http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63025

Congrats big boy!

:smokin:

Congrats, sounds like you out-drove and out-classed the No.1 finisher anyway:flipoff2:

and if you read the thread, The Karma Spaceghost speaks of is alive and well within the Cruiser community, spread it around!

Congrats to Spaceghost.......
Butch

...and to think I rode with him "way" back when he had 33x9.5 tires and couldn't keep his hands in the truck....

:sniffle: - oh, the good ol' days....

way to kick butt!

The karma is really Cruiser Karma, but since it's a Cruiser, they wouldn't understand, lol! I got the bug from someone else one day after they had helped me out, their parting words were something to the efect of:

"One good turn deserves another, now go young grasshopper and do unto another". Live by it!

BTW, the non karma Cruiser guys were down to no inner axles after breaking their hoard with Longfields. I had one of each and earlier in the day they asked if I would share if it came down to it. I quickly said yep, hope I don't need em! Wasn't 6 hours later they musta forgot all about the conversation.

It gets better, on Saturday when we left (after trying to score the phone number) they claimed to have broken a Longfield. This without any tools or a jack, truck just sitting there. They didn't have any inners left, but were back the next day. As I left Sunday someone walked by and was talking about them breaking it, but no one saw it. I have 4 Longfields in my parts box. 2 were replacements for the pair I handed to a total stranger named Chris Brunetti on Lower 2 at GSMTR a month earlier that were replaced and arrived the day before we left. BTW all I took from Chris on Lower 2 when he was out of birfs, and dismayed with 3 days left, was his business card.

Get Karma!

Congrats Mike:beer:

Seems that we're cut from the same Karmic cloth, it's a great way to live;)

Did you just slap some 35's on your Cruiser or did you borrow one for the event?

Originally posted by wngrog
Did you just slap some 35's on your Cruiser or did you borrow one for the event?

I borrowed a set from Troy at Badlands. Went over last weekend in the truck and we jacked a jeep up and pulled the wheels and tires, went to his shop and broke them down. Dismounted my 38's and mounted the 35's on my beadlocks.

I cut one of them and Troy doesn't know it yet so I'm gonna be spending some more $$$. Guess I better call him before he reads this, hahaha.

I need to find the best tire that will fit in the 36" rules calipers at 20 lbs for this class. No sense in giving up anything in the tires. Any suggestions out there?

Guess the full hydro steering is on hold till this winter if ever.

Ask Tex on the General Board, he does mud runs and has that caliper thing down to a science.

In fact, there was a big thread on this less than 12 months ago.

From my experience, 35 x 16 Boggers are by far the largest 35-36" tires available.

They are taller than any tire in that class but they are boggers :barf:

If you groove the SHIT out of a Bogger it works as a good all around tire, but I think I would take my chances with a 36" TSL or SX...

Does not surprise me one bit Mike placed. There is no substitute for seat time.......period. Wish I had more of that time

Congratulations.

How do you like the MTR's, do they hook up pretty good or are they like AT's compared to your swampers?????

Karl

congrats!:D

Originally posted by KMAN
Congratulations.

How do you like the MTR's, do they hook up pretty good or are they like AT's compared to your swampers?????

Karl

The MTR's are a good tire, I cut a sidewall which I don't think would have phazed a swamper. I have to play with air pressure some more to find the balance between traction and ground clearance.

Thanks Karl, and everyone else, your comments have been encouraging, even after a second place finish. I know we can and will do better in July. Our typical wheeling is on stuff similar to the course with out the gates, we play with the hardest lines, but instead (and this hurt us) of building a road and constantly making the obstacle easier, we just pull cable and try again another day. That approach is fine for recreational wheeling, very costly in competition, where you have to get thru the obstacle at all costs.

Another thing that hurt us was a result of seat time (my spotters), when we wheel he rides most of the way, only getting out when we get in trouble. I wouldn't have done any worse with him riding that course, because we lack the communication and on the job experience needed to compete.

With that said, we will be back, no real damage, a couple of inner axles, a rear pinion snapped, and a pretzeled driveshaft. Hope some of you guys can get there in July and check it out.

And just so nobody thinks we accomplished a big feat, there were only 4 Legends, what we need is a better turnout so "we" can be the show!

The hardest part of going last weekend is "what direction do I take?" Any suggestions guys?

I have all the stuff for full hydro steering, a set of 38's and without spending any more $$$ I can wheel deep and have fun without the (Legends) competitions. I don't belong in Open with 38's and spring under, although I probably wouldn't be last, I would be donating!

Or I can take a step back, go to hydro assist, buy tires and do the competitions. Just can't do both. Since my wheelbase has been modded, this is the only series I can do the Legends type comp in without flipping my springs back.

Damn decisions!

I thought about the competition stuff, but as you said, you either go all the way or you just wheel recreationally.

Me, I chose recreation as the competitions all seem geared toward a type of wheeling I don't enjoy.

If I ever get ito the sport, I will build a custom, just for competition, buggy to use to compete.

Right now, I am up to my eyeballs in bills just keeping my "wheeler" in business!

Originally posted by wngrog
Right now, I am up to my eyeballs in bills just keeping my "wheeler" in business!

3 words: Job referal fees!:smokin:

We WILL hook up on a trail somewhere, someday!

Mike, your question on competition versus just wheeling is a tough one...I've been close to registering for the event in Attica in August....a couple minor changes to my rig and I can meet the requirements for the "smaller" class. However, I'm short on seat time myself...there just isn't anything closer than Attica with any real challenge to learn on.

I'm playing with competing next year...gives me a few events to view the process and learn some more. Plus, if the missus keeps pushing me, perhaps I can schmooze my way into 4-5 trips to Attica each year instead of only 1-2!! :D

If you are at all thinking of competing, and you can afford to start now, I would definitely say start now.

I've only competed twice, but I can tell you I was whole lot more 'with it' the second time. The first time I *kinda* took it serious, but I didn't think I would be very competitive. The vehicle ended up staying together longer than I had thought it would(although it did eventually keel over and die), but I didn't really care too much about hitting cones(it was a pretty tight course), backing up, etc., which is why we ended up 18th out of 25 or so.

The second competition I took it a little more serious since I was now in a class with vehicles built more like mine(UROC Legend). We broke 2 shafts, 1 axle u-joint, 1 driveline u-joint, 3 leaf springs, t-case linkage, winch, lost 2 beads, and slashed one tire, all in the first day, and still ended up 12th out of 20 or so(don't get me wrong, I'm not really all that proud of it).

I think the big difference was that it took me about an entire event just to get the jitters out. I don't really get a lot of seat time, and I actually use the competitions as kind of a deadline to make sure I actually get *some* wheelin' in(sad, I know).

The more you compete, the more comfotable you will get with competing, the better you will work with your spotter, the more clearly you will know what competition you are up against and what they are capable of, and therefore, what you need to do to win.

I used to look at the scores and say "Wow, Durham only got 10 points all weekend. Hmmm, cool".

That 10 points means a whole lot more to you when you have personally driven the same obstacles that they did, and racked up like 300 points. You realize that these guys have some serious skills(coupled with some serious vehicles of course).

I think if you look close, you notice that a lot of the guys consistently placing high have been at it for a while, which reinforces the idea that competition seat time is the best seat time you can get to help you be more competitive.

Excellent points Ryan...I've done some dinky comps before, nothing serious, and you're right, you do get the jitters. My wife was pushing hard for the August ProRock in Attica...until she discovered the $350 entry fee. I balked huge at that too...hopefully some more affordable stuff comes up this year I can get into. I can see $100 to get in, but much more than that, plus adding in breakage, and it can get expensive quick.

I am curious as to how many are entered for the August ProRock event....or if it's like ERoCC where the smaller class commands a much smaller turnout.