Yeh Yeh another tyre thread

[Pete38]

Hi All,

Well my last forum topic convinced me to go with LR alloys for my offroad wheels and not look for steelies with a +57mm offset... even if they existed.

But in the mean time, until I find bargain alloys to run both sets of tyres, I have decided to remove my Cooper HT's (came on the car with great tread left) off the 16x7 inch rims, and put on a set of BFG KM2's mud terrains. Was looking at the Kuhmo KL71's but I can get the KM2's for almost the same price so favour the more popular choice of tyre for safety sake...

But the big question is what size??? Yes I have read loads and loads. Yes I have read the sticky for tyre sizes for a p38. So I have almost made my mind up, but I'm favouring the size I would prefer not to go, cause I'm worried about the other size scraping too much and regretting it.

The tyres will be going on a P38 with Gen3 bags, only lifted 1 inch up from standard height on the high setting only because I have the almost standard length bilsten shocks in it. Not interested in extended bump stops because that will loose articulation.

These will be used for offroad use and experience full articulation so I don't want bad scraping but minor noises don't bother me.

245/75/16 - Minor scrapes but nothing significant to worry about. Now my feeling is if it scrapes a little in access mode then even at the high setting and the wheel pushed right into the guards climbing rocks they are still likely to rub a LITTLE? But no biggy? Probably need to remove the front mud flaps though. All highway mode and standard height are fine on the road.

265/75/16 - Scrapes, scrapes, more scrapes and possibly damage to the inner guards from scraping when the wheels are right up at the bump stops off road. Not as easy as just trimming the plastic liner??? But more diff clearance which is the point that keeps me tempted. Also OK if I end up getting the 2 inch lift kit and shocks to suit. I have the EAS emergency kit so driving with an EAS fault should be OK. Popped bag, well thats gonna make the tyre scrape until I put the spare bag in the bush.

I've almost made up my mind but hoping someone can convince me that a 265/75/16, with minor plastic guard work, will not scrape that bad when the wheel ends up right in the guards. Gonna take some convincing mind you :)

[Keithy P38]

I'd like to be the one to convince you, being a fellow km2'er, however I must convince myself first! The km2 is a tall tyre, I'd stick with the smaller size as much as it pains to do it!

I know exactly where you are coming from having been there myself those few short years ago, but as you, my next set of km2's will be 265/75 and I will sort out rubbing issues when they arise.

Did I convince you?

[Pete38]

Cheers for the info/feedback. Hmm. I wouldn't call it convince although got me more curious how much work there actually is to accommodate 265/75 without much rubbing. Km2 being tall has also got me thinking about they might be enough as well. Yeh still undecided but I do tend to ponder sometimes :-)

I'm mainly after diff clearance.

When they say minor trimming of the inner guards I'm guessing some of the metal and not just the plastic lining huh?

I only just put the gen 3's in a few months ago and had the front liners off but didn't take note of how much there was behind. Thinking metal or something solid seeing there are loads of clips.

The lump near where the mud flap attaches on the front guards seems like a possibility of scrubbing when at half lock and on the bump stops. Well it's only about 30mm from the corner of my 235/70. Is there metal behind that or is it only plastic? Maybe it's just deceiving how much clearance there is there and it's not an issue.

Had anyone who bought 265/75, or is just well informed, got info on what and how much they trimmed? There was one for the classic I saw somewhere but that seemed quite extreme with trimming the fenders it seemed.

If it's only plastic then I'm tempted. If it's metal then not so tempted.

This might go against my statement of no extended bump stops, but are talking an inch added to the bump stops or 2 inches. Either way I'm really hesitant about that without adding an lift kit and longer shocks... But don't wanna sacrifice road handling too much cause I'm an irregular off roader... But that's a whole new topic.

[Scouse]

Come along to the Expo in a few weeks time as I'm sure there will be P38s with both those tyre sizes present.

At last weekend's All British Day, there was a P38 running 265/70/16s and another with 245/75/16s. Speak to the owners & see what problems they've had (if any). if the travel ramp is at the Expo, you may even get to see them in action :).

[Pete38]

Judging from you living at Duggo I'm sure you were talking about the NSW All British Day.

I looked in the forums just now and found the All British day. Would have gone if I realised about it, but haven't really looked in the events section yet...

But I can't see the expo you talk about. Saw posts of people mentioning it but no details. Did I just have a Man's look or doesn't it have its own topic in the forums?

EDIT: Found it in google. Should have looked before asking I guess http://www.landroverexpo.com.au/

Any suggestions on who those two guys were or how to find them? I'll stalk the All British Day forum to see if I can track them down.

I was thinking about buying the tyres this weekend so I doubt I will hold off that long. I need them in 4 weeks time, but don't wanna risk running it too fine and not getting the tyres.

Both those tyres you mentioned are similar in diameter, with the 245/75 being my favoured one and the km2 only comes in the 245/75 and 265/75 so that at least counts the 265/70 out which is good as its one less option... yeh that sounds strange but I don't need more options to ponder on ha ha.

[Keithy P38]

PaulP38a can tell you all about guard trimming! He has done it himself. The fronts I doubt would be a problem, it's the rears that'll be a pain as there is only an inch or so at most under the plastic trim... You could remove the trim altogether and see how it goes?

Mine are 255/70's and they gently rub in the rear and I've had to remove the front mudflaps. The 245/75's (same size as the km2's on my Isuzu d-max) are taller than the 255/70's. It's very touch and go... I'm with you, go the 245's, the bigger ones are a dream until you have lifted it. And if you've seen my YouTube vids, tyre size is not everything! I continuously out gun land cruisers, patrols and pathy's on 32" and 33" tyres... I am yet to knock a pumpkin too!

[Pete38]

Haven't spoken to Paul specifically about the cutting of guards, but bought some Gen 3 bags through him and eas emergency kit. A thumbs up/plug to the guy because he's been a wealth of knowledge and a genuine guy who didn't try and push his products on me, just gave honest opinions of the pros and cons of what he sells.

He did mention for me not to go above 31 inch as it'll be dramas without the lift kit, but I thought he said he wasn't game to cut the guards and that may have been the reason not to go 32's. I just didn't want to pester him again with asking how much guard cutting was involved and turned to the forums for a bigger audience.

I tell you, there is obviously a lot of generous and helpful guys round here in the OZ Range Rover forums. Much better than those Prado..... yeh I won't go there cause a good mate of mine drives one he he.

[Pete38]

So 245/75/16 it will be then with minor rubs and mud flaps removed. Cheers for both your help. It's the decision I thought I would end up getting to, but sorta wanted to make sure I made the right decision.

[Pete38]

Oh and the all important question... White writing on the inside or out??? Each to their own I guess.

I'm likely to be going for inside, although the writing would have matched my paint work :)

Guess it'll depend what mood I'm in on Saturday morning and how loud the writing looks on the km2's in that size.

[Scouse]

Inside !!

[Pete38]

I was thinking that. Just wasn't sure whether the white writing on the outside made the tyres bite more in the mud ;)

[Keithy P38]

I have mine on the outside, I think it looks good! Each to their own though I guess! One of my vids on the "a few vids from my weekend" thread shows it/them in action.

[Pete38]

Cool. I'll have a look at them. I'm pretty sure I watched one that mentioned about a rear locker but didn't take note of the tyres at the time.

[glenhendry]

I have 245/75/16 (Goodyear DuraTracs) and they are fantastic. I have not touched inner guards or mudflaps and I only get very minor scrubbing in low modes. I recommend this tyre and size. They seem to be wearing well too and aren't noisy on the highway.

Also, white writing is on the inside! :)

[parasnoop67]

I have been running Maxiis Bighorns in 265/75 for the last few months with no issues. I have remuved my front mudflaps and made sure the liner is tucked back tightly on the brackets. I am running Gen 3's and have lifted the height on the two higher settings by a little on each one. Perhaps 3o-35mm. On highway height it is fine but I don't use that setting offroad. On normal height there is virtually no scraping and the extra height is handy.
Just last weekend on the Barnback track, coming down wheelruts so deep that the diffs scraped for a good 100 metres. Don't think I'd have made it with my 245/75 Wrangler mtr's due to smaller diameter, less clearance.

[Pete38]

Oh Damn you ha ha. Just when I thought the 265/75 were to much risk with scraping you tell me yours are fine.

Were they brand new with full tread and had the wheels right up in the guards? Any idea what the diameter of the big horns are when new? I've been told the km2's are tall For their size but don't know their exact size either.

[FANTOM P38]

Hi guys, just to throw a apanner in the works I have had KM2's in 285/75 16's fitted to my P38 for some time now. I have GenIII bags front & rear with Hard Range 2" lift kit and Longer adjustable shocks & EAS bypass. However I have not removed gaurd liners or trimmed any metal, simply removed mud flaps front & rear with only rubbing issues on full lock at front. Food for thought!

[Keithy P38]

Got a pic rovinrangie??

[wayneg]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/I have had my 265 75 16 AT`s on for a few weeks now after 265 70 16`s .
The 265 70`s never ever gave a hint of rubbing. The 265 75`s have touched a couple of times somewhere on std height on full lock at the front. I still have front mudflaps so they could be the touch point. I have been unable to find any contact marks to identify and remove / modify the area.

[parasnoop67]

Yes my Bighorns were brand new and are on the factory 8 inch alloys. They are 804mm when new. My vehicle often goes to the bumpstops overnight but I don't try to drive it at that height. It's still a bit tight on access but I just let it warm up for a bit and its fine to go and is capable of anything the Cruisers and Patrols are as an absolute minimum.

[Pete38]

And now I read the 265/75 km2 are slightly narrow at the tread so now got me thinking will I get away with them.

Hey, if I get them to put one tyre on the front, lift the car up to the high setting (up an inch on standard high) and let the air out of the bag with the big tyre on it's corner and turn lock to lock and check clearances, would that give me a good idea? I know the axle is not quite as angled as in off road but it will be on the bump stops so hoping it gives a good idea. I'm assuming off road makes the wheels hit the bump stops? Never looked but just assumed. I'm prepared to take the mud flaps off so that's no biggy.

[parasnoop67]

Just go with them, they will be fine. If they touch anything, just find where it is and remedy that if you think it is necessary.There are very few times when there is enough compression on the suspension together with enough lock to make them touch. And if you use it offroad the benefits of the extra size outweigh the downside. Slightly longer bumpstops would fix the compression aspect anyhow. I have a set of 245/75 Wrangler mtr's which are also good but the extra size of the 265's makes quite a difference. Another aspect is the speedo error--108 actual when showing 100k's so fuel consumption increase isnt as bad as it looks. Having said all that my on road tyres are 255/65 at's which are much quieter and the lower gearing gives better overtaking acceleration and cornering is much flatter, helped by the Arnotts gen3's.

[FANTOM P38]

Hi Keithy P38!,
Don't have pics but will take some tomorrow & post up in the evening!
changed ny sign on from Rovinrangie as I named the truck FANTOM as you may be able to see on avatar!

[Pete38]

OK. So after some saying don't and some saying go for it..... I'm gonna get the 265/75/16 km2's thrown on tomorrow morning and see how much work there is needed for them...

And then get it out to my parents place who have a good mound that will make em scrub, and get to modifying the guards were they scrape bad.

Mud flaps already off in anticipation.... Looking forward to the extra diff clearance... Not so looking to chopping the inner plastic parts and the minor chops of the sill.

Thanks all for your replies. Both those that said don't do it, and those that said just go for it... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned, but as parasnoop said, I've gotta way up the pro's verse the cons, and that extra clearance is a big contribute to my final choice.

Will report back within the week so it may help the next newbie to 32's on a P38.

[Keithy P38]

I noticed the username change, had me scrolling back through to realise you did fantom! I'll be keen to see those pics from both of ya! Jealous to say the least, but if one can indeed fit the 265's without a lift and much work to the body, that's my next move.

I'd also be interested to hear about rpm at actual 100km/h too, I'm sitting at 2100 at actual 100km/h with 255/70's.

Cheers lads

[Pete38]

Will post back for sure. Just might need a week to give proper feedback....

I will have an idea when I play with the suspension heights in the tyre place car park though, so if the km2's are way too big I can always just pay $80 or so to fit the 245/75's. Hoping thats not the case mind you cause I really want them now. Willing to hear small scrapes but if a panel gets getting torn off I'm definitely getting em swapped :)

[p38oncoils]

Hi All,

Well my last forum topic convinced me to go with LR alloys for my offroad wheels and not look for steelies with a +57mm offset... even if they existed.

But in the mean time, until I find bargain alloys to run both sets of tyres, I have decided to remove my Cooper HT's (came on the car with great tread left) off the 16x7 inch rims, and put on a set of BFG KM2's mud terrains. Was looking at the Kuhmo KL71's but I can get the KM2's for almost the same price so favour the more popular choice of tyre for safety sake...

But the big question is what size??? Yes I have read loads and loads. Yes I have read the sticky for tyre sizes for a p38. So I have almost made my mind up, but I'm favouring the size I would prefer not to go, cause I'm worried about the other size scraping too much and regretting it.

The tyres will be going on a P38 with Gen3 bags, only lifted 1 inch up from standard height on the high setting only because I have the almost standard length bilsten shocks in it. Not interested in extended bump stops because that will loose articulation.

These will be used for offroad use and experience full articulation so I don't want bad scraping but minor noises don't bother me.

245/75/16 - Minor scrapes but nothing significant to worry about. Now my feeling is if it scrapes a little in access mode then even at the high setting and the wheel pushed right into the guards climbing rocks they are still likely to rub a LITTLE? But no biggy? Probably need to remove the front mud flaps though. All highway mode and standard height are fine on the road.

265/75/16 - Scrapes, scrapes, more scrapes and possibly damage to the inner guards from scraping when the wheels are right up at the bump stops off road. Not as easy as just trimming the plastic liner??? But more diff clearance which is the point that keeps me tempted. Also OK if I end up getting the 2 inch lift kit and shocks to suit. I have the EAS emergency kit so driving with an EAS fault should be OK. Popped bag, well thats gonna make the tyre scrape until I put the spare bag in the bush.

I've almost made up my mind but hoping someone can convince me that a 265/75/16, with minor plastic guard work, will not scrape that bad when the wheel ends up right in the guards. Gonna take some convincing mind you :)


Following are a few pictures of my P38 with 285/75/16 Maxxis Bighorn tyres fitted. The suspension lift is 3.5 inches on the rear and 2.75 inches on the front. After fitting there was a fair bit of rubbing on the front wheels under articulation when the steering wheel was turned slightly where the tyres rubbed against the sill trim. I modified the trim and now the tyres clear the sill trim under all conditions. There is now only slight scuffing of the inner guards under full lock on the steers and on the rear under full articulation. If you are going with Gen 3 airbags and a 2 inch lift you will have no issues with rubbing once you have modified the sill trim. If you are interested I can post pictures of the modification that I made to the sill trim.


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/05/1305.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/05/1316.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3727-scenic-rim-3.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3728-scenic-rim-4.jpg

[Keithy P38]

Pics?? I'm keen to know how you went mate!

[Pete38]

I'll upload some before the end of the weekend.

First impressions;

The KM2's in 265/75/16 are a proper 32 inch but with fairly narrow tread width (just over 200mm on the flat part really). Maybe the slightly narrower tread width is why the tyres don't seem to touch the sills even in access mode. I have removed the mud flaps before I went, and pretty sure they would have scraped them.

No scrubbing yet on the road even in standard mode and highway mode on minor bumps. No major bumps yet though. High mode, well that is less likely until full articulation happens.

The tyres really set the car off, seeing I had it lifted about 30mm from standard. They really do look in proportion, if anything they actually look slightly big and bigger than 32's on the car. The tread design looks quite a bit more aggressive to me on the car than they do in pictures.

So far I am more than happy and glad I got the 265/75 as no scrubbing yet and almost match the radius of the wheel arches.

But should have photos to show before the end of the weekend and more reports as I will have a few banks I can drive up to see how bad the scrubbing will be. But it is Fathers day so that may end up being early next week reports instead.

[parasnoop67]

A week or two down the track you'll be loving them, especially if you're going bush, and it sounds as if you are. I would'nt be too worried about the narrow tread, my bighorns are a bit like that too but are great in the mud, the dig very well. Do you have a spare to suit as you really need one the same diameter, or you can carry a plug kit and pump. When I run the bighorns I leave my normal spare in its hole and put the spare bighorn in the back as well. It does take up a bit of room though. I would have loved KM'2 but the bighorns were $1250 fo 5 so I went that way. Only problem with them is a bit of noise.

[Pete38]

I am definitely getting a spare although risking it at the moment. I understand the damage to the transfer of running a smaller tyre. How critical is it though? Would I get away with a tyre that measures 31 inches?? I have access to a half worn 265/75/16 Mickey Thompson ATZ so they are over 31 inches.

I'm looking for a 2nd hand one as these are my second set of tyres and the spare is unlikely to be used. Tempe tyres only had an almost new tyre to suit and wanted $100 but because they said they get tyres in that will fit and balance for $30-$40 normally, I declined. Sorta feeling like I shouldn't have been such a tight arse and just bought it because now I have to go back and wait at sometime.

I would prefer a tyre recovery kit to be honest purely for space, but not so sure how successful they are? 95%??

I already have a decent 150L/min pump as a backup for the eas and to pump up tyres. Also plan on making a hose that goes from the shrader valves on the air recovery kit to a tyre inflation accessory so I can give a high flow of air for a fully deflated tyre in an emergency. Also have spare air bags in the boot and a nanocom evolution for resetting and diagnosing faults... Really trying to cover as much bases as possible so I can get on my way if a problem happens in the field.

[Keithy P38]

It's good that your not finding any scraping around town! Big plus!

I'll sit and wait for the scrubbing results off road!

[Pete38]

P38 pictures by pbrown77 - Photobucket (http://s1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh595/pbrown77/P38)

Very minor scrubbing on the rear. Well it's just a squeak on inner guard and small Black mark. Not really scrubbing.

Front hasn't scrubbed but haven't pushed to bump stops on articulation, just tested on access mode.

[Keithy P38]

Looks the goods mate!

[parasnoop67]

Looks really good mate, put it up on high profile and you'll probably not touch at all. Standard height is what I normally use in the bush and use high for extra ground clearance for approach and departure as well as rampover.

[benji]

THat looks great! Thanks for the gamble you've taken for the rest of us. I think when the front is crosse up on full lock that'll be the test.

[Pete38]

Thanks all for your compliments.

Just gotta find a place to give it a test during the work week. I thought the mound I went up would push the front right up but it only put the rear on the bump stops. It was steeper than what the photo showed. Now I look back at it I should have driven at an angle so the front drivers side was higher up the mound before any other wheels touched. I wanna test it before I end up deep in the bush.

[Keithy P38]

You've got a good point mate. Would hate to be ripping guards out bush!

[PaulP38a]

The rumours of me cutting my guards have been somewhat exaggerated... despite Andy's insistence that it must be done... waiting for him to cut the guards on his L322 first :p

I run without mudflaps, a situation I intend to correct when I find some aftermarket ones that I like and don't have CATEPILLAR stamped on them.

I know people here disagree, but I maintain that 255 width is safest regardless of height. I have posted pics in the past showing my tyres (255/85R16) tucked up nicely inside the guards and I don't have the confidence that wider tyres would avoid fouling. Maybe a 31" or 32" at 265 would negate the extra 5mm, and it would be affected by the tread style no doubt.

Great to see more experimentation in this area though.

Cheers, Paul.

[Pete38]

Hey Paul. I probably would have gone 255/75/16 to be honest if the km's came in that size. Personally I think AT's with wider tread width may have caused more dramas for me as the tread width that actually sits on the road for my km2's is only about 200mm, so the corners aren't that wide. But as I said, I haven't completely checked the front yet to find out which part fo the tyre causes the scrubbing. The corners are a good 15-20mm away from the sills when on access height and turning. I can actually drive on access mode which surprised me. Haven't gone far though because I'm still worried about getting up some speed and scraping/ripping. Hmm maybe I'll try the system with no air in the bags as well. Thats an easy one to try.

[FANTOM P38]

Hi Guys,
Said I'd take some pics so here they are.
Keep in mind I have recalibrated height values to keep Access/Highway & Normal as low as practical and bigger jump in Offroad for high ramp over / approach departure.

[FANTOM P38]

Helps if you reduce file size!!:angel:

[p38oncoils]

Pics?? I'm keen to know how you went mate!

Hi Keithy. Given the articulation of my vehicle it has always been very good in most off road situations. Where it fell short was on steep muddy slopes where the highway tyres that I was running just didn't have the grip to pull the vehicle up the hills and the other issue with the 255/65/16 tyres was that the vehicle didn't have enough ground clearance under the diffs when driving in deep wheel ruts. :confused:

I've gone on one short trip after fitting the 285s and had the tyre pressures at 14psi. It didn't loose traction at any time and as far as clearance under the diffs goes - well I couldn't find any ruts that were deep enough to cause me to loose traction. So far I am very pleased with the 285s on the Rangie. :twisted:

[parasnoop67]

Phantom p38 that does look tough in those last two pics.

pbrown, I wouldnt be too concerned over articulation in access or highway mode, I dought that you'll drive in those heights in offroad situations and if you're at normal or extended height then you won't find much rubbing, if any.:p

[Keithy P38]

Those 285's look quite good on your Rangie fantom! You said you've got 2" spacers too hey? Looks well proportioned.

Good to hear your comments too 'oncoils. I have a hard decision in a few years when my 255/70's wear out! I am surprised with the scrubbing results too, considering my very small (by comparison) tyres scrub!

Keithy

[FANTOM P38]

Pics from left are Access/Highway/Normal/Extended/Extended

[p38oncoils]

Those 285's look quite good on your Rangie fantom! You said you've got 2" spacers too hey? Looks well proportioned.

Good to hear your comments too 'oncoils. I have a hard decision in a few years when my 255/70's wear out! I am surprised with the scrubbing results too, considering my very small (by comparison) tyres scrub!

Keithy

If you look at the picture below then this is just about as deep as the rear tyres will ever go. There was a bit of scuffing in that situation but you couldn't hear any scrubbing going on inside the vehicle. As you can see the rear mudflaps are still on the vehicle and they only scuff very mildly on the tyres when under maximum articulation. On the front the only scrubbing is on full lock and you can only just hear it. If I wanted to I could adjust the steering stops to eliminate any scuffing on full lock but I don't see any need for doing that. For the added benefit that comes with the size of the tyres I have no problem in living with that. Remember also that I have modified the sill trim and that was where the most severe scrubbing took place. After the modification the tyres don't scrub on the sill trim at all.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2014/05/1316.jpg

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3659-scenic-rim-1.jpg

[wayneg]

Can you show us exactly where and how you trimmed the sill. Several members have stated they have made changes to stop scrubbing however the only common item is to remove the front mudflaps. It would be nice to see some pics of any trimming for reference

[FANTOM P38]

I have only trimmed the back lower edge of the front under bumper section you may just be able to spot this on last pic. However I will look at minimal trimming of front sill inner location as have on odd occasion scraped here.
Would like to see those pics also!

[p38oncoils]

Can you show us exactly where and how you trimmed the sill. Several members have stated they have made changes to stop scrubbing however the only common item is to remove the front mudflaps. It would be nice to see some pics of any trimming for reference

Sorry for the late reply guys :whistling:

The green area on the picture is a rough outline of where the section of the sill trim that I cut out used to be. The broken red line is where I cut the plastic liner and then I riveted a section of a truck inner tube to the plastic liner over the exposed body of the vehicle in order to keep out mud, sand etc.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/537.jpg

The picture below is taken from under the vehicle and shows the inside of the wheel well and the broken red line highlights where I cut the plastic liner. I think that the best way to work with and understand all of this is to print out the pictures and have them as a reference when you are looking at your own vehicle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/537.jpg

It doesn't show it well but the wheel in the picture below is positioned at the critical angle that would allow the wheel to rub on the sill trim. This picture is taken after the sill trim was modified and now there is enough clearance between the tyre and the body of the vehicle to eliminate any rubbing in this area. The tyres that I'm using are 285 75 16 Maxxis Bighorn MT-762 and the actual diameter of them is 32.8 inches or 834 mm.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/09/537.jpg

[Pete38]

A little bit of an update. Went out on the weekend to Menai (for those Sydney people) and didn't scrape guards once. Did some decent rock climbing as well. Still suspect there will be the odd slight rub but no regrets at all for me.

Off to Nowra (coolendel) for the long weekend in my first 4x4earth trip, so will have more to report then.

[wayneg]

I completed the W4 Challenge on Saturday with my AT 265 75 16`s. Not a hint of contact throughout the day. I wish I could say the same for many of the non airsprung cars where heavy scrubbing was a constant drone through the tougher sections.

[Keithy P38]

Good to hear fellas!

[parasnoop67]

Hi pbrown, did you notice any improvement in the offroad performance with the new rubber.;)

[Pete38]

The extra diff clearance (half the 3 inch change in diameter =1.5 inch) is def useful and also the extra ground clearance. Oh and approach/departure angle probably even more so. Tread wise compared to the highway terrains, well better in the soft stuff, air down better, but not so sure on smooth dusty rocks. Other than clearance, approach and availability, I can't imagine them being much better than the size below in the same tyre though.

[Keithy P38]

Well you've seen what the next size down can do!

I'd get the bigger ones simply for departure angle - in saying that it's not often I scrape the tow bar anyway, more so the exhaust tip (mine sits lower than standard).

[Pete38]

You've lost me there. The stock size ht's were hardly the next size down from these 265/75/16 mud terrains.

But yes the lack of scraping on departure in places I used to scrape is definatly worth it. The angle increases dramatically with a small increase in height

[Keithy P38]

My vids with km2's on are not the stock size! I run 70's not 65's...

[Pete38]

Ahh makes sense. I thought you were talking about me comparing them to my previous tyres. I even watched your vids a few times and it still didn't click ;)

[Pete38]

I'm sure the minor difference in performance (if any difference other than the 10mm difference in lift) between mine and your tyres would be far out weighed by your rear locker! It was you that I read about for the rear locker wasn't it? Hmm maybe thats next.

[parasnoop67]

Well I was out on sunday with my club and we had 5 Patrols, 1 Ranger and my Rangie. There were 4 recoveries but no stuck Rangie. Haven't found the need for a rear locker, the traction controll does the job, and it easily keep up with the bunch, and some of them are twin locked.
FF

[Keithy P38]

Yeah it was probably mine you saw, I do a couple of runs up a pretty steep washed out hill with and without the locker. Worth it's weight in gold that thing!

[p38oncoils]

Sorry for the late reply guys :whistling:

The green area on the picture is a rough outline of where the section of the sill trim that I cut out used to be. The broken red line is where I cut the plastic liner and then I riveted a section of a truck inner tube to the plastic liner over the exposed body of the vehicle in order to keep out mud, sand etc.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3760-sill-trim-front.jpg

The picture below is taken from under the vehicle and shows the inside of the wheel well and the broken red line highlights where I cut the plastic liner. I think that the best way to work with and understand all of this is to print out the pictures and have them as a reference when you are looking at your own vehicle.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3761-sill-trim-inside-wheelwell.jpg

It doesn't show it well but the wheel in the picture below is positioned at the critical angle that would allow the wheel to rub on the sill trim. This picture is taken after the sill trim was modified and now there is enough clearance between the tyre and the body of the vehicle to eliminate any rubbing in this area. The tyres that I'm using are 285 75 16 Maxxis Bighorn MT-762 and the actual diameter of them is 32.8 inches or 834 mm.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members/p38oncoils-albums-p38oncoils-picture3762-clearance-after-sill-trim-modification.jpg


Just a quick update on the above post...

I went on a trip to Sundown NP last weekend and we went through some very rough terrain. There was no rubbing of the tyres during the time I was off road but there was a bit of a touch a couple of times when I was driving along the road and hit some deep potholes at speed (around 40 - 50 km/hr). With the benefit in lift gained by going to 33 inch from 29 inch tyres I think I can live with that (I just need to drive a bit more carefully). :angel: