Thread: Lift Kit Requirements to fit 255/85's

cheers noogie, I have bought the tyres and there sitting at the tyre shop waiting to be fitted so I may just slap em on the sawtooths and find out for myself if it rubs on anything.. as for the lift the only thing I am hesitant about is the fact the 4WD shop which is a landie specialist didn't say I needed a DC shaft but yet it seems to be common knowledge on here.

Might have to get a second opinion on the subject.

Originally Posted by uninformed

Going from a stock 5.5 rim to a wolf 6.5 rim also changes the tyre profile slightly when mounted (ie the tyre will be a touch wider on the wider rim)

Even with no spring lift the rear tyres (235 on a 5.5) come very close to rubbing on the spring perch. Add taller, wider tyre on a not much less backspace rim and its not going to go away.

Add a lift and it gets worse.

The 255 is 20 mm wider. The rim is 25 mm wider and the width is all to the outside. The inside of the tyre won't stick in any further than stock. Anyway, I've seen a few 110s in person with 255s and Wolf rims and none had any rubbing issues. They put the tyre in a nice location that does not stick out past the flares. If you go bigger like 285/75, then the aftermarket rims with less offset are needed.

How does a lift make it worse? The axle travel is the same as before.

Originally Posted by uninformed

They are a good simple strong rim. They are just wide enough for a 255, maybe even too narrow legally at 6.5? They just do not have enough negative offset.

Rick130 has come from running 255s on wolf rims to Mach5s with only .5inch more negative offset and 7 inch wide, its made noticable difference.

And just so we don't get confused on terms. All of these wheel/rims we are discussing have positive offset (the tyre is offset closer into the car than the mounting surface).

Normally a 6.5" rim is legal for a 255/85.
Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 | BFGoodrich Tires

does anybody see driveline vibes after a spring lift of 50mm with the TD4 ? IIRC the pre-TD4 have the engine/gearbox take 50mm usually without issue. But the TD4 could be more prone to, due to engine/gearbox angled upwards more than the earlier Defenders.

Originally Posted by landybehr

does anybody see driveline vibes after a spring lift of 50mm with the TD4 ? IIRC the pre-TD4 have the engine/gearbox take 50mm usually without issue. But the TD4 could be more prone to, due to engine/gearbox angled upwards more than the earlier Defenders.

The TDCi (Puma) engined Defenders are more prone to front Uni binding as a result of a lift. It seems like most need a DC, although some have got away without it.

FWIW a DC was also recommended by certain suspension manufacturers (OME for example) when lifting a TD5 engined Defender, although in practice the seem to be less sensitive to a lift.

I fitted a DC to my Puma prior to lifting it so I don't know if I could have got away without it.

I'll be interested to see if 255/85s work we'll on Sawtooths. I know i had rubbing with 265/75s on Boosts.

If you lift a PUMA you will need a DC prop shaft, make no doubt about it !

After a lift PUMA's will suffer from either binding of the uni joints & those that don't bind they will vibrate at around the 80-90k's. Without exception !


Some of the other thing you will at least need to do, if your going to do it properly are
- caster correction control arms
- new front sway bar mounts to lower the sway bar to prevent rubbing on the front prop shaft.

Originally Posted by Red90

The 255 is 20 mm wider. The rim is 25 mm wider and the width is all to the outside. The inside of the tyre won't stick in any further than stock. Anyway, I've seen a few 110s in person with 255s and Wolf rims and none had any rubbing issues. They put the tyre in a nice location that does not stick out past the flares. If you go bigger like 285/75, then the aftermarket rims with less offset are needed.

How does a lift make it worse? The axle travel is the same as before.

When I mount my 235 on a 5.5 then a 6.5 rim, they mount up the exact same profile?? I think not.

While you math tells you that the 255 on the 6.5 is all out board, it is not. Mount a 235 to a 6.5 then mount a 255 to the same 6.5 and measure from the WHS to the furthest inside of tyre and they WILL be different.

SO, back to mo original post, I have 235 on these so called wolf rims, the turning circle is not great and the tyre rubs on the spring perch. Tell me how it is not going to change if I were to fit 255s. It's not just the width, but the height. The taller/larger OD tyre will contact the RA and spring perch before the 235, even if it was not wider, which it is....

Think about the Roll Center, the point at which the axle wants to pivot about. This does not change in the rear with a spring lift. Raise the chassis on the springs and now the tyres are arcing into the spring and perch more so than over the top of it.

Originally Posted by Red90

And just so we don't get confused on terms. All of these wheel/rims we are discussing have positive offset (the tyre is offset closer into the car than the mounting surface).

Normally a 6.5" rim is legal for a 255/85.
Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 | BFGoodrich Tires

yep agreed, they need less positive offset, or more negaitve offset (heading in the same direction, but not the best way to describe it I agree). yes it could still be a positive offset rim with less positive offset.