Practicality of 2 sets of rims

[lpj]

Hi folks,
After putting up with a slow leak on my left rear for months, I finally got down to Tyre Power in Hawthorn (VIC) today to have it repaired. (OEM 255/55 R19 Wranglers) It turns out that there had already been a temporary plug in there, which I wasn't aware of. Michael (Boof) tried to repair it but it wouldn't hold. As the rest of my tyres have only 23,000 on them, I'm not yet ready to replace the lot. Michael was kind enough to lend me a spare to get me by. This will be my new tyre place for both my cars now.

Now I have 3 tyres with 23,000; one brand new spare and the temporary tyre. I have posted a wanted ad for an OEM that is near new, so if you know of any, please PM me.

I have always planned on a second set of off-road rims and tyres (GOE 18's). I'd like to hear opinions from those that are running two sets (19's around town and 18's for off road) Is this a waste of time and too much hassle? Most of my trips would be up in the VIC HC, which is often sharp rocky climbs. changing over rims would just be another job along with packing the car, loading up the roof rack etc.

Also, someone said to me that going from 19" to 18" will throw out the wheel alignment slightly. Is this a real problem?

Thanks in advance.

LPJ

[jonesy63]

I change from 18" wheels with HT tyres to 17" wheels with MT... with a trolley jack, I can finish the job in 30 minutes.

[CSBrisie]

I have one new Wrangler - you are welcome to it if you want to check cost of pick up from Newmarket (4051) to you. Just PM me cheers Chris

[TDV6]

I have a set of 6 LT tyres for towing the van, its no big deal to change over, but storing the other set in the garage is a bit of a hassle for me.

When you change rim sizes the tyres you fit generally have around the same outside diameter, if not the same diameter.

What changes is the height of the sidewall with the smaller rim size having a higher sidewall which in my case allowed me to have LT tyres on the smaller rim.

I fail to see how fitting a set of different size rims could in any way upset the wheel alignment.

Ryall

[Duke4]

Wouldn't it be the same as when you have the tyres rotated?
I have mine done every 6 months and the recommendation is a balance and alignment.

The last time I did this got rid of a vibration at 100kph

[Blue C]

I have a set of 6 LT tyres on BB6 17 inch alloys and switch between those and the OEM Wranglers on 19 inch alloys between trips offroad. My local tyre dealer does it for no charge as I have bought all my tyres + wheel alignment/balances there for about 6 yrs. They also told me wheel alignment shouldn't be affected by changing rims/tyres. Regards, David

[lpj]

Thanks guys. I thought it sounded a little far fetched regarding alignment.
I have an enormous garage so storage won't be an issue, but I will be in the market for a decent trolley jack
Appreciate the feedback.

[ADMIRAL]

Hi LPJ,

I have two sets of rims & tyres, although I am coming at it from a different level. I went for the 2.7 litre D4 at the time deliberately, to allow a move to 17" rims. I have a road based Kumho tread pattern on my 18's for around town and bitumen work. The 17's are Performance rims with Cooper STmax , ( not a Cooper fan, but they were a ridiculous price at the time ) which are pretty much a muddie tread pattern. Chunky, big block and noisy.

Both tyre sets perform ok their designated environment, and that side of having two rims is ok. However, even though I have access to a full workshop, swapping the rims over for a trip, and back again after, is a pain. ( mainly in the back ) I have discovered I am not a fit as I used to be, and lifting a 17" muddie onto a rear wheel carrier is a chore.

As a side effect to all this wheel changing, I have found that the std jack ( yes I know I am not the only owner to come to this conclusion ) is bloody useless, and somewhat dangerous, as it cannot lift the vehicle high enough to change over the larger profile 17" rim/tyre combo.

I am looking to sell off the 17's , as there are now good all purpose 18" offroad tyres, that do not compromise too much in ride comfort, off road performance, and road noise.

Your dilemma is a little different, but is similar. The GOE 18's with a dedicated off road tyre is a good idea, if you are really going to get the use out of them. However, It may well be that storing your 19's away, and switching to the GOE 18's with a good multi purpose tyre ( the Bridgestone 697's seem to be getting good press on this forum ) is the way to go. No hassles in swapping the rim/tyre combo every time a trip comes up.

As for the 18" rims being harder to balance than the 19's ? Where does that come from. I would like to see data to prove that. Does it follow that 17's are harder to balance than 18's. We could keep going with that theory.

[Blue C]

I agree with Admiral. The ST Maxx are quite noisy on road (although great offroad) and I couldn't cope with them as daily driver tyres all the time. So if I upgrade to a D4 I would probably do exactly as he suggests and put on GOE 18's & D697's or possibly the BFG AT 265/65/18's (although I gather they are fairly pricey). David

[NavyDiver]

My AT on 18inch came off last night replaced with my MT on 17 inch for a light drive in the mountains planned. When the AT need replacement I will consider road rubber as it is quick easy to change to the road or off road option as needed. It is also much better to save my MT rubber for real off road and not waste them on tar where they will not provide longevity or grip meaning safety AT or road rubber does on tar when compared to MT on tar. I think it offers several clear advantages.

[discotwinturbo]

19's and wranglers around town, then 18's GOE rims and Coopers for dirty weekends and trips.

Will change tomorrow night for a Saturday run, then back to the road tyres on Sunday.

Lock suspension and use trolley jack...30 mins and all done. Have been doing this for almost 12 months.

19's handle better around town, and 18's work sensational well off road.

Have best of both worlds.

Brett.....

[Twisted]

20" stormer rims with conti's for around town and 18" with Gg AT tyres for when I'm off road or towing the boat,done two trips to exmouth so far.love the Gg AT's....... Conti's are crap,looking at replacing them at the moment with hankook's??
I purchased a 2.5t trolley jack to make it easy to change from one set to the other.

Paul

[stray dingo]

did the same with my last 4wd - one set for road, and one set for off. As the others say, about 30 minutes on the change over. I'd like to do the same now but need to save my pennies up first....

[~Rich~]

19's and wranglers around town, then 18's GOE rims and Coopers for dirty weekends and trips.

Will change tomorrow night for a Saturday run, then back to the road tyres on Sunday.

Lock suspension and use trolley jack...30 mins and all done. Have been doing this for almost 12 months.

19's handle better around town, and 18's work sensational well off road.

Have best of both worlds.

Brett.....

I echo these comments, 19's for general road usage, oversize 18" tyres for off road.
"Lock the suspension by taking out the two suspension fuses in the engine bay fuse box"

[discotwinturbo]

I echo these comments, 19's for general road usage, oversize 18" tyres for off road.
"Lock the suspension by taking out the two suspension fuses in the engine bay fuse box"

Yep....but I only remove one that Graeme (LLAMS) told me about. It won't move, and I also do this when I have it wheel aligned.

I don't need to lift the height when I do this to jack the car.

I did the trick one time by not removing the fuse, and as I did this, the wheel I was lifting came off the ground by itself....need trick.

Brett

[Disc04bill]

Hi All,
I too have a new D4 with 19" and was looking at obtaining a 2nd set of 18" with AT's.
Question is what wheels to go for the LR or after market?
I am in the process now of buiding the machine for a major trip across the country next year from the east to west coasts so tyres etc are a major factor,
Any info would be appreciated.
Bill

[Geedublya]

If your car is a 2.7 you can fit Land Rover rims in 17" and 18". If your car is a 3.0 SDV6 or 5.0 V8, the only 18" that will fit are the Compomotive available from GOE.

[Redback]

If your car is a 2.7 you can fit Land Rover rims in 17" and 18". If your car is a 3.0 SDV6 or 5.0 V8, the only 18" that will fit are the Compomotive available from GOE.

Add to that the base model 3.0l TDV6 also, only the GOE 18s will fit this model only too.

Baz.

[gazm3]

its always a tricky trade off with the tyres thing. personally I rekon if u can put up with the road noise the mud terrain tyres certanly grip well enough in the bitumen, and u may sacrifice a very slight amout of conering grip.

Its early days with my oversize Maxxix Bighorn 275/65/18 tyres, but fuel economy around the city has gone from about 12 flat to 13.3, considering there is about 8% change to the gearing i rekon real world economy is about 2-3% worse. In bad weather the grip on the bitumen is still pretty good and in the dirt the MT tyres excel IMO even if you only spend 10-20% off road the MT tyres are not compremised enough to warrant a 2nd set of rims/tyres for road use

[Dougal]

Wouldn't it be the same as when you have the tyres rotated?
I have mine done every 6 months and the recommendation is a balance and alignment.

The last time I did this got rid of a vibration at 100kph

Is called cross sell. Best known example. "would you like fries with that?"

I run several sets of wheels. It means your aggressive tyres aren't worn out when you need them and works out much cheaper as a/t tyres wear much slower.

[TerryO]

Agreed Dougal most A/T's give much better mileage than M/T's do. Plus while M/T's are better than they were they still vibrate and make heaps of noise.

Multiple sets of wheels with both A/T's and M/T's while a pain are a much better option for their intended use rather than buggering up M/T's driving around the street looking cool. ...;)

[discojools]

My BFG KM2s are quieter than my GG ATs that I had for a short time. KM2s were a little noisier at very low speeds such as pulling up to the lights, definitely quieter than GGs at 90/100kph. As for economy I didn't care as the KM2s are such a good tyre off road.

[Dougal]

My BFG KM2s are quieter than my GG ATs that I had for a short time. KM2s were a little noisier at very low speeds such as pulling up to the lights, definitely quieter than GGs at 90/100kph. As for economy I didn't care as the KM2s are such a good tyre off road.

How many km do you expect from a set of KM2's?

On my RRC's I have a set of A/T's (currently Michelin XPC and BFG AT) for all normal use (road, gravel, sand etc) and a set of chunky's for snow and mud.
The BFG A/T's are good for 100,000km if you keep the steering rods straight, the Michelin XPC pair just refuse to wear out.

I used to have SAT retreads for snow/mud but one died of old age so the rest get retired. Just got some Duratracs to replace them. The Duratracs would likely do 50-60,000km, but I will only run them for a few months a year and don't expect to ever wear them out.

[jonesy63]

I'm still on my first set of KM2 in LT245/70R17 size. I reckon they have about 50,000km on them, with about 9mm tread depth left. Including 12k km return trip to Darwin and 16k km return to Broome, and lots of fun weekends away.

Agree with discojools - they seem to be noisier at 40-60km/h, and then quieter the faster you go.

Economy is also worse than HT, as they are heavy - esp. on the steel wheels I have. I did reset the trip computer on return trip from Mungo NP a couple of weekends ago. I got 9.4L/100km indicated on the optimistic display from Griffith, loaded up with two people and camping gear on board/on roof racks.

[Disc04bill]

Thanks for the info
Bill

[SuperMono]

The only time 2 sets of rims is an issue is when you didn't plan what you want to do right now, and want the 'other' tyres right now.

I swap between full roads and M/Ts but leave the spare as M/T.
20-30 minutes is enough once you are setup with a good jack and have done it a couple of times. I used to use the air wrench but don't bother anymore, takes me longer to run out the hose and start the compressor than it does to spin 20 nuts by hand.

I normally take 30mins including a good look at the tyres, suspension and brakes. Every couple of times I would rotate the spare as well.