17 or 18 inch rims?

[mojo]

Hi all,

A mate is buying a D3 (base model Petrol I think), and he's asked me what rim's would be best to get, in terms of availability of tyres, and suitability for offroad work. Apparently you get a choice of 17 or 18 inch rims?

I told him I would assume 17 inch rims would be better for offroad work as you'd have higher profile tyres - is this correct or am I talking out of my arse?

As to which rim size has the better choices in available tyres, I have no idea. Not sure what he wants to put on it, although I know he had BFG AT's on a Patrol he owned a couple of years ago.

Any info or advice from all you D3 owners would be greatly appreciated.

[Busman]

Did the rounds with local tyre shops & found heaps of various brands etc.
Main problem with alot were soft compound tyres to allow road use, or to heavy compound & no good for road eg: Noise etc.
After deliberation just put a set of Cooper 235/70r 17" ATRs on.
Real good on road and not very noisy and capable in Sand/Mud/Dirt applications. Cost around $290.00 + gst each.
Note they also give 60k warranty, so worth a look !!

[Desert Traveller]

Just read the Cooper warranty closely. The tyres MUST be Inspected (read balanced and rotated) by a Cooper dealer every 10,000 kms. The warranty is only pro rata with you paying for all mounting and other costs. Be aware that any damage caused the road conditions fall outside the warranty. It is soley up to the dealer if a warranty claim is accepted.

Mileage Warranty

[rmp]

You are correct, 17"s better offroad, more distance between rim and ground. Often cheaper tyres too, and comfier offroad ride. LR do 17x7 alloys, Performance do 17x8 alloys, AutoCraft 17x7 alloys, Dynamic 17x7 steels and there are also 17x8 steels as well. Specs for 17s are 53P offset. Load rating must be at least 940kg from memory but check that. PCD is 5/120.

[Busman]

Just read the Cooper warranty closely. The tyres MUST be Inspected (read balanced and rotated) by a Cooper dealer every 10,000 kms. The warranty is only pro rata with you paying for all mounting and other costs. Be aware that any damage caused the road conditions fall outside the warranty. It is soley up to the dealer if a warranty claim is accepted.

Mileage Warranty

Thanks for the heads up
No doubt the dealers have had a few instances where someone has
made a claim stating the obvious, which may not be entirely truthful.
Hopefully the Coopers will do the job !!

[mojo]

Thanks for the info guys. Also had a look at some of the other D3 tyre threads, so I think I can give him some usefull advice now.