/return of improvement of larger tires be worth it or are you doing it
for the "bling"?
as it is more of a expedition type of vech,rather than a hard core off road vech
i would think twice about spending on mods that are not needed.

the first thing i would suggest is to repair/replace any thing that looks weak,such as
straps that hold grey/black water tanks with stronger metal straps,most tanks are held on with
thin strapping.also as it is older i would also suggest adding flex rubber couplings on the abs
pipes that connect the sink drain etc near the tanks as i have learned with rough trails, roads, the vibrations
can cause the failure because of no give to the fittings.

will be following your mods.

Les,lqhikers