Wheels

[Disco44]

What's the general consensus about the difference wheel sizes i.e. 16" and the bigger ones on the d3 & d4.Offroad performance and such.I still think the larger ones look like old time wagon wheels and look ugly.
John ( disco 44 )

[Blknight.aus]

depends on what you're after.

if you want looks pretty theres much nicer patterns in the 17-21 inch rim market

if you want goes fast round corners then you want the larger rims.

if yoy want it good off road and at slower speeds then you want the smaller rims with the taller rubber.

my moneys almost always behind the 7.5R16LT tyre size, lots of patterns, lots of different constructions and its available almost every where.

its what they had back in the day, its the current size of tyre for the ADF rover, toymota still run it on some of the troopies and It got me to the cape and back.

[Didge]

Fabulous news for me Dave, just took off good 31 x 10.5R15's on Sunraysia rims and replaced them with 2nd hand 7.5R16 original Defender wheels. Better economy, speedo correction (a bit anyway - still a bit out), odometer correction and hopefully cheaper to replace the rubber. BTW, what would be the widest tyre I could fit on a 5.5R16 x 33 original rim? That's the same rim that has the 7.5R16 tyres on it.
cheers Gerald

[Blknight.aus]

depends on how safe you want to be about it...

Id have to go and look at my sand rubber again but the sand rubbers something like 10 inches wide on standard series rims.

I dont recommend going much over about 8.5 as the side wall bulge and flex gets a mite unpredictable.

[Didge]

Thanks Dave, not looking for new rubber for a while but wanted to go just a bit wider than the standard issue when I need to replace it. Your advice on all issues is greatly appreciated. Have a great Xmas and new year.
cheers Gerald

[JDNSW]

What is the best wheel size depends on your priorities.

The overall diameter of the tyre is going to be pretty much the same regardless of the wheel size, since this is limited by bodywork. It is also the major factor as far as offroad capability goes, so again, actual wheel size is irrelevant.

So the only real difference in practice is the depth of the tyre sidewall. This is largest with a 16" and decreases as the wheel diameter is increased.

Advantages of smaller sidewalls? Less tyre flex gives slightly better handling (but you can get close to this with higher tyre pressure on the higher sidewall), and the larger wheel enables better brake ventilation.

Disadvantages of smaller sidewall? Less flex of the tyre before either the tyre or rim is damaged when driving on rough roads. Rougher ride.

Availability of tyres is the other consideration. The larger wheel diameters have generally smaller choice of tyre and tread types, and are less likely to be available in remote areas.

I agree with Dave - for use on most Landrovers, in fact for most comparable offroad vehicles, the 7.50Rx16 is the preferred tyre for general use.

John