Thread: Flares on Discovery 1

Indeed. I do see your point. I just havnt found much information on a 2" lift and flares. All the stuff that i have searched they all have a body lift. Seeing that you can fit 265/75/16s without flares im curious to know what i can fit with flares. How wide can i go on stock rims ect. Im not worried about the law side of the lift with police as i dont think it will stand out that much. Im more worried about my insurance side of it. Once they see it with a lift they dont have to follow through with insurance claims ect.

Again , you can fit 265/75's without flares but you will screw your body on the first high country washout you drive over.

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Wider is not necessarily better as you start to encounter issues with 'tram lining' on the road and not being able to get the purchase you want off-road due to the way the tyre contacts the ground. If you're doing mud runs, great. If you're doing other things then consider something more appropriate.

Since the gearing is stock I strongly recommend 245/75 R16 as the size to go with for general use and medium off-road use. They are a 31" OD and a very good match for the vehicle.

235/85 R16 work well as a 32" tyre. This is the stock size on the Defenders and you can run them on std rims with no I'll effects. Camel cut to the rear wheel arch and suspension lift are all that is required.

Wider tyres cost more to buy and you'll increase your wind resistance as well. Fitting the spare also starts to become as issue as 245 is as wide as you'll get on the stock mount.

Originally Posted by koaster

I did read it but as you an see in this thread people have told me that I can fit 33"s under? That site also didn't give width that I can fit. I'm sure there used to be a site that gave every size you can and cannot fit in 245/75/16 type format. How wide of a 32" could I fit? I have heard 265/75/16s a lot but I'll have flares so could I go wider?

the LRA list refers to everything being legit, i.e. no scrub on suspension flex etc.
in that case you cannot fit 33's without body lift.

but you can "get away with it" with minimal tyre scrubbing on full flex (I did for the last 4 years - others probably more)

on the 16x8 -25 offset dynamic rims mentioned earlier you can go upto 12' wide tyres (limited tyre manufacturers check with your tyre fitter) I ran 285/75/16 a bit floaty in the wet for some peoples liking......
255/85/16 is a better size IMO but very limited choices in this size. if you want BFG KM2 then perfect

as others have mentioned going 33, or 32 even for that matter driveline strength becomes a serious issue.

Originally Posted by koaster

This is true but as it's my every day driver I like the idea of the air bags there just in case. I could disable then then get it approved for lift then enable them again I guess. I'll have to look into it.

last time I spoke to LRA (a little while ago to be honest), to get it approved you must remove EVERYTHING airbag related i.e. fit non airbag steering wheel, remove ECU from centre console, passenger side module if fitted... and the list goes on

your idea is plausible, but a lot of work

Originally Posted by PeterM

Wider is not necessarily better as you start to encounter issues with 'tram lining' on the road and not being able to get the purchase you want off-road due to the way the tyre contacts the ground. If you're doing mud runs, great. If you're doing other things then consider something more appropriate.also good at bending steering linkages

Since the gearing is stock I strongly recommend 245/75 R16 as the size to go with for general use and medium off-road use. They are a 31" OD and a very good match for the vehicle.
unless you are willing to spend $$$ and hours to make 33's work Peter has hit it with this one

235/85 R16 work well as a 32" tyre. This is the stock size on the Defenders and you can run them on std rims with no I'll effects. Camel cut to the rear wheel arch and suspension lift are all that is required.
for my first few years of owning the disco I ran this size for off road and stock tyres for daily driving - manual gearbox sucked(IMO)but auto's handle it well apparently

Wider tyres cost more to buy and you'll increase your wind resistance as well. Fitting the spare also starts to become as issue as 245 is as wide as you'll get on the stock mount.
offset rims changes that number, 285/75/16 on -25 offset fits fine

How committed are you to 33's?

Thank you for all your helpful information. Sorry that I'm difficult sometimes just want to try and get the best possible out come and something that i want.

Committed? Well i already have 2" lift and Flares arriving shortly. So i most likely will fit the flares since i have all ready paid the money. Doing more research into a body lift i dont see that as a possibility anymore after information i found relating to insurance.

In the future i do want to get offset rims and then even air lockers being a possibility, i could change the gearing if i find that it is super sluggish. Also now would be a good time to point out that my vehicle is an automatic. Being a mechanic I'm happy to put in the hard work and fix broken things.

I was really looking into the 255/85/16 tyres but as people have pointed out, some say no some say yes other say light to heavy scrubbing.

Originally Posted by koaster

Indeed. I do see your point. I just havnt found much information on a 2" lift and flares. All the stuff that i have searched they all have a body lift. Seeing that you can fit 265/75/16s without flares im curious to know what i can fit with flares. How wide can i go on stock rims ect. Im not worried about the law side of the lift with police as i dont think it will stand out that much. Im more worried about my insurance side of it. Once they see it with a lift they dont have to follow through with insurance claims ect.

Insurance can bail on any illegal mod for that matter. (if you go down that path and are concerned also check on max tyre diameter increase & max wheel offset change)

To sum it up
Flares, 2' suspension, camel cut rear guards, trim the bulbar if it wraps around, adjust the rear mudflap hangers (as discussed in other thread) and you'll get your 33's under. (without body lift)
But you will still have some scrubbing on full flex, gearing will suffer and you will be asking for a snapped axle/diff centre/steering linkage/suspension trailing arm (probably more I have forgotten). All can be taken care of with enough time and $$, if you are willing. Plenty have done it.

Enjoy