Widest tyres on 300 Tdi

I have 285/75/16. They are BFG All Terrain, came with the defender when I bought it and were practically new so I stuck with them.

Started off on standard suspension and 7" wide steel wheels. The rear wheel would rub the spring and come up to the tub on articulation. The front rubbed the radius arms on full lock and had to have the steering stops properly set, enlarging the turning circle to intergalactic proportions.

I've since lifted 2", put on extended bump stops and switched the tyres onto alloys with an increased offset. No more rubbing on spring or tub and improved turning circle (still not great).

At one point I also had 30mm hub centric wheels spacers (in UK) which IMO perfected the set up - nice stable wide track and good turning circle. The alloy and spacer combo was still lighter than the steels I had before! Unfortunately I had to remove them for import to Auz.

So basically - 285/75 require a bit of work to sit right and then you end up with a set up that is not going to please a roadworthy inspector.

If its width and not so much height you are looking for then maybe switching to 8" wide offset rims would give some better options. Its mostly the height of the 285 tire that restricts the turning circle. With 8" rims you could probably get a shorter and wider tyre than the 285 with fewer issues.

If your landrover steels are 6" , they are no good for wide tyres!

Size calculator:
Tire size calculator

You can't legally put 265's and probably 255's (anyone know) on a 6" wide rim, which LR steelo's are

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Originally Posted by GyroLandy

So going for either the 255 or 265 I can fit them straight to the standard rim with no offset, spacing, widening of the flare or changing the bump stops?

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255's are tall skinny tyres. If you want a wide tyre, its not for you. They would probably require you to adjust your steering stops (reduce turning circle).

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Originally Posted by MR LR jnr.

You can't legally put 265's and probably 255's (anyone know) on a 6" wide rim, which LR steelo's are

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Gee I thought the standard steel rims on 110s and 90s were 5.5" wide, not 6". 130 steelies are 6.5" I think.

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Originally Posted by manic

255's are tall skinny tyres. If you want a wide tyre, its not for you. They would probably require you to adjust your steering stops (reduce turning circle).

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Manic,

Yes reasonably tall and skinny, but they do look good on a Deefer (as seen on that photograph)!

No adjustment to the steering at all with the Freestyle alloys though.

GyroLandy,

I might have given you a bit of a bum steer on the steelies... :eek: If they are 6" as the guys suggest it does limit you quite a bit.

Cheers,

Lou

Thx guys, so what would be the maximum one would put on the standard 6" steel rims?

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Originally Posted by GyroLandy

Thx guys, so what would be the maximum one would put on the standard 6" steel rims?

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If your Defender is a 110 then standard wheels are 5.5X16" and the standard 7:50R16 are as wide as you can go.

If it's a 130 then you have 6.5X16" wheels and you can go to 235/85R16 (Standard size on new Defenders) or 255/85R16 (taller and wider and will increase you turning circle).

Any other sizes will need different wheels.

Disco 1 steels are 7X16" and open up a bigger range of tyre sizes.

Tony

Thanks, so the biggest I could go is 235/85R16 on the standard rim.

So now it seems I would need other rims. Which ones should I be looking out for if I want a steel rim that I can powder coat black and fit the 255/85/16 tyres on?

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Originally Posted by GyroLandy

Thanks, so the biggest I could go is 235/85R16 on the standard rim.

So now it seems I would need other rims. Which ones should I be looking out for if I want a steel rim that I can powder coat black and fit the 255/85/16 tyres on?

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No!

If your Defender is a 110 then you have no options other than the standard 7.50R16.

If you Defender is a 130 you can run the standard 7.50R16, 235/85R16 or 255/85R16.

If you want to run a 265/75R16 you need a 7" rim

7.50R16, 235/85R16 and 265/75R16 are all about 32 inch, IE it won't change your gearing or speedo

255/85R16 are a bit over 33 inch and have a noticeable effect on gearing, speedo and turning circle

The taller and/or wider the tyre the worse the turning circle will be, assuming the wheels offset is the same.

For what it's worth I run 255/85R16 on standard 130 wheels on a 130, it makes the speedo spot on and takes the turning circle from huge to slightly more huge :D

255/85R16 are a rare size in Aus BFG or Maxxis only

Tony

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Originally Posted by TonyC

255/85R16 are a rare size in Aus BFG or Maxxis only

Tony

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Cooper ST too.