Defender Puma Track And After Market Wheels

[4wheeler]

Help Please,
I have purchased some after market wheels and fitted these to my Defender Puma in the belief that they are legal. They are plus 10 offset.

In Victoria we apparently can increase front track by 25 mm and rear by 50mm on beam axles. Normal Boost wheel offset is +33mm so my track increase on the front seems to be 20mm too wide overall (1532mm). There is a question though.
In the catalogues, wheel track for 110 is 1486mm for Boost alloys or 1511mm for heavy duty steel option or sawtooth wheels. For 130 HCPU or cab chassis it is published as 1511mm. In other words as I read it, the published track is therefore 1511 so can I legally go 25 wider on that to 1536mm? If I can my vehicle is legal again. If I owned a 130 they would be legal (reading the brochures) as that is the published track for the vehicle. I don't want to have insurance problems in the event of an accident, but the wheels were not cheap so I want to keep them if I can.
Any advice or thoughts appreciated.
Thanks

[CJT]

I believe it should be a 50mm increase in will track for solid axle 4wd's, the 25mm track increase should apply to vehicles with Independant Suspension.

Also, the track increase should be above the maximum manufacturers wheel track from my understanding, therefore if you are under 1511mm + 50mm you should be fine.

[Drover]

Since when is wheel track determined by the wheels a vehicle uses ?
To the best of understanding it the distance between the mounting surfaces (Disk to Disk)....

[CJT]

Wheel track is classified as centre of tyre / wheel to centre of opposite tyre / wheel.

That is why a rims offset alters the vehicles wheel track.

[MTB]

...1486mm for Boost alloys or 1511mm for heavy duty steel option or sawtooth wheels.

I thought I had read somewhere that Boost Alloys and Sawtooth had the same offset

[4wheeler]

I thought I had read somewhere that Boost Alloys and Sawtooth had the same offset

I will reply to all comments so far if that is O.K.

MTB,
They might be but I am only going on the small writing in the 2012 Defender brochure.

Drover,
The wheel track is to the centre of the wheel as per comments from CJT. If this was not the case then wheel track would never be changed by fitting different offset wheels as the axle length to mounting face is fixed unless you fitted spacers which is illegal or cut the axle.
Altering the offset of the wheel moves the wheel in and out as you have poined out elsewhere. This changes the wheel track.

CJT,
I think the QLD regulations are different to Victoria. In Vic., beam axle is not mentioned for the front axle. Only the rear which is 50mm increase. If QLD information is current, they had specified 50mm front and rear for beam axles. My Defender is way better on +10mm offset as turning circle seems better.

I am getting the Defender serviced so I will see what Land Rover Service say.

Thanks for all the help.

Regards,
4 Wheeler

[TheTinnie]

increasing track width worsens the turning circle. did u adjust ur steering lock, that may be the reason it feels better?

[Scouse]

increasing track width worsens the turning circle. did u adjust ur steering lock, that may be the reason it feels better?

It should make it better as the tyre is further away from the radius arm so it can move in a greater arc.

[4wheeler]

increasing track width worsens the turning circle. did u adjust ur steering lock, that may be the reason it feels better?

I have not adjusted the stops although I could. It could just be my imagination though about the better turning circle.

Wheels are still on. Discussed the wheel offset with my LR dealer who contacted Land Rover. They put offset variations for 110 on my service documents and they felt the wheels were compliant based on this.

I have had the information about wheel type, offset etc added to the insurance and it has not been knocked back at this stage, one month after the endorsement so I hope all will be o.k.

After having driven 4500km in two weeks on some very wet tracks the plus 10 offset and slightly wider tyres means the Defender gets coated in mud which makes getting in and out awkward and your hands get filthy trying to get in the vehicle. Paintwork could become an issue as well. Yes, I know I am a bit of a whimp.

The other problem I had was that in sticky mud at slow speed, the mud would fall off and drop into the now unprotected disc brakes, especially the front. Any stones would then jam in the disc/cover and grind away. Now that was a pain. I have never ever had that happen before on any other 4x4 I have owned but that could be down to luck.

[chuck]

Pictures ???