Thread: wheel choice

If on the beach,go fat.If in the mud go skinny.

i live in the snowy mountains, so would be in the mud a fair bit and is there much difference between the two on how the vechile will ride

Hi Wallie
235/85x16 is a pretty good size,slightly taller than your 7.50x16 and wider.
Being a radial you will get a better ride.
You SHOULD source tubeless rims to suit.D1 steel rims are popular on Series landys as they are wider and give you a better offset,ie the tyre sits further out giving an improvement in stability.If you cant get D1 (discovery 1)rims,white steel rims are available in 16x7.They will fit on a standard rim but it means you will have to run a tube on a tubeless tyre.
If you have a Holden 6 and standard gearing you can improve gearing by fitting 8.25x16 tyres on your standard rims,they are a fair bit taller than a 235/85x16.I used to run these on my 202 powered Ser3.The holden 6 is much happier at 100kph with this size.About the only traction tread you will find in this size are Dunlop Super Grippers,a very tough tyre,most others will only offer a highway pattern to suit Jap delivery trucks.A standard Landrover engine would probably struggle with them on the open road
ENJOY
Andrew

Hi wallie, LandyAndy is dead right about the 235/85R16 size. I run them on my stage1 diesel wagon, and find them to be wide enough in sand and narrow enough to be reasonable in the mud. In both situations, the sheer weight of the vehicle is my biggest enemy. The grunt of the isuzu, makes the sand less problematic however.
These are the alloys I run, and highly recomend them. They were used in the outback challenge a few years ago, and can take a real hammering. Each one is rated to 1400kg! I also think they look good and the tyres fill the wheel arches nicely. We went through a couple of sets of wheelnuts but, to find ones with suitable shank.

cheers
Evelyn

hey going threw the same tyre delemar at the moment. just wondering where ya can get those alloy rims? or just what brand they are.

Hey mate - 33x10.5 BF Muddies KM2 would be my choice.
Been running 33x10.5 BF Muddies on SIII shortie & have found them a great all rounder.

7.50R16LT Pick a tread pattern with the aggression level you like...

For that vehicle I would not seriously consider anything except 7.50x16. As Dave says, pick the tyre and tread pattern to suit your use.

Wider tyres will provide no real advantage*, and unless all the increased width is offset out you lose turning circle, nothing to write home about at the best of times, and if it is all offset out it increases the loading on wheel bearings and all steering components, and makes the steering heavier and with more kickback.

*Wider tyres will lower the effective roll centre, but given the lack of sway bars, this will not be noticeable in driving. The overall diameter of the tyre is the main determinant of offroad ability, and going to a larger diameter is definitely not a good idea with that engine. In soft going the tyre pressure is more important than the width, and how low you can safely go depends more on tyre construction than width. I will make no comment on appearance, as I consider it absolutely irrelevant in choosing tyre size.

John