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Defender tyre question


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thank you for the responses,  this is the first defender that i have actually put some sound proofing in as it get used for towing, a few trip to work and mainly greenlaning. I should stick with what i have but running 285 75 r 16 they measure at 31 when on the car so being a 110 i get caught up on ruts etc. also i a bit higher gearing would be nice as the td5 putting nearly 200bhp out so runs out of gears quickly

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For your usage I'd go with much narrower tyres. 255/85/R16 is a popular size and I believe works out around 33" so gives a slight increase in clearance over 31" tyres.

Wide tyres will add noise, drag and weight while not really providing any benefit for the type of driving you are proposing.

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i guess i want it all, traction a true 34/35 inch on a 16" rim and i want them to be quiet lol. i have had 2 sets before but even with pwer tools its always a faff to change them around and they do look good on muds. 

Retroanaconda do you run 255 ? if so can you measure them if you get a minute?

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I thought 285/75x16 were about 33" too. I run 255/85x16 on my 110 CSW and the gearing (standard 1:1.4 transfer) is spot on for towing. 
I was also going to say that I feel a Trepador wasn't the ideal tyre for towing, but I have just looked it up and can see what @landroversforever has said about there being a far milder treaded version. It looks more like a regular mud terrain that the challenge scene version I am familiar with. The second one is only rated to 65MPH!

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I'd have thought a 35" tyre would be rather tall geared. Also you'll be having to hang your tow hitch down a bit further to suit.

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I have 235/85/R16 so can't measure I'm afraid, they're about 31-32" and more than sufficient for my needs. I'm not a fan of the way big tyres look but that's personal preference.

The 255s should be 33" or thereabouts and are popular because they are fairly tall but narrow, which works well in many UK off-road conditions.

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the radial version of the Trep was what i was looking at , it has a higher speed rating and as you say less agressive. i had ran a 1.2 t case for a while but i have a 1.4 back in now and i want the higher gear if possible,

my 285 75 R16 BFG measure 31 on the landy. tyre calculator say they shold be 32.8" . so i figured 35s would be about 33 on the landy.

255 85 do look like a good option as i didnt want to go to wide. these state 33.1" on teh tyre calculator

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48 minutes ago, markyb said:

the radial version of the Trep was what i was looking at , it has a higher speed rating and as you say less agressive. i had ran a 1.2 t case for a while but i have a 1.4 back in now and i want the higher gear if possible,

my 285 75 R16 BFG measure 31 on the landy. tyre calculator say they shold be 32.8" . so i figured 35s would be about 33 on the landy.

255 85 do look like a good option as i didnt want to go to wide. these state 33.1" on teh tyre calculator

Actual size varies quite a bit on manufacturer. My 255s are the original style BFG MTs and do measure up at 33". I have been considering the Toyo Open Country MT for when I need to replace these. They aren't short of tread but rather perished. The Toyo is one of the few styles available as a 255/85R16, They have less tread depth than the BFG when new but are a good deal cheaper.

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I don’t know about the radials, but the bias ply Trepadors come up at 34.25” for the 35” and 36.25” for the 37”.

Another vote here for the 255/85R16. I had them on the 90 before and they were a great sized tyre and worked just great with the defender standard gearing. And they measured up at 33”. 

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1 hour ago, landroversforever said:

 

Another vote here for the 255/85R16. I had them on the 90 before and they were a great sized tyre and worked just great with the defender standard gearing. And they measured up at 33”. 

A nice size, but very very limited choice of tyre treads sadly :(

BTW a 285/75 will look a lot smaller than a 35.12.50 and would be more akin to a 33.11.50 size wise.

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thanks all for the help in solving my tyre dilemia , i think i will source another set of boost alloys and then i can have a final decision on the 255 or the crazy treps. As said the Toyo would be a good around tyre as BFG prices have gone through the roof.  i am learning towards the 255 i must say

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2 minutes ago, markyb said:

thanks all for the help in solving my tyre dilemia , i think i will source another set of boost alloys and then i can have a final decision on the 255 or the crazy treps. As said the Toyo would be a good around tyre as BFG prices have gone through the roof.  i am learning towards the 255 i must say

If you're getting another set of Boost wheels, the treps won't fit well.... they're 12.5" wide. I've got them on an 8.5" wheel (banded wolf) and they tuck in a fair bit on them. I wouldn't want to go any narrower I think. 

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16 hours ago, markyb said:

thanks all for the help in solving my tyre dilemia , i think i will source another set of boost alloys and then i can have a final decision on the 255 or the crazy treps. As said the Toyo would be a good around tyre as BFG prices have gone through the roof.  i am learning towards the 255 i must say

The Toyo while it looks semi aggressive will perform more akin to an AT in the mud. Not a bad tyre, but I'd say a distinct rung down from the Trep or BFG KM in terms of off road performance.

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16 hours ago, landroversforever said:

If you're getting another set of Boost wheels, the treps won't fit well.... they're 12.5" wide. I've got them on an 8.5" wheel (banded wolf) and they tuck in a fair bit on them. I wouldn't want to go any narrower I think. 

Most tyre makers will say 10j rim for a 12.50, although in the USA it is fairly common practice to fit them to an 8" wide rim.

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I'm running the 35 x 12.5 x 15 on an 8 inch rim with no issues. Generally I lane at about 15 psi in the tyres and have had no issues whatsovere. Equally shove the pressures up and you can do long motorway journeys just as easily.

I would prefer a narrower tyre but the extra height of the 35's is worth the width (and loss of turning circle).

I'm not too far from Newbury (just outside of Oxford) if you wanted a look.

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2 hours ago, Rightfoot said:

I'm running the 35 x 12.5 x 15 on an 8 inch rim with no issues. Generally I lane at about 15 psi in the tyres and have had no issues whatsovere. Equally shove the pressures up and you can do long motorway journeys just as easily.

I would prefer a narrower tyre but the extra height of the 35's is worth the width (and loss of turning circle).

I'm not too far from Newbury (just outside of Oxford) if you wanted a look.

They will fit, but are not normally within manufacture recommended specs. 15psi seems low for green lane use. 95% of the time road pressures should be fine.

 

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I'm using BFG muds and have played around with tyre pressures a lot. I'm a big fan of running low tyre pressures when laning - much more comfortable and much more grip. Using a slightly narrower rim gives more confidence on not losing a bead (but to be fair I've only done that when competing).

I disagree on tyre pressures, its much better to run lower pressures when laning - more comfort, more grip, less damage (risk of spinning a tyre). Don't forget a 35 x 12.5 x 15 has a lot more air and sidewall than a standard 235/85 x 16 (around two thirds more) so you need to allow for that when working out the best pressure. I've got an on board air system with tank which matches most forecourt compressors for speed to reinflate for longer road use.

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On 6/5/2020 at 5:26 AM, Chicken Drumstick said:

Most tyre makers will say 10j rim for a 12.50, although in the USA it is fairly common practice to fit them to an 8" wide rim.

33x12.50R15 on 8" rims is pretty well the standard fit for Defenders here and I've never heard of a case with problems. We have three 110s and they all use this size. 10" rims do spread the rubber a bit better off road but the downsides are that they are much more prone to wheel wobble due to the offset, and the sides of the vehicle both suffer from stone damage and get absolutely filthy. It's an issue when you live where there are a lot of unsurfaced roads. I had mine on 10" rims and took them off and replaced with 8s!

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