The Automotive Thread

[Supe]

While that part is definitely true, it did have some features that OEM's are now "introducing" like an original idea.

 

[Road Guy]

When did the Aztec come out- sounds like the dirty bastards at Subaru may have pirated some ideas?

 

[jeb6294]

I saw one of those about roll over backwards Sunday - it was a very steep section of rocky trail and I was just like HFS its going over! But it just caught some air- I think they hit the trail a little too fast.. wish I had rigged up the go pro on my dashboard..

You should bring yours out west - this is a crummy pic, but the drop offs on these old mining roads are legit!

I think it would be fun to have one though, I am always torn between having something I dont have to worry about driving home (like the jeep)

That's how this whole RZR thing came to be...they flew the wife out to drive one of the medical units from Phoenix to Colorado and she went through Moab. So, that's the long term plan, get out west to do some wheeling. RZR first, toy hauler will be a few years down the road.

I actually had a Jeep about 20 years ago that I took wheeling, but there were two things I didn't like: #1 it was also my daily driver so I couldn't be too ridiculous, and #2 there weren't many places I could take it short of driving down to TN. There was one place about 1.5 hours away, but it's not great. When the wife started getting excited about a RZR I reverted back to #1 until I did some searching. Apparently SxS's and ATV's have blown up enough that now there are at least 4 or 5 nice places within about 2 hours of us. Bump that up to 4 hours and we're in the middle of the Hatfield & McCoy system in WV. You could ride there for a week and not see everything.

 

[Supe]

When did the Aztec come out- sounds like the dirty bastards at Subaru may have pirated some ideas?

July 2000

 

[jeb6294]

First outing with the RZR...worst day ever!!!

Wildcat Off-road Park is about 150 miles south of us. Loaded the two boys up and headed down this past Saturday. Got to within about 20 miles and trailer tire explodes on I-75. We’ve got roadside assistance through our car insurance, USAA, which was about the only thing I could think to do. Well, 5 hours later, the rollback showed up to load the trailer/RZR and take it as far as Lexington. My sister/BIL were able to borrow a trailer and they met us there. He was able to buy a wheel/tire before they left that wasn’t the right size, but it was close enough that we figured if the bolt pattern was right, it would at least get the trailer home. Switched the RZR to the good trailer and put the “close enough” wheel on our trailer and started the drive home. Finally made it back to the house at 11:15pm.

Went on Amazon the next morning and found a wheel/tire assembly that should have plenty of load capacity so I got pair so trailer will have two new shoes. The “close enough” wheel/tire will stay on the trailer as a spare. 

 

[Supe]

I feel your pain.  I blew out a tire on the race trailer once, and my spare actually had the wrong bolt pattern.  Ended up riding the rim down the ramp and a couple blocks away to a Discount Tire.  Thankfully I was close enough to limp it along!

 

[Road Guy]

dont have too much fun or the fun sucker / jeep police will get you!

 

[jeb6294]

I feel your pain.  I blew out a tire on the race trailer once, and my spare actually had the wrong bolt pattern.  Ended up riding the rim down the ramp and a couple blocks away to a Discount Tire.  Thankfully I was close enough to limp it along!

Thought about it but we were about 7 miles from the next exit. If I’d have taken off the cheap plastic wheel cover and seen that the other wheel looked like crap too, I might have done it though. At the time, I was thinking I didn’t want to ruin the wheel. Jack just turned 13, I also gave some thought to getting the RZR off the trailer and having him drive it up the emergency lane with me behind him with my flashers on to get to the exit. If I’d have known we were going to be sitting there that long, we may have thought about it a little harder.
 

dont have too much fun or the fun sucker / jeep police will get you!

Where is that at? I’ve heard of DNR checking coolers for booze at some of the public land parks, but that’s about it.

 

[leggo PE]

I saw a boat on a trailer on the side of the highway recently, and I was like, who would leave a boat in a trailer on the side of the highway?? My husband pointed it out that maybe a tire had blown on the trailer. That made sense to me.

 

[blybrook PE]

Trailers are left on the side of the highway all the time up here. Typically it's due to either a blown tire (or tires), lost hub, bad bearings  or broken axle. 

About 2 weeks ago, saw a posting that on craigslist for someone searching for their trailer that they left on the side of the road due to a bad hub (they had been waiting for parts to arrive on Monday). Someone else had driven by, saw it and returned with a flat bed trailer later in the evening, loaded it up and headed home. Individual was able to recover it eventually with police assistance.

IF you have to leave a trailer, leave someone with it and come back with the parts ASAP. Nearly all of my trailers have the same tire size & bolt pattern, which matches the tow vehicle. Only the hubs / bearings are my downfall should one go bad while traveling. I have been working to use the same tire/rim on everything, including the truck. So I always have a few spares with me. 

 

[Road Guy]

Jeb - that was down in Ouray and there always seems to be folks riding to fast in places where you can literallly go off a cliff and never be seen again so during most of July they have the law dogs (Fun Suckers) around to try and discourage people from doing something stupid.

 

[jeb6294]

I’d heard that state troopers will sit with your stuff so you can go get something to fix it, but we were in the middle of nowhere and I didn’t know where anything was to get a new wheel and tire. While I was on the phone with USAA, I had Jack call my mom to make sure she was around in case she had to come down and get the boys and get them home because I was not going to leave the RZR sitting there on the trailer. That thing would have been gone before we got to the next exit. 

 

[Road Guy]

 

[Supe]

Chevy - "we need something unique and good looking to bring to market!"

Designer - "OK, get this.  We build a crossover, and put the Silverado's face on it!"

 

[Road Guy]

I need to see the Bronco in person, but I really like the look, Glad to see there is an auto manufacturer that isnt bending over to serve the Prius community...

 

[Flyer_PE]

 

[csb]

I wanted an Aztec back in the day! 

 

[Road Guy]

in my early years of HS (before I could drive) I wanted one of these Isuzu Amigos / Sport - There was one that was always advertised in this scuba diving magazine I would get so I always thought It would be cool. and then I remembered my parents were poor teachers and I got their hand me down 1983 ford escort GL Wagon, then an 84 Ford Ranger, then a CJ-5 toward the end of my senior year, which I never should have sold  that thing would be worth its weight in bitcoin right now..

 

[jeb6294]

in my early years of HS (before I could drive) I wanted one of these Isuzu Amigos / Sport - There was one that was always advertised in this scuba diving magazine I would get so I always thought It would be cool. and then I remembered my parents were poor teachers and I got their hand me down 1983 ford escort GL Wagon, then an 84 Ford Ranger, then a CJ-5 toward the end of my senior year, which I never should have sold  that thing would be worth its weight in bitcoin right now..

Holy shit?!?! I was all about that exact same car! And I remember first seeing it in my SCUBA magazine. Like you, I also fell quite a ways short....Ford EXP. But, I was also an idiot. When we looking for a car for me to drive, a friend of the family who restored cars had a ‘48 Ford he was selling. 302, 4 speed, inside was all done, but the outside was in grey primer so I didn’t want it...I wanted the pretty lookin’ little red car. Geez I was an idiot. On the other hand, I probably would have killed myself in a hot rod.

 

[jeb6294]

So, sitting stranded along I-75 is squarely on me for: 1) assuming the guy I got the trailer from wasn’t a complete moron, and 2) not checking the tires closer than I did.

1) First red flag should have been the fact the tires he put on it weren’t even trailer tires. They were standard all-season car tires.

2) The tires didn’t look bad when I checked the pressure the day before we left, but that was sitting in the driveway cold. After 4 hours of interstate driving, the one that didn’t blow up is all cracked to hell. I’m not even sure how old these things were because I had to lookup the codes for tire date codes because it kinda looks like the code is pre-2000. If I’m reading this right, best case is they were made the 31st week of 1999.