Skinny Spare tyre

[wayne]

I have been running Toyo M55 235/85/16 tyres for about 5 years. They have done about 75 - 80,000 KM. even though they still have plenty tread on them I will be replacing them for my dessert trip in June.
I had my heart set on 255/85 /16 Toyo tyres only to discover that Toyo Australia dont do them. I am now considering going the 265/75/16 tyres.
The problem I have is I am not sure if the spare will fit under the tray.
Can any one think of any reason why I cant use my 235/ 85 as a spare.
For the trip I will have a 265/75 on the roof rack as a second spare.
If any one is considering a good all round tyre the Toyo is brilliant. both on and off the bitumen. The 235/85 is $312.00 fitted and the 265/85 is $339.00

Regards, Wayne

[justinc]

Hi Wayne,

Why are you going away from 235/85? I have just fitted some M55 235/85 and very happy also, I am happy with their performance when deflated too.

In my experience diameter is more important in sand not so much width as when they are deflated they get a longer footprint. I would choose a 235/85 over a 265/75 in sand,( even though they are sligthly less in height) as they should provide less rolling resistance I would've thought. It must be said I haven't tried them personally, so no doubt will be set straight by those that have compared them back to back.

JC

[wayne]

Hi JC

The 235/85 are brilliant and cannot fault them, I do lots of beach work with them Fraser, Moreton, Stradbroke etc. I have also done Coffs Harbour 4 times, Victorian high country and sundown National park heaps of times. plus numerous small trips all on the same tyres. The vehicle is also my work ute.
I guess I was going for something that filled out the wheel arches a bit more :cool:. Maybe I should just stick with old faithful 235/85 and stop trying to look cool :p

Regards, Wayne

[justinc]

Hi JC

The 235/85 are brilliant and cannot fault them, I do lots of beach work with them Fraser, Moreton, Stradbroke etc. I have also done Coffs Harbour 4 times, Victorian high country and sundown National park heaps of times. plus numerous small trips all on the same tyres. The vehicle is also my work ute.
I guess I was going for something that filled out the wheel arches a bit more :cool:. Maybe I should just stick with old faithful 235/85 and stop trying to look cool :p

Regards, Wayne

Sorry i didn't mean to sound like you don't know about sand, when you obviously have HEAPS of experience there:o, I was just mentioning my experiences with wide vs narrow tyres and sand etc, Also I'm not sure whether you have a 300Tdi or Td5 because the 300Tdi will struggle on 255's with a load....Chipped Td5 or Puma you'll be fine.
I have recommended these Toyos to heaps of people too, all have been very happy with wear, puncture resistance and road feel. They are however a bit noisy but in a quiet whine,:) not a droning mud terrain sort of way:(..



JC

[wayne]

I think you have convinced me to stick with the 235/85.
Just out of interest if I was to purchase the 265/75 do you see any issues with running a skinny spare (the 235)

[justinc]

It depends on the degree of diameter difference between them, and some brands of 265 are taller than others too:( I would say that less than 20mm difference in size between the 235 and 265 shouldn't hurt in short term, but as with any constant 4x4 I would try and minimalise the difference as much as possible, and if having to use the spare for as little time as possible.

At least the Defender doesn't have a viscous centre diff, you'd HAVE to have all 4 the same then:(


JC

[rick130]

[snip]

I had my heart set on 255/85 /16 Toyo tyres only to discover that Toyo Australia dont do them.

[snip]

Regards, Wayne

Can we all swamp Toyo with requests for the 255/85 ?

This was the reply I had a week back.



At this stage it is unlikely that the LT255/85R16 Open Country MT will be stocked by Toyo Tyre & Rubber Australia Limited.
Local surveys indicated very limited demand for this size.
and the same for the M55 :(

This was after mentioning how popular that size is with Defender and some Patrol drivers and that Maxxis, BFG and Cooper continue to bring that size in.

[justinc]

Can we all swamp Toyo with requests for the 255/85 ?

This was the reply I had a week back.



and the same for the M55 :(

This was after mentioning how popular that size is with Defender and some Patrol drivers and that Maxxis, BFG and Cooper continue to bring that size in.

yup, same response for me too:(

JC

[rick130]

Such a shame.

Apparently their 255/85 is 33.5" tall too, compared to 33.3" for the Maxxis and a touch lower for the BFG.
I think it may be a tad wider as well (but only mm in it)

[Loubrey]

The difference in diameter should be very little between a 265/75 and a 235/85. In a perfect world the sidewall height should only be 1mm different (width x aspect ratio as a percentage).

Depending on the wear on your old 235's using one as a backup spare should not be a problem, but I agree with JC that there is very little to be gained by going wider. Small improvement on blacktop handling (AT's and HT's only) and absolutely zero offroad.

I have 265/75/16 BFG KM2's on my 90, but I have to hold my hands up and admit that it is 99% cosmetic as it gives the shorty that little bit extra "stance"...