where are the Porsche cayenne expo builds?

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
Are the front grill guard/bumper mounts threaded to accept a tow hook? or is that square plate for a tow hook? Do you think J&L can make another bumper without having the vehicle? I really want some front end protection and somewhere to mount some aux lighting.
 

Cayenne-958-TDI

Active member
Are the front grill guard/bumper mounts threaded to accept a tow hook? or is that square plate for a tow hook? Do you think J&L can make another bumper without having the vehicle? I really want some front end protection and somewhere to mount some aux lighting.

Mike,
Louie Shefchik is great to work with. You would need to talk with J&L directly. The biggest issue is getting a time slot for them to fit you in. Their race business takes most of their time. Here is their web page and a video about J&L.

http://jandlfabricating.com/our-company
.
https://vimeo.com/64528023

Just look at J&Ls race schedule to see how busy they are - http://jandlfabricating.com/race-schedule
When they are home they stay busy putting all of these cars together again. It is a fun place to visit!

When it comes to auxiliary lighting for off-road - rally or anything else, you never want to overdrive your lights. Having a selection of colored lens covers and different light projection patterns Cyclops Adventure Sports simply work. We have not found anything that works better. http://www.cyclopsadventuresports.com/
Also do not forget Aux tail lights - snow and dust will obliterate the Cayenne's. We got DOT approved taillights mounted to the roof basket.
 

Cayenne-958-TDI

Active member
Are the front grill guard/bumper mounts threaded to accept a tow hook? or is that square plate for a tow hook? Do you think J&L can make another bumper without having the vehicle? I really want some front end protection and somewhere to mount some aux lighting.

The threaded tow hooks have the loops cut off, and extended for use as mount bolts for the front grill guard/bumper mounts.
The square plate was made to accept a Rockinger Variobloc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqZ5hgQndrA
We decided to use this to mount a 2" receptacle that will accept a tow ring or the winch we stow inside.
The winch can also be mounted at the rear of Otis.

We have been winched after high centering in snow. Could not discern any deflection of the front bush bar.
None of the wheels were touching the ground

We did something similar with the rear tire swing mount.
It is held in place by the 2" receiver and welded tabs that tie into the rear tow hook receptacles.
After seeing folks with bicycles mounted on the rear pivot about the center receptacle I wanted to add stability.
A full size tire, two 5 gal containers, Maxtrax and a Trasharoo is a lot to ask of just the 2" receiver.

http://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-cayenne-forum/968788-meet-otis.html
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
Thanks for the info. That Rockinger Variobloc looks like a great system. I searched but don't see it available for sale in the US.

I asked a fabricator in El Paso and he said that welding to the forged tow hooks would not work. I guess J&L figured it out. I'll call them.

My rear tire carrier has four gallon of gas in roto-packs , two gallons of water and trasharoo. I have Pillow Trax and Go Treads as my traction aids.
 

Cayenne-958-TDI

Active member
Thanks for the info. That Rockinger Variobloc looks like a great system. I searched but don't see it available for sale in the US.
I asked a fabricator in El Paso and he said that welding to the forged tow hooks would not work. I guess J&L figured it out. I'll call them.
My rear tire carrier has four gallon of gas in roto-packs , two gallons of water and trasharoo. I have Pillow Trax and Go Treads as my traction aids.

Mike,

Rockinger Variobloc is made by Jost World, their main business is for the heavy truck industry. Main reason for not using the Variobloc is, as you said, they are mainly for the ROW. While I have a source, getting replacement parts particularly for the winch would be problematic. http://www.jost-world.com/en/home.html
Adapted the concept to what we have now - inside stow able winch that can be stabbed front or back.

Mentioned elsewhere in this thread are rock sliders, ours are custom that use the OEM jack points to mount with an additional pad at mid point. These are still used as jack points - unfortunately I did get to use them in the Arctic last winter.

Separate question for you as you live close to Mexico - we were wanting attend an event in Chihuahua City. Do you know about the availability of ULSD for our diesel? From Presidio, Texas we could take route 67 or 16. Our stay there would require more than one tank of fuel. - Thanks
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
Thanks . Sorry I don't know anything about ULSD availability in Mexico. I do know that Mexican truck operating in the US are supposed to run on ULSD. I'd consider just bringing extra fuel . Presidio and OJ on the other side are in the middle of nowhere. If you pass through El Paso let me know.

I think if I can find a fabricator here I'd consider just incorporating some tow hooks.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
Chapter 2 of Tires for Turbos . . .

I'm envious of dr_2r2's nice BFG KO2s. I have a set on my GX470 and think they're almost magical in how well they work on pavement given their off-road performance. Alas, I can have no such tires for my Cayenne Turbo. [sniffle]

A while back—Post 321 of this thread—I wrote about my efforts to get some traction tires that would work on my 2012 Cayenne Twin Turbo. The gist of that post was that the Gen 3 Turbo’s big brake rotors meant that 19 inch wheels were the smallest that would fit, which led to me bemoaning the fact that, as best I could determine, the only 19” all-terrains available were the 255/60R19 Goodyear Adventure

Goodyear Adventure.jpg


and the 255/55 Goodyear DuraTrac.

Goodyear Duratrac.jpg


Back then, the decision between them came down to 1) the fact that the Adventures were 60-series and thus had a bit more sidewall and 2) that they were nominally 31” tires while the Duratracs were 30”. The fact that the Adventures were less aggressive seemed a good thing, since when I got them, I hadn’t expected to take the Porsche anywhere where a more gung-ho tire would matter.

So I bought the Adventures and put them on 19” Sport Edition wheels and have been using them for going on two years. They’ve been great, and I like having them on much better than the Michelin Latitudes on 21” wheels that came on the truck originally. The Adventure's much higher sidewall makes the ride a lot better, but there’s no matching loss of handling at any of the speeds I drive. The Adventures are especially quiet, good in snow, and they don’t seem to have any drawbacks on public roads. I’m starting to think that, in fact, that the average Cayenne Turbo user would be better served by a cushy set of A/Ts like these than their rubber-band-like 35 series tires.

Recently, though, I’ve gotten the Turbo out out to the Tillamook OHV area and have run it around enough to be impressed with its capabilities. We took along my GX470 and there actually didn’t seem to be much to choose between the two trucks in terms of performance on moderate stuff. Actually, maybe the Cayenne is better for not-too-serious stuff, since suspension is brilliant on washboard (better than my trucks with custom suspensions) and I was surprised and impressed with the Cayenne's articulation and available clearance.

P1020393.jpg

Anyway, the exercise has resulted in me becoming more committed to using the CTT more extensively off pavement, which in turn led to thoughts about more aggressive tires. The thought I had was to continue to run the Adventures for most use, but should I be taking a trip that would include some off-pavement stuff, I'd just swap on the more aggressive wheel set for that trip and then go back to the Adventures when I was back home.

So I went to the Tire Rack website to check the pricing of the 255/55R19 Duratracs and, aargh, they weren’t there anymore. Likewise not at the other usual tire-vending suspects. Then I went to the Goodyear website, and they were gone from there, too. Panic. A web search for 255/55R19 Duratracs led me to the Walmart website, which let me order them and, sure enough, a set of four showed up ten days later from Simple Tire in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, 3000 miles away. (Internet commerce is sometimes kinda strange.) I assume Goodyear discontinued the size after realizing that the number of people needing commercial traction tires for 19” wheels is pretty small. The fact that most of the SUVs on 19s can also run 18s, which would be better yet and offer lots of tire options is a big factor in this. After all, I’d be on 18s except they don’t fit over the rotors.

As with the Adventures, the totally competent folks at Portland’s German vehicle specialists Matrix Integrated mounted the Duratracs up to second set of the same Sport Edition wheels—chosen solely because I knew they’d fit right—and got them balanced without hassle. They look like this:

P1010067.jpg

Porsche 3.jpg

I’ve driven them around for a few hundred miles and am more than pleased. They might be a little noisier than the Adventures, but they’re a long way from noisy; you don’t notice them unless you decide to think about it. Handling seems plenty good and the lower sidewall doesn’t seem to matter to ride quality (my Cayenne’s PASM suspension has struck me as VERY good on all three sets of tires). I had Duratracs on my XV-JP and thought they were a great tire, so I was pleased to find they work even better on the Cayenne.

I expected that the inch reduction in diameter would have resulted in a half-inch more clearance in the wheel wells and it probably did, but a half-inch isn’t much and the clearance in still pretty tight. Like the Adventures, though, there’s no rubbing even at full lock, and no rubbing in any of the five suspension height settings.

Porsche 1.jpg

Porsche 2.jpg

I know this isn’t a particularly relevant post, given that the number of North American 2011+ Cayenne Turbos being off-roaded is apparently in the low single digits. I write this stuff up largely because I know how I couldn’t find any useful information and if there ever is another Turbo owner with the need for aggressive tires, this will help save experimentation. (And if this is pertinent to someone out there, think about grabbing a set of the Duratracs before they are all gone. I doubt they’ll be coming back.)

Finally, for the sake of completeness in this reference piece . . . There is one other 19 inch option . . . the 255/55R19 Atturo Blade Mud Terrain:

porsche 4.jpg

I haven't been a big fan of Mud Terrains for a pavement driver, not even on my Rubicon, so I didn’t give them serious thought to compliment the Adventures. But they do fit and they are available, and there are a few generally positive reviews (e.g., http://landroverforums.com/forum/off-topic-5/review-atturo-trail-blade-mts-255-55r19-76507) from Rover guys. They’d either look really serious or really goofy on a Gen 3 Cayenne. Someone buy a set so we can decide. ;)
 

smithh

New member
Thanks for sharing, as you say there dont seem to be many of us using Cayennes off-road so its good to share thoughts. I'm about to go through a similar process on tyres. I've been using my 2008 GTS cayenne largely in sand, where to be honest a set of cheap road tyres with weaker sidewalls seems to be perfect under deflated situations.

However, now I've started exploring trails and the road tyres can not hack it. So I need a set of ATs. The choice is pretty bewildering and I dont know where to start.

I want the Transsyberria size of 265/65/18, which I know will fit on the GTS over the brakes. However, as usual I want to compromise the 3 following characteristics
- good sidewall protection and gravel / trail performance
- Decent sand performance (good when deflated heavily
- not too noisy on road, capable of cruising at 140kph

Clearly the criteria are at odds with each other, so it will be a choice of a not too aggressive AT wheel, that isnt the best of anything, but good all around. I'll take the comments into consideration above, and look at Goodyear Adventurers, as well as BFGs. What other good suggestions are there?

Also, the fact that I cant hold the car in the top suspension setting - is annoying. Anyone found a workaround, or how to disconnect the speed input?

Thanks in advance.
 

mhiscox

Expedition Leader
Clearly the criteria are at odds with each other, so it will be a choice of a not too aggressive AT wheel, that isnt the best of anything, but good all around. I'll take the comments into consideration above, and look at Goodyear Adventurers, as well as BFGs. What other good suggestions are there?
The Duratracs did really well on a trip to the Tillamook OHV area this weekend, and I think they performed a bit better in mud and snow than the Adventures would have. The Duratracs are noisier (but without being noisy), though, and I think the Adventures would be a better sand tire that wouldn't dig in as much as the Duratracs.

For all that, though, if I could have fit 18 inch wheels I'd have gone with the BFG AT/KO2s. They are very credible off-road, but their party trick, at least on my GX470, is that they have no noticeable drawbacks on pavement. They are quiet and have good ride and handling and it seems, at least in my application, pretty magical that they are also as good off road as they are.

Others will likely suggest their preferences. It seems that there are a number of good AT tires these days.
 

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
I am running the General Grabber 2 A/Ts . I am ready to put on a second set after 40,000 miles. I like the Generals more than the BFG because they are speed rated for the car. The BFG is not.

If you don't know the secret of tire life with a Cayenne it is to rotate the tires every 5,000 miles.
 

smithh

New member
Hi

thanks for both of the above recommendations (very helpful). Actually I not good at rotating the tyres, so I need to do that. It sounds like my short list is quickly becoming
BFGs KO2s
General Grabber 2 A/Ts

The speed rating concern is very interesting, I was figuring I'd need to keep below 140kph, but that helps. Quiet running on the road also a big factor.

Talking to friends with other cars it looks like constant inflation / deflation seems have big affects on balance for some tyres (not all), so I am hoping this wont be too much of an issue with either of these brands.

Actually it looks like the tyre sizes may not work.Anyone fitted Grabbers to a cayenne as follows 275/65/R18 (31.1") or 265/70/R18 (32.6")
The BFG KO2s are available in 265/65/R18 which is (31.6")

thanks for the input guys.

regards

hugh
 
Last edited:

mep1811

Gentleman Adventurer
I stayed with the stock size. The inflation is checked at every rotation as well as new balancing. A great service at Discount Tire. If you don't rotate every 5K the rears will wear out very quickly.

Now that the tires are worn I get some tire noise. I cruise at about 100 and feel safe as I know the tires can handle the heat build up. I would not with BFGs. I think the Grabbers are less expensive.
 

Jwestpro

Explorer
Hi

Actually it looks like the tyre sizes may not work.Anyone fitted Grabbers to a cayenne as follows 275/65/R18 (31.1") or 265/70/R18 (32.6")
The BFG KO2s are available in 265/65/R18 which is (31.6")

I've never had the Generals but I cannot imagine the 275/65-18 is that much smaller than 32". I have bfg and michelin in 275/65-18 and both are almost exactly 32". I had a V10 Touareg and therefor know that unless you've made serious modifications, the 31-32 range is getting very near the practical limits for all conditions of articulation. I had 265/65-18 on my v10 and thought it was basically the smart limit, no wider like like 285/60-18 and no taller like 275/65 or especially 265/70 would be rubbing like mad in the front on almost any real world use aside from rolling down the highway.

Also, keep in mind, even accurately reported sizes, like the bfg 265/65-18 that is almost exactly what they claim, there can still be production variations that could be problematic if you are right up against the rubbing limits. I found this on my lr3 once with a 285/50 that fit with 3mm clear then next time same size was actually 1mm too wide which ended up rubbing right into an UCA.

Good luck
 

smithh

New member
OK - thats really helpful guys.

I think I'll stick to a 265/65R18 then. Which means I can get the BFGs, I cant get the right size for the Grabbers (255/60 seems the closest), although they sound like a better choice on the road.

Having had a look at availability here, I can only find one shop that has the grabbers, but most stock the BFGs, that's always a factor for me (I'm UAE based). I think I'm decided on BFGs but will need run them a bit slower (MEP1811, assume you mean 100mph, not kph?).

So I've picked size and availability over road manners! :)
 

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