I live up a hilly rural paved road and after having owned my Sambar for 6 months and got it mostly sorted out i.e. 14's on it I have to say in the wet weather if you click in the "4wd" it really drives like a rally car - easy to push into the corners at more than the speed limit and nothing bad happens . It really corners great and I have one set of railway tracks that I cross that are cut into a hill and when it's in 4wd it smooths it out a bit. Also on the S/C front it sure makes a noticable difference to the power with the temp dropping - I'm sure it's cranking out a few more ponies than I already had. Maybe next year I'll build a liquid to air intercooler for it and a beefed up air intake :sly: Now I'm just waiting for the snow to come my way for some more fun
Like you said the liquid to air intercooler would help a lot. You can also design it to be quite small with a little 12volt water pump and small radiator from a street bike. gbrad
gbrad, That's pretty much where I was going. I came to realize with the engine in the back that the normal air 2 air intercooler setup would be useless given the runs to the front of the truck and back - almost 18 feet
tire size just bought my sambar couple weeks ago see all kinds of 12's on them from japan but can't get a good grip 12 here in alberta sooooo guess i'll have to go up in size wanted to stay stock but snow is coming if ur running 14's i assume a lift kit is needed?
You assume wrong. Both nateisanas and I are running 175/65-14s on stock-height Sambars. He's using 91-96 Escort LX wheels, and mine are some American Racing alloys from an '82 320i.
thanks for the info so a 13 will fit easy then and have to get my mathimatially inclined buddy to figure out the speedo difference for me lol...... i like the checker plating cool what year is it? haven't seen one like that yet
14s can be used without a lift kit. After much studying, measurement, and help from forum members, I bought 14s. I am in the process of installing the 14s on my Sambar as I write. I got the right side on earlier and will have the left side on early in the morning. I am being held up by not having my thin wall lug nut socket on hand. I will buy another and finish quickly. From all initial observations, my wheels & tires fit perfectly with no lift. I'll start a new thread and post pics as soon as I am done. I'll also let you know here so you can see them. Terry PS My new 14" tires & wheels look GREAT!!!!
Colin's reply was not there when I started composing my reply. I am glad to see my install has precedent (Colin - the wheels are great looking.) I am not the final authority, but please accept my advice that the wheel size is not the only issue. The wheel must have the correct bolt pattern and offset spacing from the hub. The tire is also very critical. The overall diameter and the width will greatly effect the ability to use them. The OEM 12" tires are about 22" in diameter. 23" diameter tires on the proper 14" (or 13") rims should clear most applications. There are many 14" tires that are in the 23" diameter range and there is at least one 13" tire in that range. The tires I am using are 185/60-14s on custom 14" MB wheels that have a 35 offset and 5.5" width. My wheels are very similar in style to the wheels on Colin's truck (the one with the scooter on it).
It's like.. mid-to-late-80s. 550cc parallel twin. Nate built a custom extended cab (he's about the same height as me - 6'4") and decked out the whole truck with diamond plate. http://homepage.mac.com/limefrog/content/hosting/files/natesambar7-22-2008/natesambar7-22-2008.html The truck in the back (with the scooter strapped to it) is mine. The one in the foreground is Nate's truck.
Hey...just noticed your link to your Merkur XR4Ti. I saw all the mods you have done to it and wondered how much Boost PSI you are running? I imagine you are blowing the Mustang GT's as well as most anything else off the road.
Only running ~15 psi right now. The bottom end is all stock and the 16v head has a much smaller chamber than the original 8v head, so I'm around 10:1 static compression. I'll be putting together a 2.5L bottom end with the correct pistons before too much longer.. then it's 30 psi time. Colin
Sambar wheels/Tires I previously ran 1997 Nissan Sentra steel factory wheels with 175/13's all around. The Sentra rims have the same 4x100 bolt pattern as well as the 59.1 center bore, so they were a perfect fit. I believe the wheels can be found in 13's, 14's, and even alloy 15's--I believe (off the Nissan 200sx--check center bore). Now I'm running my spare '04 Scion xB 15" steel rims with 185/65R15 Uniroyal Tiger Paw AWP II's. The xB rims had to be reamed out by a machinist at the center bore from 54.1 to 59.1 to fit the Sambar. I do have the Crossroads 2" lift all around, and it shows some noticeable positive camber; however, I've driven many miles on Mississippi state roads with no ill effects.
I now have all the info, plus photos, regarding the 14s installed on my Sambar (no lift) posted in the "tips & tricks " section of the forum.
if you need info on tire size and speedo changes go to www.1010tires.com then click tech and then tire size...just put in stock size (145/80-12) and then put in the size you want to go to, it will tell you what your speedo changes are HTH
Sambar --big wheels, small tire diameter, no lift The problem with the Sambars off road is the bottom of the front plastic bumper nosediving into ruts and getting stuck (the plastic--not the truck). When you back out of the rut, you'll pull the plastic bumper out of its mount and most likely break it's mounting parts. I know--this happened to me. The truck would go most anywhere, except for the bumper. When you simply mount larger rims with no lift, you'll have to use the smallest diameter tires so that you don't have clearance issues. That's why I went with the Crossroads 2" lift.
I drove over/through a downed tree with my Sambar once. A big piece of one branch went through the vents on the bumper and pulled the wiring grommet out of the floor. I'm glad it didn't make it all the way back to the radiator. Colin
Driving the Sambar You're right--you gotta be careful. The Sambar is one heck of a little heavy duty truck, yet it's still an intricate little beast. I guess the solution might be some sort of a full skid plate underneath starting at the headlights and rolling under the front. Especially with the parts problem we have, you don't want to unnecesarrily abuse it. I just waited a few days for a wheel cylinder and finally got it on tonight. Along with that, I replaced the rear brake shoes. I bought a one-man brake bleeder from Harbor Freight--the Mityvac, and that really made the job go smoothly.
Is there a way to properly correct spedometer and odometer readings for non-stock tire sizes? I can see perpetually converting the difference to get old fast.
