Tyres for 5.5" rims

[Warb]

I've just been to my local tyre dealer to look at options for tyres. Whilst they "may be able to get 7.50R16's" their mainline brands don't seem to make them anymore.

So the next best choice is 235/85R16. The Coopers tyres in that size are listed as needing rim width 6.00-7.00 inches, but Maxxis list the MT-762 ("Big Horn") and MT-753 ("Bravo"), both in 235/85R16, for 5.5-7.0 inch rims. So they are within spec. on the standard 5.5" Land Rover rims.

Tubes are not a problem, despite the internet debate on the subject, because tubeless tyres are routinely used on old split rims that need a tube. This was confirmed by Coopers themselves when I asked them directly.

Has anybody used the Maxxis 753 or 762 tyres? I realise they won't look "original", but that doesn't worry me too much as tyres can easily be changed back should I ever wish to!

[pfillery]

I've just been to my local tyre dealer to look at options for tyres. Whilst they "may be able to get 7.50R16's" their mainline brands don't seem to make them anymore.

So the next best choice is 235/85R16.

Who have you asked?

I've just been shopping around and found 7.50R16 tyres in most of the major brands (dunlop sp road gripper, simex or now called just sime tyres, bridgestone plus a couple of others). I looked at the option of going the 235/85 but didn't like the look even though they are supposedly the same. Been quoted as high as $320 for the SP road gripper and as low as $200 each fitted and balanced. Getting a set today through Kmart tyre and auto as they will price match and at the moment give you a $100 fuel card if you buy 4 tyres, their price will be $220 each but in spending an extra $80, i get $100 fuel card so still up by $20 plus they do fly buys points so that is a bonus. The sime tyre was good looking too at $200 each, lots of tread and nice aggressive pattern.

The SP is still used on 100 series cruiser split rims.

Hope this info helps a bit.

[isuzurover]

I have 255/85 Maxxis Bighorns on my 110, and have used them on my IIA. I have been happy with them. They work well in most offroad situations (exclusing mud) and are excellent on the road.

I have done about 60000 km on mine now including a CSR trip, tassie trip, and 4 times across the continent from east-west or west-east. They are only 2/3 - 3/4 worn! I would happily buy them again.

[peterg1001]

I've just been to my local tyre dealer to look at options for tyres. Whilst they "may be able to get 7.50R16's" their mainline brands don't seem to make them anymore.


Hi Andrew, I don't know if you noticed the 750x16 Olympic Steeltreks on my vehicle, but they came from Mick Tinnock at Cooma 0414 484 120.

He gets them second-hand ex-army at Bandiana (the RAEME depot) with about 90% tread on them.

The last one I got cost $120 delivered.

He might be worth a call.

Peter

[Warb]

Who have you asked?

I've just been shopping around and found 7.50R16 tyres in most of the major brands.....

At present I've only been to the local tyre shop, however being in a rural area the local tyre shop may not represent a full market analysis! On the other hand, buying a size/brand/type that the local guy stocks does mean I can get a replacement (if I destroy one) without too much trouble. There are another couple of tyre dealers in the next town, and I'm going there tomorrow so I'll give them a try, armed with your information! I must say that I had a Hilux with Road Grippers on split rims, and on a wet road they were very poor - very careful use of the throttle was needed to stop the back end stepping out on uphill bends! But then I have Cooper S/T's on my current Hilux, and they're nearly as bad.....


Hi Andrew, I don't know if you noticed the 750x16 Olympic Steeltreks on my vehicle, but they came from Mick Tinnock at Cooma 0414 484 120.

Hi Peter,

Yes I did notice them. How do you find them? I remembered that you said Mick sometimes sells tyres on eBay and was intending to have a look (or give him a call) to see what he had!

[peterg1001]

Yes I did notice them. How do you find them? I remembered that you said Mick sometimes sells tyres on eBay and was intending to have a look (or give him a call) to see what he had!

He was advertising quite widely on ebay a year or so ago, and he just happened to advertise again when I was looking for another tyre.

Peter

[lochie]

I've just been to my local tyre dealer to look at options for tyres. Whilst they "may be able to get 7.50R16's" their mainline brands don't seem to make them anymore.

So the next best choice is 235/85R16. The Coopers tyres in that size are listed as needing rim width 6.00-7.00 inches, but Maxxis list the MT-762 ("Big Horn") and MT-753 ("Bravo"), both in 235/85R16, for 5.5-7.0 inch rims. So they are within spec. on the standard 5.5" Land Rover rims.

Tubes are not a problem, despite the internet debate on the subject, because tubeless tyres are routinely used on old split rims that need a tube. This was confirmed by Coopers themselves when I asked them directly.

Has anybody used the Maxxis 753 or 762 tyres? I realise they won't look "original", but that doesn't worry me too much as tyres can easily be changed back should I ever wish to!
Warb.I use mich.tyres and stamped on the side wall is a warning not to use 6.5 rims the tyre size 235 85 16 also the compliance decal states 16-7j so this can affect insurance claims.I liked the 750.16 tyres but gave up in the end.Best of luck Lochie

[pfillery]

Wouldn't the steel treks, despite having good tread, be a little old to be effective? Olympic hasn't made tyres for years so these ex army ones would be quite old.

the worry using a 235 or similar is that these would be tubeless tyres I'd imagine, whereas the series rim is a tube rim, might find the tube wears on the inside of the tyre.

[pfillery]

I must say that I had a Hilux with Road Grippers on split rims, and on a wet road they were very poor - very careful use of the throttle was needed to stop the back end stepping out on uphill bends! But then I have Cooper S/T's on my current Hilux, and they're nearly as bad.....


Maybe it was just the car! The cruisers use the 7.50 road grippers as standard equipment, maybe the hilux is just lighter at the rear end.

[Warb]

Warb.I use mich.tyres and stamped on the side wall is a warning not to use 6.5 rims the tyre size 235 85 16 also the compliance decal states 16-7j so this can affect insurance claims.I liked the 750.16 tyres but gave up in the end.Best of luck Lochie

It is strange how the brands vary. For 235/85R16, as stated on the manufacturers website or catalogue:

Coopers (AT3 and STMaxx)- 6 to 7 inch rims

Maxxis (762 and 753) - 5.5 to 7 inch rims

Michelin (LTX) - 6 to 7.5 inch rims

This could be down to the section of the tyres involved, or possibly even just that a 5.5" rim is a rarity so companies no longer bother including them?

I'm off to town to check for 7.50R16's today!

[Warb]

the worry using a 235 or similar is that these would be tubeless tyres I'd imagine, whereas the series rim is a tube rim, might find the tube wears on the inside of the tyre.

There is much debate on the internet about this. However I have used tube in tubeless tyres for years (try getting "nice" tyres in tubed flavour these days!) without problems. After seeing comments on this forum and several others, I called Coopers and asked them. To be honest they seemed to regard the question as ridiculous, stating that there is no problem whatsoever and that fitting tubes in tubeless tyres (for example on split rims) is standard pratice. They were very surprised that anybody should even consider it worth asking about!


Maybe it was just the car! The cruisers use the 7.50 road grippers as standard equipment, maybe the hilux is just lighter at the rear end.

It certainly is, and that will contribute, and an unladen Hilux is always a touch skittish. However the new Hilux came with "Duelers" (one of the many variants of Dueler!) and didn't show the problem unless pushed hard. Then I changed to Coopers S/T's and the problem reappeared.

There are many factors that contribute. Hardness of the rubber, pattern of the tread, amount of tyre contact, water dispersing ability, even the stiffness of the suspension. Not least is the surface of the road - try driving up Scenic Hill out of Lithgow when the road is "damp"!

The older Hilux had Road Grippers followed by S/T's, and the new one had Duelers followed by S/T's and the fish tailing in the wet was worst on the Grippers and best (least) on the Duelers. The Road Grippers, on occasion, would spin in a straight line on wet roads even when accelerating fairly gently in a queue of traffic.

And an 88" probably doesn't have much more weight on the rear tyres than a Hilux.....

[Warb]

After my negativity about Road Grippers.......

I've just discovered that my local Toyota dealer almost always replaces the split rims and 7.5" Road Grippers that are still supplied as standard on Land Cruisers before the customer collects them. As a result, there is an ongoing source of these tyres (a set every week or two), brand spanking new, on Land Cruiser split rims. They are currently selling them at $200 each. Obviously they need to be removed and fitted to the relevant LR wheels, but this is still significantly cheaper than the Maxxis or Cooper tyres that I had been considering, and far and away cheaper than the $385 (each, tyre only) I was quoted for Road Grippers from the tyre dealer.

Moving them to the LR rims isn't a problem, the tubes are new and should be fine. I just need to figure out what to do with a set of Toyota split rims!

[PhilipA]

There is much debate on the internet about this. However I have used tube in tubeless tyres for years (try getting "nice" tyres in tubed flavour these days!) without problems. After seeing comments on this forum and several others, I called Coopers and asked them. To be honest they seemed to regard the question as ridiculous, stating that there is no problem whatsoever and that fitting tubes in tubeless tyres (for example on split rims) is standard pratice. They were very surprised that anybody should even consider it worth asking about!



You have to be careful that there are no stickers on the inside. A friend fitted tubes to BFG ATs which had a sticker inside and all tubes failed in a couple of KKs.
Regards Philip A

[pfillery]

I just fitted new 7.50 16 light truck tyres (12 ply) to my series 3. They are Bridgestone (not sure what the model or type is) as fitted to the new Isuzu trucks, these are the Japanese made ones not Chinese. They look original and very similar to what was fitted on the vehicle new (or what I would imagine they would look like), nice deep tread and very quiet tyre compared to the cheapies that were on it.

Best part - $189 each fitted and balanced. RRP new is over $300, even compared to a dunlop sp road gripper at $260 or so they were a bargain.

Rims painted, new tubes and back on the car and I love them. Lots of tread, great in the wet too.

I will post some pics as soon as I take some.

Just shows you can find nice looking tyres to keep the rugged look, plain and nothing fancy.

[pfillery]

After my negativity about Road Grippers.......

I've just discovered that my local Toyota dealer almost always replaces the split rims and 7.5" Road Grippers that are still supplied as standard on Land Cruisers before the customer collects them. As a result, there is an ongoing source of these tyres (a set every week or two), brand spanking new, on Land Cruiser split rims. They are currently selling them at $200 each. Obviously they need to be removed and fitted to the relevant LR wheels, but this is still significantly cheaper than the Maxxis or Cooper tyres that I had been considering, and far and away cheaper than the $385 (each, tyre only) I was quoted for Road Grippers from the tyre dealer.

Moving them to the LR rims isn't a problem, the tubes are new and should be fine. I just need to figure out what to do with a set of Toyota split rims!

I don't believe you can use the tubes on the LR rims. The splits have those long brass valves and the LR rims have the short rubber types so they are not the same (so I was told when I looked at this option).

[Warb]

I don't believe you can use the tubes on the LR rims. The splits have those long brass valves and the LR rims have the short rubber types so they are not the same (so I was told when I looked at this option).

Yep, now I think about it you're right!!

[dandlandyman]

Ermm....Lochie, you may have that sidewall warning a little wrong. It actually says "Do not fit to a 16.5 inch rim". It's not a common 4x4 wheel size, but comes up sometimes on heavy machinery and some aircraft. 7.50R16s and 235/85R16 tyres are fine on 6.5" wide rims as they are fitted onto 130s from the factory. And Series 2 and 101 Forward Controls have 6.5" wide rims as standard, wearing 9.00x16 (255/100R16) tyres.

Dan.
69 2A 88" pet4 (still in disguise), 68 2B FC pet6 (still dozing quietly), plus 10 others.

[Warb]

.... And Series 2 and 101 Forward Controls have 6.5" wide rims as standard, wearing 9.00x16 (255/100R16) tyres.

None of my Series 2's have 6.5" rims, the LWB's are all 5.5" (272309) and the SWB's are 5" (can't remember the number).

I can't vouch for the Forward Controls, but I'm fairly sure that in the Bonneted Control vehicles with 16" wheel nothing pre-Defender had even 6" rims, and the 6.5" are reserved for the 110 and 130 HD's (Wolf's).

[gromit]

I just fitted new 7.50 16 light truck tyres (12 ply) to my series 3. They are Bridgestone (not sure what the model or type is) as fitted to the new Isuzu trucks, these are the Japanese made ones not Chinese. They look original and very similar to what was fitted on the vehicle new (or what I would imagine they would look like), nice deep tread and very quiet tyre compared to the cheapies that were on it.

Best part - $189 each fitted and balanced. RRP new is over $300, even compared to a dunlop sp road gripper at $260 or so they were a bargain.

Rims painted, new tubes and back on the car and I love them. Lots of tread, great in the wet too.

I will post some pics as soon as I take some.

Just shows you can find nice looking tyres to keep the rugged look, plain and nothing fancy.

I'd be interested to hear what the ride is like on 12 ply tyres.

My Series 1 has 8-ply 7.00 x 16 Road Trek Major's (the spare is an original RTM with 6 plies) and the ride is quite harsh although springs etc. also have an influence.

I've been offered some bar tread 7.50 x 16 12 ply tyres and I haven't followed up because I think the sidewalls will be too stiff so it would be interesting to get some feedback.....

Colin

[pfillery]

The ride is really good actually. a lot quieter than the Otani 14 ply nylon (rag) tyres it had on it. Lots of flat spots on those, noisy and quite rough. I find that the fuel economy is better on the new ones to the extent of about 45km more to a tank of gas, the ride is smoother and quieter and they work really well in the wet with good grip and no feeling of control loss. While the Otanis had lots of "lugs" out the side, these are a narrower surface actually in contact with the road but a better tread pattern according to the tyre place.

I'll post some pics and specs if you are interested. So far I'm well impressed with them. The old ones will do as tyres for a trailer maybe, wont really matter too much about the flat spots.


I'd be interested to hear what the ride is like on 12 ply tyres.

My Series 1 has 8-ply 7.00 x 16 Road Trek Major's (the spare is an original RTM with 6 plies) and the ride is quite harsh although springs etc. also have an influence.

I've been offered some bar tread 7.50 x 16 12 ply tyres and I haven't followed up because I think the sidewalls will be too stiff so it would be interesting to get some feedback.....

Colin

[Warb]

What pressures are you running them at?

[numpty]

None of my Series 2's have 6.5" rims, the LWB's are all 5.5" (272309) and the SWB's are 5" (can't remember the number).

I can't vouch for the Forward Controls, but I'm fairly sure that in the Bonneted Control vehicles with 16" wheel nothing pre-Defender had even 6" rims, and the 6.5" are reserved for the 110 and 130 HD's (Wolf's).

I think what was being referred to was 11A and 11B and 101 forward control vehicles.

Actually, all Defender 110 steel wheels are 5.5" also.

[pfillery]

What pressures are you running them at?

To be honest Warb, I haven't checked since they were fitted a couple of weeks ago. They were fitted up with new tubes and one has to summise they were inflated by the tyre retailer to the standard recommended pressure, but I'm not sure what that is. I imagine like any LT tyre with a tube they can go from super high to really low and everywhere in between quite safely depending on the application. I do little if any off road so my main concern is good grip, comfortable ride (as much as can be in a S3) and long wearing lifespan. Links to photos of the tyres below. I tried to have the thread show the pics but despite being saved correctly on both photobucket and my desktop they insist on displaying 90 degrees rotated. Any tips on why?

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd508/pfillery/photo8-1.jpg

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd508/pfillery/photo7-1.jpg

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd508/pfillery/photo9-1.jpg