Thread: fit 33' to my disco 1

Tyres are one of the most talked about topics on here, should find heeps of info in a search.

To fit 33's at a minimum you will need a 2" lift and guards cut with flares fitted on offset rims. A 2" body lift gives them more room to move though.

Cheers, David.

what about the diffs do i need to change anything in them

Autos are fine with 33's but of course better with 4.1 diffs
Think the autos handle it easier than manuals, you will probably be working clutch harder for take offs on 33's on standard 3.54 diffs.

Yeah, I would change to 4.12 ashcrofts.. while you are there upgrade you rear center.... otherwise things that are inside will want to go outside, then rear axles. You should be laughing.. Can get the flares easily enough over from the UK.. Flatdog are probably the cheapest with this but the quality isnt the best.. But hey, half the price of else where. You can get them in a couple of sizes depending on what offset you want to run... -25 I think will still sit under the 50mm but not by much. They also make the 75mm which may be better. What sort of 33" are you going to run? This will dictate the flare choice a bit better!

Anyways, good luck and happy modifying.

Originally Posted by dragon2000

what about the diffs do i need to change anything in them

I'm running 35's in a v8 auto and its screaming for diff gears.. What i have to accomodate them is 4"suspension lift 2"body lift, 75mm Flares with guard cut. New radius arms to correct castor.. The bigger the tyres them more mods the more mods the more cost... Its addictive and expensive.. Is it worth it in the end... I recovered a mates patrol ute today bogged up to the chassis and i could do a U turn in the mud all around him.. My smile is still huge.. I say if you can afford to do it right even if its over time then do it the way you want. My only regret is i didnt start with a defender.. So be sure your modifying the car you mant to keep for a long time because the only way to recoup the cost is pure enjoyment.:-) (In saying that last comment i wouldnt sell my disco now for quids i love it and it will die at my hand/foot)

Dragon the other thing you have to take into account which i didnt is the over all size of the tyre when it comes to turning circle. I have a -4.25 offset on my rockcrawlers but even with that running 35's means i rub on the radius arms when i go full lock.. I have room to move within the flares but i will have to run wheel spacers which are i believe illegal on road and rubbing on the radius arms would have to be unroadworthy too.. only option i have is to either drop in size when i need new rubber or run the gauntlet with spacers and hope i dont get busted or take my rims to a specialist and have the offset increased which either way will put a huge strain on my wheel bearings..The simplest option is also to screw out the steering bumpstops to reduce my lock to lock.. But sometimes i need full lock to get out of bad situations off road. As i see it a simple thing like bigger tyres equals so many what ifs and mods that you need to think long and hard about it before you jump in and spend. I researched first and knew what i had ahead of me.. I just love a challenge though.. And the ability of my disco with these mods surprises me every time i take it off road..

Hi mate I fitted 33x12.5x15 to my disco 1 all i did was a body lift and fit 50mm extended flares requires a decent amount of cutting to get flares on but then was all good my suspension is still stock and agged badly only very minimal rubbing on full fex only on the front beacuse thats sagged the worst and i also adjusted steering stops

I have 33" BFG A/T's on my V8 manual D1 and for me anyway I'm happy with the standard gearing for 95% of the off road driving I do in it.

If I was going to change anything after spending a day out getting badly stuck a couple of times on the side of hills with Tusker and Co it would be fitting crawler gears and I would leave the diff gears alone.

cheers,
Terry