Non standard Tyre sizes

[wayneg]

As there seems to be lots of talk about larger tyre sizes I though a thread with real world experience might be useful

I am running 265 70 16 A/T`s , Duelers on the rear and Nexon Rodean A/T`s on the fronts. I have had Zero issues with them rubbing and can promise they have had plenty of opportunity recently. I have a well worn dueler as a spare and it just fits in the spare well if fully deflated.
Running on tarmac has greatly improved, no more tram lining as with my 18`s and off road on sand and loose gravel they have been excellent. So far no mud so cant comment.
I have not put the 18`s back since putting these on as they ride so nicely.

There is also a very good reason to go with the 265 70 16 size if like me you try to keep cost to a minimum. This tyre size fits Cruisers, patrols, nivara`s , prado`s and many other popular 4x4`s. The local papers, ebay and gumtree always have used tyres. Mine cost next to nothing. 10 mins ago I just bought 2 Dunlop Grandtrek ATRs with 6mm tread left for A$5 the pair from e-bay. Fitting is currently costing A$15 inc balance at Ian Diffen Tyres.

[PeterAllen]

Good call Wayne.
I have an assortment of 255 65 16's (have been on the car since purchased) and have been trying to work out what the best option is when it comes time to replace them. The current standard size is restrictive in choice and was interested in what others recommended for an all terrain tyre that is economical and requires no or minimal modifications to the vehicle. I should add that I prefer to use the original rims as well (ie 16inch).

[Keithy P38]

Might as well add my 2 cents! If your looking for a set of Muddies, I am running BF Goodrich KM2 Muddies in 255/70/16 on my rangie and they rub the front mudguards in access height, highway height, and normal height (reversing out of a standard driveway). The spare does not fit in the spare wheel well even when deflated. I've only got less than 100kms on them and i'll be taking the car for serious off-road tomorrow so will report on scrubbing under articulation on Sunday.

Cheers
Keith

[FNQ]

Keithy P38,
how are the BFG's going?

I am about to re shoe the beast and BFG KM2 would be preferred if available and the bigger the better. Is your rig standard height any mod to fit 255/70/16's?

[Keithy P38]

I had to remove the front mudflaps to prevent them being ripped off by the tyres! There is absolutely no scrubbing now in any height.

My P38 is running standard LR air springs and shocks (albeit modified height settings via faultmate). I would have loved to fit 265/75/16's but i'm unsure if i'd need to do some trimming to the inner guard in the front. I believe they would fit on the rear with no mods, just the front end seems to lack tyre clearance!

Cheers
Keithy

[996TURBO]

I use 265/75 km2, slight rub in access and highway mode

[RR P38]

Here is a tire size chart i have been fiddling with along the lines of this thread;

http://www.1010tires.com/TireSizeCalculator.asp?action=submit

Its pretty handy if you look at peoples comments i think you might agree with me that 235 80 R16 should not cause any rubbing issues and give just shy of 50mm greater tire size than standard tires.

[mogswoffy]

i have general grabber AT2 - 265/65/18's and no problems

[Gippslander]

Looking at Kuhmo Roadventure MT KL17 in 265 70 16 will see how it goes with 2" lift on springs.

[DT-P38]

Mine has 265 75 16 Dunlop grandtrek mud & snow jobbers...
Really want to try putting 285 75 16 as there seems to be so many second hand sets around all the time. Anyone have this size on yet ?

[glenhendry]

I am interested in this topic. I spent the last two days wheeling at Landcruiser Mountain Park at Jimna near Brisbane. I was with a 2004 Patrol with a 2" lift. Because it has bigger tyres (rolling diameter 33" (versus our standard 29")) he could consistently get up rutted climbs where I would scrape the diff housing and get stuck. Considering my engine power and TC advantages this made me mad.

Lifting the body wont do much good if your diff is still 2" closer to the mound between the ruts than most other big aussie 4wd wagons...

I love the air, and wont change to coils, so it seems to me that the wheel arch being so inflexible with other tyre sizes as one of the serious flaws with making the RR outstanding off road - am I overstating this? I want to put 33s (or at LEAST 31s) and not have to redesign the body.

PS. I still love my P38, as she aptly dragged the Patrol out of a BIG boghole. See here (https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=glen.hendry&target=ALBUM&id=5609755255591506097&authkey=Gv1sRgCOOiu4uq4oDrygE&feat=email).

[parasnoop67]

I have been running 245/75/16 good year wrangler mt/r's on my 96 rangie and they are 31's and very seldom touch anything except in highway mode crossing a gutter etc.
They have a pretty good grip in mud and excellent on rocky stuff. Bit noisy on the highway, but not too bad.
Next set will be at least 32's with the mudflaps off.
On another set of wheels I have a set of Toyo open country A/T's which are good on bitumen and gravel and very quiet but for mud you need the chunkiest tread with good self cleaning properties.
Takes a bit of research to find the biggest size that will fit without cutting anything. Worth the effort though.

[Keithy P38]

If only someone on here owned a tyre shop and was willing to let us try on some different size tyres and go for a spin!

[RoverHse]

I had my '96 Rangie on 265/75/16 Wrangler MTR's. Fitted Gen 2 airbags with longer shocks and adjusted the EAS settings to a higher level. Don't recall any rubbing issues.

[RoverHse]

My Rangie in Namibia.

On the way at about 4am, the EAS lights blinked, and then that earth shattering beeping started, and then solid lights came on about half way to the meet up point. Question: Turn around or keep on going??

Fortunately I had installed 4 tyre valves (EAS override) linked to each airbag, and completed the 4 day bush trip, only checking the heights every morning and topping up as necessary.

[RoverHse]

My Rangie in Namibia, with pictures this time!

[996TURBO]

Some photos with 265/75R16 BF KM2

[redandy3575]

I've got the Silverstone All Terrain 30' which have served me well. I do agree more clearance is needed under the diff, but you don't want to go to bigger tyre. I'd say 31' to 32' tops, otherwise your speedometer and auto trany will go out of whack, not to mention the excess stress on the diff itself.

[Scouse]

Fitted Gen 2 airbags with longer shocks and adjusted the EAS settings to a higher level. Don't recall any rubbing issues.Are your shocks topping out or do you have longer bump stops fitted?

It seems that your rear suspension doesn't compress as much as a standard RR. It looks like a good 5cm or so difference:

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachments/members-rides/21195d1261531667-mrs-scouses-p38a-range-rover-000_2344.jpg

[PaulP38a]

what a difference 2" makes

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

Mine compressed down about as far as it will go just before lifting the opposing wheel off the ground.

These are 255/85R16 (33") and you can see how they tuck up nicely in to the wheel arch. This is a good illustration why I don't recommend people put wider than 265 tyres on.

Of course mine is running a 2" lift so I can get away with 33"s, otherwise don't go beyond 31"s. Even then be prepared to trim or remove the mudflaps and get occassional scrubbing on highway mode over speed humps and gutters.

Cheers, Paul.

[DT-P38]

These are early pic's of the pig with our old dunlop grandtreks (265 75 16) crossed up with 100% standard suspension. No touching.

Will be increasing tyre size (and aggression!) adding "Hard Range" lift components very soon, hope to maintain the "no touching" bit too!

[RoverHse]

I had longer bump stops fitted. I initially had them too short on the front. The result of that was the bottom pot of the airbag smashing the top plastic cone when I hit a dip in the road at speed. The top cone had cracked and chipped, leaving me stranded for a day. Luckily it was not far from my destination and could hobble to the site.

The P38 education is not a cheap one!

[FNQ]

I got quoted 4 to 5 month wait on BFG KM2 255/70/16's what a joke.
I then tried to find a Goodyear wrangler M/T to no avail seems the don't make MTR's to suit us any more. Only muddie I could find available locally now was the GT Adventuro M/T in a 225/70/16 ..... Not happy Jan


I guess the lesson learned is get the tyres you want well before you need them.

[redandy3575]

I got quoted 4 to 5 month wait on BFG KM2 255/70/16's what a joke.
I then tried to find a Goodyear wrangler M/T to no avail seems the don't make MTR's to suit us any more. Only muddie I could find available locally now was the GT Adventuro M/T in a 225/70/16 ..... Not happy Jan


I guess the lesson learned is get the tyres you want well before you need them.

Have you tried Silverstone? They make M/T's and extremes, top quality also.

[DT-P38]

I got quoted 4 to 5 month wait on BFG KM2 255/70/16's what a joke.
I then tried to find a Goodyear wrangler M/T to no avail seems the don't make MTR's to suit us any more. Only muddie I could find available locally now was the GT Adventuro M/T in a 225/70/16 ..... Not happy Jan


I guess the lesson learned is get the tyres you want well before you need them.

I personally know 2 happy KM2 users that would tell you they are well worth the wait. All the write ups on them I have read are also chock full of praise. You could do worse than to wait it out

[wanglemoose]

im running maxxis 764 bighorns 265/75/16 on my pig and do have some scrubbing issues but im also running a 2" taller coil spring set up. i have had to do some trimming in the front wheel arch to get it to turn. they also scrub in the rear wheel arches.
36317

36318

36319

36320

[Keithy P38]

FNQ - I can't understand the wait your having on the KM2's! I literally drove my P38 into my tyre dealer in Townsville and drove out with 255/70/16 KM2's on (6 tyres in total). He reckons that they are a very popular size and they almost always have a set sitting on the shelf ready to rock!

Give John Muller a call in Townsville (Tyre Plus - 4721 5599). I'm sure he'll have some ready to go. Mention that Keith Wager from the Roving Around 4x4 club gave you his number and i'm sure he'll do you a deal...

Cheers
Keithy

[redandy3575]

im running maxxis 764 bighorns 265/75/16 on my pig and do have some scrubbing issues but im also running a 2" taller coil spring set up. i have had to do some trimming in the front wheel arch to get it to turn. they also scrub in the rear wheel arches.
\

maxxis......isn't that a tyre company owned by a cult group as a Tax write off??

[DT-P38]

Cult tax write off? Please enlighten us uninformed forumites

[redandy3575]

Cult tax write off? Please enlighten us uninformed forumites

Just a rumour i heard from someone working in the tyre industry. Apparently a couple of cult group members that are based in Tassie have taken this as an undercover way to Launder money.:angel: Now , i don't know how true this is, but wouldn't suprise me, cause this group doesn't lias with the media or the outside world, except through Maxxis.:twisted:

[Rover1234qwerty]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions I have about raising the height of my P38 Range Rover I recently bought.

I am looking at getting bigger tyres on it, and thought that 33inch tyres would be the way to go. However, I wanted to keep the Airbag suspension, is this possible? Can you lift the body of the car without pulling the Airbags out and putting springs in? Is it possible to get longer Airbags? If so, has anyone done this and how much would I be expecting to pay?

Any help would be great! Thanks

PS: The site is great and has heaps of information. Been great looking around

[wayneg]

I think you need to have a look at the Hardrange offerings.
Its easy to lift the car up via software but then you are at the limits of the std airspring and ride hight sensors. You will also need the car to stop dropping down into highway mode with such big tyres. I am sure Paul at Hardrange will give you a more exact answer.

[Rover1234qwerty]

Thanks for your help, i'll have a look into his stuff.

Cheers

[redandy3575]

I was wondering if anyone could help me with a few questions I have about raising the height of my P38 Range Rover I recently bought.

I am looking at getting bigger tyres on it, and thought that 33inch tyres would be the way to go. However, I wanted to keep the Airbag suspension, is this possible? Can you lift the body of the car without pulling the Airbags out and putting springs in? Is it possible to get longer Airbags? If so, has anyone done this and how much would I be expecting to pay?

Any help would be great! Thanks

PS: The site is great and has heaps of information. Been great looking around

Paul from HARD RANGE is the Man. Hard Range Australia | Range Rover and other Land Rover Parts, http://hardrange.com [ABN 21 141 975 493] (http://www.hardrange.com.au)

[PaulP38a]

Thanks for the referrals, blokes :D

You can fit 33"s with a 2" lift kit, but will still get a bit of rubbing on highway and access heights. Below is a pic of mine on highway mode... and it is usually (always?) the front LH wheel that rubs when reversing and turning out my driveway and over the gutter.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

If you are going to use 33"s as daily drivers or for serious off-road work, consider swapping the diff ratios over to 4.1 to account for the larger rolling diameter. Your speedo will still be out by 10-15% so use a GPS or get a speedo correction unit.

Apologies to anyone browsing the Hard Range site today and saw random code appearing at the top of the screen. I have fixed the database problem and all should be well again.

Cheers, Paul.

[redandy3575]

Hey Paul, does the Bullbars now come with the bash plates? Also, do you keep diff guards?

[PaulP38a]

Hey Paul, does the Bullbars now come with the bash plates? Also, do you keep diff guards?

The bash plate/stone guard is an option that we don't push too hard at the moment as it costs $300. Working on a cheaper option for both the HRA Roo Bar and the standard P38 bumper. Will be easier to get sorted now that we have a few "standard" P38's between Andy and I.

The diff guard on mine is a modified Defender guard, Bearmach I think. We have plans for our own in the pipeline.

Cheers, Paul.