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May 10-13th, 2012 get up to $200.00 in mail-in VISA rebate cards

Discount Tire — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:59:16 GMT

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Those of you shopping for a new wheel and tire package can save the most. Buy a wheel and tire package (4 Wheels AND 4 Tires) and get $200.00 in-mail in Visa� rebate cards.

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More details on this sale can be found here: Promotions - Discount Tire Direct

On the Trail with Discount Tire Direct-Valley of Fire NV Part 1

Discount Tire — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:24:54 GMT

The weather was awesome as we all started arriving at camp. After a long 6 hour drive, I was certainly happy to get out of the truck, stretch, and take in our beautiful surroundings. There were about 15 of us that decided to meet in the Valley of Fire just north of Los Vegas for 4 days of camping and riding. We came from all over the country but Dave won the contest for traveling the farthest as he flew all the way from Chicago IL.

Our group of riders has formed over many years through internet forums. It has evolved into a good core group of riders that all like to ride terrain that is a bit more extreme than most. Instead of wondering �If� we can make it up an obstacle, we just wonder how we are going to do it. We love to explore extreme rock crawling types of trails, we�re not afraid of a little trail damage and our skid plates get �tested� on almost every trail we hit. We thrive for the next obstacle to overcome. That said, we also have many years of experience and we are constantly watching out for each other and offering help even when it is not asked for. With a few different areas in the southwestern states that have become our favorites, (Martinez Mine area in AZ, King of the Hammers area in CA, Moab UT) last year we added this Valley of Fire area to our list.

I had been looking forward to getting together with this group of friends and riding in what is a new area for me. It is a gorgeous area close to Nellis Air Force base. The area is very well known for its spectacular red rocks which look much like Moab UT. This group met last year for a ride here but unfortunately I could not make it. The morning just couldn�t come soon enough for me.

When it finely did it started off right. Ever since Jeff crashed his quad unloading it out of the bed of his truck the guys give him a hard time. Imagine that!!! When he started to unload from his toy hauler a couple of the boys grabbed a rope and put it on the front of his quad as he backed down the ramp. I�m not sure he appreciated it as much as the rest of us did.

As we were gathering the heard for the days ride I noticed there was quite a diverse crowd. There were ATV�s, UTV�s and motorcycles. How cool is that?� It should be a fun day exploring new dirt.

Pete who lives in the area was in charge of where we were headed. He has been out scouting for new trails along for the last couple of months to add to some of his favorites. We couldn�t wait to see what he had in store for the group.

Well as luck would have it as we went into a narrow wash that was just wide enough for the ATV�s to get through Jeff�s quad stalled. He hit the start button and nothing happened. His battery was completely dead. We could not even work on the ATV in this space because the canyon was so narrow, so Terren hooked a strap on his machine and towed it out to an open area.

Jeff did not getting any ribbing at all (yea right) for having to be towed in the first 3 miles of the ride! After all what are good friends for?

This shows how narrow the wash was where Jeff�s quad stalled.

The mechanics in the group determined there was no saving the battery. Bob and I volunteered to ride back the 3 miles to camp to get the battery out of Jeff�s other quad he left back at camp. (Yes he brings a spare just in case)

Most of the group continued on the trail. They told those that remained with Jeff about where they would be so we could meet us after we were back up and running.

With the new battery in Jeff�s quad we were back on the trail, now we had to find the other part of the group. The guys that stayed with the broken quad thought they knew which way the others went but it was not quite that easy with tall mountains in every direction. We went back and forth 4 times in another narrow wash looking for their tracks with no luck and decided to just go exploring on our own.

Here you can see my Moapa tires are still doing excellent in the loose rocky terrain.

The scenery was absolutely stunning as we were headed into one of the red rock areas in these mountains. One of the guys mentioned he recognized this area from last year so we stopped to have some lunch. As we were stopped we called Pete on his cell phone. Amazingly he answered. They were only about a mile away. He said they had just come through this same area and would come back to meet us for lunch.

What a great spot to stop.

Pete said it was time to go, so off he went in the lead showing the way to some of the technical Moab type of trails.

This is where some of the guys really started to have some fun.

Here is Insane Zane showing how he puts his quad on balance.

Soon we came on a mining area with large tunnels that went underground. We are not sure but we think this was a gypsum mine. It did not look safe to venture inside but we did look into the mine. There was quite a bit of water inside but the ceiling did not look very stable.

Back on the trail, we had plenty more things to explore. Pete had another area he had scouted out but he did not think we could make it up a large waterfall. We might as well take a look at it since it is close.

Well he was right. There was about a 30 foot straight up wall and then you would need to go up another steep section like this.

We opted for the go around on this obstacle; we were losing daylight and needed to start heading back to camp. It was about 20 miles away through many different trails. There were many sections that had your full attention like this spot.

This was a small but steep waterfall. You could get in trouble in a hurry if you used too much throttle. I had Jim stand by when I came up just in case. Thankfully I did not need his helping hand this time but he was there just in case.

Here is Zane making the same spot look easy with the help of the traction from his PitBull Rockers.

There is one more roller coaster type area in a narrow canyon before we get back to camp that was fun.

Dave felt sorry for his borrowed machine here so he got off and pushed it through.

We all made it back in one piece from this days ride. Now it was time to get a shower and have some dinner before comparing stories around the camp fire.
As the sun was setting, the sky lit up. I wonder if that is how the area became known as The Valley of Fire?

Remember to enjoy your friends as the good ones are few and far between and always buy your tires and wheels from Discount Tire Direct.

Don McNeilly
Discount Tire Direct.

On the Trail with Discount Tire Direct-Desoto Mine Trail to Crown King AZ

Discount Tire — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:51:55 GMT

Just before the sun came up I popped out of bed and headed north of phoenix about 45 minutes to meet a few of my friends that were camping out. I hadn�t made it out the night before as planned so I was pumped to be on my way for an awesome day of riding. A few of my friends had come from out of state and I was extra excited to see them.

Shortly after turning off the highway and heading down Bumble Bee Rd I spotted the heard camping.

We planned to start off by traveling on the main road to a trail we have ridden on many times just past the town of Cleator. (Population 7) This trail is called The Desoto Mine trail. It is a well known Jeep trail that will get your attention in a few sports for sure. For this ride I planned to be a passenger in Jim�s Polaris RZR-S for a change of pace.

Off we went, and only into the trail a few miles we had our first problem show up. Bob was climbing up a nasty short rutted out trail that threw him into some creosote bushes. Unfortunately one of the branches went through the sidewall of his Maxis Cerros tire. No matter what tire you have they can all get punctures if you try hard enough.

Three plugs later and we were ready to hit the trail again. At least we thought we were.

As we were plugging the tire we noticed a few of the group were not with us. Just before the puncture, we had come up a steep off camber hill but it should not have caused a problem. Two of our riders went back to see what was going on. About 10 minutes later they came back and reported Zane�s Can-Am Outlander 800 shut off and would not fire. Zane is one heck of a mechanic and even he could not figure it out so they decided to pull it to the top of the hill with one of the other machines and leave it off on the side of the trail to look at later. Zane decided he would drive his wife�s 2 up Can-Am 650 with her on the back for the rest of the trip. On the way back we would stop and pick up his quad.

Here we are back on the trail.

We made it to the toughest hill climbs on the trail. We wanted to make sure everyone was ok with going up the hill. Sharon decided she would ride up the hill in Jim�s RZR instead of attempting this climb. We always have extra bodies willing and able to ride somebody�s machine through a nasty spot if necessary.

Shane got his front end up pretty high in the air on the first part of the climb. Bob was scrambling to try to get there for help but Shane rolled through without any trouble.

From what I understand Robert stood his borrowed Suzuki King Quad straight up at this same spot. Thankfully someone grabbed the front rack as he let off the throttle. I missed the shot as I ran up the hill to make sure a couple of the riders were OK at the next tricky spot.

This trail is a blast. It winds up and down several mountains and climbs in elevation. There are several tricky spots along the way; some are tougher than others depending on which way you are traveling.

Here is an outstanding view of the trail we were just on. You can see it go all the way from left to right in this photo as it winds up the mountains.

From here we transition onto another trail that goes through a creek before heading up into the pine trees from the desert. Along the creek is an obstacle we have played on in the past that can be tough especially when it is wet.

As Katt approached he ended up just off line enough and found out the hard way how tough this obstacle can be. I was just a few feet away when his nose started to up and roll over.

Thank goodness they both had their seat belts and helmets on. Also, the passenger kept a firm grasp on the T handle built into the passenger side of the RZR. Luckily, both came out unscathed. This can and does happen to the best of us.

It took a group effort to get the Polaris RZR back on its wheels in this awkward position.

As we all regrouped I found out that Jeff rolled his Suzuki King quad on a straight flat spot on the road about 1 mile back. He said he just reached up to adjust his sun glasses and the handlebars cranked full to the right. As his quad rolled, it landed on him hurting his hand. I volunteered to let him ride in the RZR S and I would ride his quad. Yea, I get to ride today after all.

Now that the excitement was over it was time to get into the higher elevation. There had been a late snow storm in the area just before our ride so there was snow along the trail as we got higher.

We made it to the top of Tower Mountain and took a short break before heading down to the old gold mining town of Crown King for an awesome lunch.

Some of the others that were camping drove up to meet us for lunch. Here is Shane along with his wife and new baby.

The old Saloon was packed with riders of all kinds. This town used to have about 5,000 people in it during the gold rush days. Now days it is a Mecca for riders of all kinds that like to ride from the desert up to Crown King for lunch before heading back down the hill.

Inside the saloon there are tons of old photos like these of a hanging that was common in the nearby town of Prescott during the gold rush days.

It�s pretty wild to think about how different things are today. Thank goodness we have progressed from those times. There are also many old photos throughout the Saloon showing the train that ran from the desert up to the town. The dirt road that is a switchback road up the mountain used to be a train track. They would run the train up one switchback and continue past the turn, and then they would back up the next switchback past that turn and go forward again repeating this up the side of the mountain. It was quite a remarkable feat.

After lunch with our bellies full it was time to head back down to our camp. Along the way our large group split into smaller groups and headed back a few different ways. I went with the group to go get Zane�s quad. He got on it and it started right up. It must have just wanted the day off. Zane took apart the electrical sensors back at camp and cleaned them. He believes they must have been dirty and shut down his quad when it got hot.

Back at camp we had a visitor show up. It was Bill Clinton. He came just for dinner as he was not able to make it for the ride this time.

Jeff built a pit out of blocks for the pre-arranged meal he planned, which were Baby back ribs. The rest of the group brought all the other fixings imaginable for the feast.

All that was left was to sit back around the roaring fire and enjoy stories from all the rides we had been on over the years.

There is nothing more fun for me than to be out camping and riding with a great group of like minded people. We are very blessed to have found a good core group of friends over the years and many of us met on the forums. Make sure you take the time to enjoy life as it is very short and always buy your tires and wheels from Discount Tire.

Don McNeilly
Discount Tire

What are you doing to prepare for the 2012 Outlaw Jamboree?

Discount Tire — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:51:33 GMT

Title: What are you doing to prepare for the 2012 Outlaw Jamboree?

The Arizona ATV Outlaw Trail Jamboree has been an awesome event over the last few years. Settled in the cool tall pines of northern Arizona you get outstanding views and plenty of fresh air. The Outlaw Jamboree also adds group trail rides, a vendor show, bon fire parties and a huge raffle.

We�re so excited about this year�s event that we�ve already started training for it�..

You Tube

So tell us, post your pictures and your videos of what you are doing to prepare for this year�s TOTALLY AWESOME ARIZONA ATV OUTLAW TRAIL JAMBOREE!!!!

More details on the event: http://azatvoutlawtrail.com/