Thread: Tyres

Will defender and perentie rims fit onto the 88”?

By 7.5 you mean 750R16?
A mate runs these on his 88series 1.
They look a bit big, but seem to go ok.
He does have a Holden red motor in it and non original wheels.
Original SWB series 1 wheels are only 5" wide so bit narrow for the 750s.
Later 5.5" wheels should fit, though you might need to check stud length maybe?

Original tyres on Series 1 were 6.00x16 for swb and 7.00x16 for lwb, so these are the sizes that will "look right". 7.50x16 is acceptyable for lwb.
The 5" rims are not really suitable for tyres above 7.00x16, although plenty of owners have fitted larger. 5.5" lwb Series and Defender wheels are preferred for 7.50x16, but note these come in a variety of offsets, although none are really bad for S1.

There are two issues with fitting larger tyres - increasing the diameter will make it higher geared, reducing performance especially acceleration (larger engines can help, and probably better when a Holden engine is fitted, as these are not happy at the rpm the S1 motor is happy at). But these will make the speedo inaccurate, although a lwb speedo can be fitted.

The second problem is that wider tyres mean you have to adjust the steering stops to avoid the tyres hitting the chassis. Since the turning circle on the lwb is not brilliant anyway, this can make for a pretty clumsy vehicle. Using wheels with more offset outwards can alleviate the issue, but remember there is no power steering. For the same reason, wider tyres than 7.50 maximum are not a good idea.

All Series, 90/110, Defender and Perentie steel wheels will bolt on, as will many RR Classic and Discovery 1, although most of these latter are unsuitable due to the width, and some of both will need longer studs.

Most alloy wheels except some Defender ones will not fit as they do not allow for the protruding hub (same applies to most RRC steel wheels) and some are not compatible with drum brakes.

Hi John, this might be a stupid question but do you have an idea as to why the wheels/tyres on an 88 S2a are smaller than a 109 S2a, when the engine and driveline etc are the same between these models. Is it simply that a bigger tyre is more suitable for the extra weight/payload in a 109?

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Original tyres on Series 1 were 6.00x16 for swb and 7.00x16 for lwb, so these are the sizes that will "look right". 7.50x16 is acceptyable for lwb.
The 5" rims are not really suitable for tyres above 7.00x16, although plenty of owners have fitted larger. 5.5" lwb Series and Defender wheels are preferred for 7.50x16, but note these come in a variety of offsets, although none are really bad for S1.

There are two issues with fitting larger tyres - increasing the diameter will make it higher geared, reducing performance especially acceleration (larger engines can help, and probably better when a Holden engine is fitted, as these are not happy at the rpm the S1 motor is happy at). But these will make the speedo inaccurate, although a lwb speedo can be fitted.

The second problem is that wider tyres mean you have to adjust the steering stops to avoid the tyres hitting the chassis. Since the turning circle on the lwb is not brilliant anyway, this can make for a pretty clumsy vehicle. Using wheels with more offset outwards can alleviate the issue, but remember there is no power steering. For the same reason, wider tyres than 7.50 maximum are not a good idea.

All Series, 90/110, Defender and Perentie steel wheels will bolt on, as will many RR Classic and Discovery 1, although most of these latter are unsuitable due to the width, and some of both will need longer studs.

Most alloy wheels except some Defender ones will not fit as they do not allow for the protruding hub (same applies to most RRC steel wheels) and some are not compatible with drum brakes.

Basically, the answer is yes!

The first Landrovers, retroactively named Series 1, were essentially a civilianised adaptation of the US Jeep, originally designed by Bantam but mass produced by Willys and Ford using a Willys engine, modified to suit the production capabilities and materials available to the Rover company in 1947. This included a small increase in chassis width simply because the Rover engine was wider, and the use of the existing four speed gearbox etc. But the Jeep's 6.00x16 tyres were retained, although by the standards of the time these were a bit wide for a vehicle of that weight - my father's 1948 Austin 16, for example, which would have been heavier, had 5.00x16 tyres.

The wheelbase was extended from 80" to 86" in 1953, and a 107" wheelbase "pickup" was introduced. This had a considerably higher GVM, and it was considered appropriate to increase the tyre size to handle the extra weight. This also meant the gearing was effectively higher, although this was not considered an issue, perhaps because the engine size had just been increased from 1.6 to 2.0l, and in any case this engine is extremely flexible, with good low down torque, and quite happy at high rpm as well.

Edit. An interesting, but long forgotten factor in gearing choices for Series 1 is that in the UK, until 1956, Landrovers were commercial vehicles and hence limited to a maximum speed on the road of 30mph. Of course, the majority of Series 1 were exported, but this still greatly affected the design.

Thanks John, that is all really interesting. Your encyclopedic knowledge always amazes me.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

Basically, the answer is yes!

The first Landrovers, retroactively named Series 1, were essentially a civilianised adaptation of the US Jeep, originally designed by Bantam but mass produced by Willys and Ford using a Willys engine, modified to suit the production capabilities and materials available to the Rover company in 1947. This included a small increase in chassis width simply because the Rover engine was wider, and the use of the existing four speed gearbox etc. But the Jeep's 6.00x16 tyres were retained, although by the standards of the time these were a bit wide for a vehicle of that weight - my father's 1948 Austin 16, for example, which would have been heavier, had 5.00x16 tyres.

The wheelbase was extended from 80" to 86" in 1953, and a 107" wheelbase "pickup" was introduced. This had a considerably higher GVM, and it was considered appropriate to increase the tyre size to handle the extra weight. This also meant the gearing was effectively higher, although this was not considered an issue, perhaps because the engine size had just been increased from 1.6 to 2.0l, and in any case this engine is extremely flexible, with good low down torque, and quite happy at high rpm as well.

Edit. An interesting, but long forgotten factor in gearing choices for Series 1 is that in the UK, until 1956, Landrovers were commercial vehicles and hence limited to a maximum speed on the road of 30mph. Of course, the majority of Series 1 were exported, but this still greatly affected the design.