Ariel Nomad Questions and answers

[Peter255]

I quite agree Andrew, and your approach to a new car is quite sensible. Keeping costs down is exactly why I went second hand! I guess I should have re-worded to s/c upgrade as soon as possible.

For the next car I will be selling my soul, and some organs!

[Andrew300]

Let's hope it's a all in turbocharged price then

[Karl V]

Evening all.

Wow! I haven't posted on here since I sold my Atom 2 in April 2013.

Anyway, 4 and a bit years was too long without a toy, so I placed an order for a Nomad a couple of months ago. Estimated delivery date around May 2018 Tom reckons.

Now the agony of the spec list...

See you around.

[John Scherrer]

Welcome back to the fold !

[Karl V]

Thanks John.

Tom has promised that I will go back on to the Ariel Christmas card list again.

Gotta be worth a £3k deposit!

[John Scherrer]

TMI Nomad - Review

I think he approves 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A1uFuANMZg

[Karl V]

I'm wondering if I could get some advice from some Nomad owners...

There's a fair amount of talk in this thread about most Nomad owners not taking the car off road. That will pretty much sum me up too...

I owned an Atom for 3 years and loved every minute of it, but by god did it crash through potholes! The Nomad will - like the Atom before it - be my 'every day commute' car.

One thing I have not yet figured out is which type of tyre to go for. The road biased tyres make sense given I will be 98% on the road (the other 2% on the pavement as an ambulance or police car tries to squeeze past in rush hour traffic), but the knobbly off-road tyres look so much better (IMO). 15" of course - I'm determined not to curb the wheels when mounting the pavement!

So my question is: how suited are the M/T tyres to every day road use?

I'm also struggling with the options. I think they are:

H/T - Highway Terrain
A/T - All Terrain
M/T - Mud Terrain

http://yokohamatire.ph/file-manager/GEOLANDAR.jpg

If anyone out there has experience of the Mud tyres on the road or - preferably - experience of different types of tyres on the road, I'd really appreciate your thoughts!

[John Scherrer]

I'm not a Nomad driver but from what I hear, the nobblies on the road are a hoot and last for miles and miles ..

You probably need the hydraulic handbrake option to realy enjoy being the rally driver ..

[meladdo]

I am not a Nomad owner But on a recent trip to the factory, I ft and Im not a small bloke, 6 ft 4 and ample body...
But I fitted in nice! very nice place to be I have to say too!

[c_a]

If you use MT tyres on a car 98% onroad you will wear them quickly, very quickly.
They are noisy and will have a low traction level onroad.

[Steve Gibson]

If you use MT tyres on a car 98% onroad you will wear them quickly, very quickly.
They are noisy and will have a low traction level onroad.

Absolutely. Saw Andy Smith's Nomad at the weekend and it's on MT tyres. He said he has very little grip, but that's how he likes it. I guess it depends how you want to drive the car and how wayward you want it to be on tarmac.

[Karl V]

All makes sense.

Thanks for the info.

[PhillipM]

If anyone out there has experience of the Mud tyres on the road or - preferably - experience of different types of tyres on the road, I'd really appreciate your thoughts!

They're very noisy at any speed over about 20-30mph, they vibrate at high speeds as the tread blocks start to move around, and they're awful come winter when you're braking in cold, wet conditions, much worse than an A/T or road tyre, it's like trying to stop on grease.
If you have any concrete roads near you instead of tarmac, all that +50%.

Come summer when the compound has actually got some grip due to no longer being harder than steel from the cold weather, the tread blocks will move around, and the tyre will generate a lot of heat, to the point where the surface goes back greasy because the rubber just melts, and the tyre wear shoots through the roof - I've run geolander pattern tyres at Oulton (albeit a bit heavier car) and even doing just short 5-6 laps stints, had to switch to rally tyres, as after a little longer stint, we parked up and the tyres got a big flat spot on the bottom as the tread rubber spread out and then cooled.
Saying that, right up until the surface actually melts, you can get quite a lot of grip out of a hot sticky M/T even if the tyre blocks are twisting so far that you're doing 4-wheel drifts at 20%+ slip angles to get it

If you want the off road look, and a bit of capability, I would say put an all season or maybe a gravel rally tyre on it for a daily. It'll still move around, but it'll be a lot better in the cold, wet conditions.

[Karl V]

Well that's me convinced then, thanks!

It also seems that the gravel / forest stage tyres offered by Ariel are marked as not road legal - http://www.arielmotor.co.uk/style/temp/nomadOptions/15%20inch%20Wheel%20Package%20Competition%20Rally%20Tyres%20(Not%20for%20Road%20Use).jpg

I think I'll stick with the road tyres and grab a winch instead. That'll give me the off-road look I'm after. When stuck in traffic on the A217 ;-)

[PhillipM]

That pattern is very common for forest rally tyres - you'll be able to get road legal versions most places.
We run Fedima F4's in a similar pattern, although they might be too heavy/stiff for a Nomad - they're a race tyre with very stiff sidewalls designed to take rock hits.

Maybe something like a Kuhmo R800, or probably better, a winter tyre with big blocks.
Or an all terrain like a General AT2 or TR gravel tyre if you're really set on something with that look.