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

Yes have them now(255/85 R16 bighorns), you don't need a lift, I had them originally on stock suspension(sagged as 120,000k's old) and with the boost alloys which are +30mm offset(that's 30mm closer to car,0 is dead centre and negative causes the wheel to stick out further) the rear tyre would only just touch the spring mount on full flex up /other side hanging down. I've now fitted Gwyn Lewis kit along with 2in dobinsons and OME shocks and also put 4, 30mm wheel spacers from the U.K so they don't touch the mounts at full flex. These spacers are not legal in Oz but are Ok in U.K and E.U. and with 255's your tyres are just inside the standard flares so you don't need the extra cost of new ones.
The other option is to fit offset wheels, as the tyres are 255 there are plenty of options.+10mm , 0, -15mm, etc. but if 35 inch rubber is even a remote thought others recommend -25mm. Remember once you go past 0 you will need wider flares to stay legal.
One other thing , have a read about the transfer case/prop when lifting a Puma as I've read off issues with some people.
Could you stick up a few pic's of the finished def?

Cheers for that info… others tell me things to sell unnecessary mods..

I have heard of the driveline issues which is why I'm not too keen to raise her, I would much rather prefer to have downward travel and leave the height close to standard. I will have to figure all this out soon enough as I just put some $$$ down on BFG 255/85

Oh and are the black sawtooth alloys the same +30 offset??

Hey mate dunno about the sawtooths but I'd say they're definitely in pos offset. I went the bfg km2 in that size and they were perfect without a lift.

However I have 0 offset steelies and I had 130 or county springs in the front of mine, were standard height but held up under the increased weight of my ARB bar. Only needed on my old 110 as the fronts were sagging.

Originally Posted by defrover

Cheers for that info… others tell me things to sell unnecessary mods..

I have heard of the driveline issues which is why I'm not too keen to raise her, I would much rather prefer to have downward travel and leave the height close to standard. I will have to figure all this out soon enough as I just put some $$$ down on BFG 255/85

Oh and are the black sawtooth alloys the same +30 offset??

Edit: looks like Sawtooths are actually the same offset as HD steelies i.e. +20mm.

Yep, they're +33mm offset - same as the standard Boosts.
I'm not sure you need to lift a Defender to fit 255/85s, all the rubbing I've seen has been on spring tower and radius arms. These are offset (rather than lift) issues.

I have 255/85s on mine, but fitted them at the same time as changing the rims and fitting a lift.

Yeah Rite…… Well I got HD genuine landy springs up front already to compensate for the winch/bumper

I reckon it might be worth my while to have the tyres fitted and then see what rubs n what doesn't. As Frantic mentioned maybe spacers would solve the problem.. Even if there not quite legal.

255s fit stock okay. Rims with less offset are best. Wolf wheels are a good choice. The tires will just barely touch in the rear at full stuff and extending the rear bump stops a bit is a good idea.

Spring lifts do not change wheel travel and do not affect tyre clearance. Bump stops are what limit compression travel and tyre clearance.

Originally Posted by Red90

255s fit stock okay. Rims with less offset are best. Wolf wheels are a good choice. The tires will just barely touch in the rear at full stuff and extending the rear bump stops a bit is a good idea.

Spring lifts do not change wheel travel and do not affect tyre clearance. Bump stops are what limit compression travel and tyre clearance.

Always I have think that to put bigger tires, generally, requires a lift.

What tends to happen.... People put in lift springs. These are longer and/or stiffer. It makes it harder to hit the bump stops, so it appears during testing there is more clearance. You can still get to the bump stops though and at some point the wheel will move as far as it did with stock springs. Clearance should be checked with the springs removed and the axle moved through a full range.