Master
I recently paid $95 a wheel and tyre for 5 brand new 'take-offs' landcruiser 70 series wheels and tyres from a Toyota dealership. When I went to pick up what I was expecting to be 7.50 x 16s I was pleasantly surprised to actually receive 225 95 16s!! A tubless light truck tyre. The dealership didn't know the difference! Ha, well I was quite stocked because I had been wanting to try these 33inch equivalent all terrains for some time.
As far as I can tell, this is the only option for a 33inch all terrain tyre that will mount to a stock Defender steel wheel, or in my case a wolf rim. They are perfect for a Defender 300tdi in my opinion because they keep the nice gearing I'm used to (running 255s) but don't work the engine as hard and don't have any issues on hill starts, but sit really comfortably at highway speeds.
Interestingly they have an identical rolling diameter (and height) to a 285, but are much skinnier, skinnier than a 235 even but slightly wider than a 7.50 (original fitment to my 1995 110)
Maiden voyage on these I did 300k or so Hobart to Queenstown, with a mix of hwy cruising, gravel roads and very windy hwy driving through mountains. They are bloody good so far. Steering feels lighter, engine not working as hard (temps lower too) corner really well, handle perfectly in wet. That was running 40psi. Now I'm mucking about trying to find the right pressures for different conditions, but the landcruiser spec of 35 front 38 rear seems close.. a little soft in front maybe..
And in my opinion they look bloody great, very 'original/stock looking' but tubless, and taller than 7.50,235,265. As for quality, well I figure Toyota wouldn't fit them to new landcruisers if they were no good; Japanese made tyre, pretty standard looking AT pattern, 118 load rated and fit up nicely to a 6.5 inch rim (perfect for 6, and 5.5 inch too I'd imagine.)
Yet to test them offroad, but
I'll be saving my 255 85 16s geolanders for that and run these the rest of the time. Both sets mounted to wolfs.
I'd say to anyone wondering how these 225 95s go, especially with a 300tdi: these are a good choice, especially when you can find such ridiculous bargains. C'mon, $95 a corner!! And by the time I sell on the landcruiser steelies, they'll have cost me even less, perhaps around $50 a corner haha.
Fossicker
You bought them direct from a Toyota dealer? I didn't think of that, a tyre shop here is selling them for 140ea inc fitting, balancing and tube so not all that bad.
I was going to buy a set a couple months back but got an even better price on pretty much new Bridgestone MT's in 235/85, couldn't pass it up.
Master
Yep right from a dealership. You can find good deals, especially if it's a gov fleet buy, they have loads to move on. For example mine, (not tubed btw) were fitted to gov trucks for SES. But the gov fleet are, on a fleet management plan from an external fleet management company, that includes fuel, servicing etc. But importantly, they will only use a certain brand of tyre on the fleet company's plan, so if that's a different brand to what the vichle ships with they will change it from new at the dealership. That's when we can get the good deals.
Wizard
Road Grippers eh.....that drags up some memories...one tough tyre. Use to buy them in 7.50 x 16 by the bucket load for a fleet of Landcruisers which never saw much bitumen.
ForumSage
SupporterI have the 7.50 X 16's fitted to my Defender, and several Series Land Rovers.
DSCN4293 by Colin Radley, on Flickr
DSCN4960 by Colin Radley, on Flickr
Sourced from tyre garages & private sales. 7.50 X 16 hard to come by now.
Best of luck selling the Toyota Steelies, mine all came on new split rims, couldn't give them away as there were so many in the market.
Colin
'56 Series 1 with homemade welder
'65 Series IIa Dormobile
'70 SIIa GS
'76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
'81 SIII FFR
'95 Defender Tanami
Motorcycles :-
Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C, Suzuki SV650
Master
Yeah, no interest yet, but I'm hoping someone might want them for a trailer or to take their car back to stock look. What are pressures do you run the 7.50s?Originally Posted by gromit
I have the 7.50 X 16's fitted to my Defender, and several Series Land Rovers.
Sourced from tyre garages & private sales. 7.50 X 16 hard to come by now.
Best of luck selling the Toyota Steelies, mine all came on new split rims, couldn't give them away as there were so many in the market.
Colin
ForumSage
SupporterI just run the standard tyre pressures.
Colin
'56 Series 1 with homemade welder
'65 Series IIa Dormobile
'70 SIIa GS
'76 SIII 88" (Isuzu C240)
'81 SIII FFR
'95 Defender Tanami
Motorcycles :-
Vincent Rapide, Panther M100, Norton BIG4, Electra & Navigator, Matchless G80C, Suzuki SV650
Master
Okay, for anyone interested, I took these out 4wdriving on the weekend. I just did a track near where I live that heads up Mt Huxley, central west Tasmania. It's a reasonably easy/ medium track but with a couple of very steep and slippery sections after rain (which is pretty much every day around here.) There are a couple of creeks to cross, and some water sections, but no real mud to speak of. Not a 'hard' track by any means, but low range all the way, steep sections, great views and a couple of little sections that are a good test to compare with previous tyres I've had.
I used 25psi front and rear and didn't need to go lower. They found the bottom in some wet sections that were deep enough to have water splashing over bonnet. I was most impressed with their grip going up steep/slippery sections. Especially so over rock, and loose rock that moves about if you try to go too quickly. I really liked how I could put the tyre exactly where I wanted to because they are so narrow; a real sense of precision!
They also kept the gearing just right, 1st low range crawling downhill was spot on. I'm comparing to the 255s here, which I feel just want to 'run a way' a tiny bit. The 225s also felt like they'd 'lock' into ruts well. Being so thin, I wasn't worried the side walls were going to get torn through, because they weren't touching the sides of ruts (left from much wider tyres everyone else seems to run.)
Best thing though: zero mud splattered up sides of car! Another bonus is these tyres have taken fuel consumption back to 10l per 100k. Makes calculating range much easier.
I will finish by adding, I have recently installed a Detroit locker to my rear. I have a very expensive set of 255s in the shed. One could save a lot of money on wheels and tyres, and instead spend the same or less, on a detroit locker and these tyres, and get IMHO just as good offroad performance than fitting 255s and new wheels. The upside is that standard wheels can be used and maintain stock look, street performance is great, and increased clearance achieved over stock too.
Master
feedback on 225/95r
Interesting that they have gone back to road grippers. I managed to pickup a set of Bridgestones on the same takeoff a tojota arrangement from a dealer. Bridgetts certainly do the job well both on and off road.
The aid agencies in PNG were using bog standard troopies as supplied in PNG but the rear wheel mileage wasn't good working in the highlands. So watching with interest as to how they wear in an all wheel drive vehicle.
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