Alloys, tyre sizes & spare wheel location questions.

[DougJ]

Previously used to haul kids, dogs, kayaks, canoes, camping gear and twin axle caravan (yes all at the same time!) our 02 plate 110 Td5 now used just by wife and I,  predominantly on road running on Cooper Zeon 265/70 x 16 XST on 7" alloys (Boost I think). Advisory on MOT for tread cracking after about 3 years & 20k miles. Our repair guys said it was 'tramlining' because of the tyre condition and fact that our roof tent is too far back on our Patriot rack, making the front end light. They recommended fitting smaller 235 section tyres and also said that a slow puncture could be caused by the alloys, bought in 2003, corroding.

So before I splash the cash and risk finding no difference, could I draw on your collective experience, please, for the following:

1. Do alloys have a useful life span before they should be replaced?

2. I felt that with the wider tyres she sat better on the road, is a wider tyre more likely to give handling issues than the 235/75? 

3. To improve weight distribution I thought about moving the spare wheel from rear door to the bonnet. Is this feasible and sensible?

[L19MUD]

7 hours ago, DougJ said:

1. Do alloys have a useful life span before they should be replaced?

2. I felt that with the wider tyres she sat better on the road, is a wider tyre more likely to give handling issues than the 235/75? 

3. To improve weight distribution I thought about moving the spare wheel from rear door to the bonnet. Is this feasible and sensible?

1 - No they don't. I have solved this many times by taking the tyre off and cleaning up the area where the tyre bead sits and then using tyre sealant. 

2 - 265/75 R16 and 235/85 R16 were both options from Land Rover. I would go for the 265 again but chose a different Brand of tyre - BFG All terrains are excellent and last a long while. They made not be road biased enough for you though?

3 - How heavy is the roof tent? Could you remove it when not in use? A spare wheel on the bonnet is awful on a Defender.....you can't see where you are going!

[western]

There is no LR approved mount for Td5 bonnet mounting of the spare tyre/wheel, the engine sits higher & there is not enough space between engine & bonnet for a spare wheel mounting, but there are so aftermarket mounts, a google search should find those.

[Badger110]

I'm dubious about the roof tent position causing that much of an issue on a tarmac road at approx 55kg weight of the tent on a roof rack.

[DougJ]

 

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3 - How heavy is the roof tent? Could you remove it when not in use?

The tent is approx. 50kg and is a 3 man lift given the height! Will take it off when I have the assistance and long enough gap between uses. The book roof loading is 150kg; the tent is 50kg and the Patriot rack is 60kg so dont want to put too much more on there, hence the question about bonnet mount.

Quote

I would go for the 265 again but chose a different Brand of tyre - BFG All terrains are excellent and last a long while. They made not be road biased enough for you though?

Thanks. I like the wider tyre and previously had BFgs which were used on previous 110 before switching to this one and seemed to last forever, maybe 60k miles!! Will check out some altenatives.

[DougJ]

4 minutes ago, Badger110 said:

I'm dubious about the roof tent position causing that much of an issue on a tarmac road at approx 55kg weight of the tent on a roof rack.

Likewise I was dubious too. We only fitted it at weekend so have yet to try it out and find out how we can move things around. From pic you cannot see that when it is folded and packed, the majority of the weight is over or behind the rear axle. Its that far back as it has an annexe that drops down to ground level so the steps are enclosed and access to rear door is dry.  Putting SWMBO in the front passenger seat will probably level things up a bit better 🤣🤐

[Mo Murphy]

You could always get a ground tent. Infinitely more practical though less bling !

Mo

[missingsid]

I have never tried a roof tent but they look really precarious and if getting in the loft is anything to go by not great to get in an out of?

I can see the point in Africa or other places with dangerous ground animals (or even people) but not Europe.

[miketomcat]

Tramlining is caused by wide tyres however at 265/75x16 your not exactly wide, the wife's 255's are better than my 12.50's (about 305's) but even then mine are ok. BFG take some beating and different tyres do different things to handling. A good tyre place should clean the rims up before fitting new tyres (you may need to ask them). However alloys do corrode and can cause slow punctures but a clean and preferably some paint will fix this. The roof tent being that far back will effect handling but not enough to cause issues and you'll barely notice the difference if moved forwards. As to roof tent verses ground I've had both roof tents are great if you move location regularly or want a quick pitch both in time and an overnight. Gound is better if staying a while or you want to go out daily. That said I've gone back to ground but would have a roof tent for certain trips.

Mike

[smallfry]

I thought Cooper Zeon were aimed more at high performance cars and SUVs ? Whats the load rating on them ?

I cant see how putting 235s on it will make the front end NOT light ? Its true that wide tyres can cause tramlining, but 265s are not THAT wide for a vehicle as heavy as a 110. Maybe it is just the tyre type and tread pattern ? Again, another vote for BFGs (even though I have got Goodyear MTRs on mine)

Alloy wheels only need replacing if they are damaged by impact. I wouldnt try straightening them with a hammer like you can with steels, as they will likely fracture As has been said, remove the tyres and clean up the rims and repaint. I do this with all mine and do not have problems with leakage. Of course it takes time and effort though. You could also have the wheels refurbed professionally if you do not feel inclined.

Another thing with alloys though is balancing. Never EVER let the monkey at a tyre shop use standard hammer on weights. These always cut into the paint and cause corrosion in the long term. Insist on stick on weights only, although the fitter will bleat on about cant get them to balance, which is b******s. It just takes longer. The  rims will have to be cleaned before you present them, or the same monkeys will attack the wheels with coarse sandpaper to get the weights to stick, again causing corrosion in the long term.

Having alloys IS hassle, but if you like the look of them, thats fine. Maybe steel rims would be better ?

Dunno about the spare wheel. I like the look of it on the bonnet, but its hard to see past, but not that bad IMO, but it makes the bonnet REALLY heavy, and normally ends up breaking the frame, and also, if the bonnet falls on your head......... or worse, your fingers.

[Eightpot]

Not much to add that hasn't been said, but yep if you have a slow deflation just take it to a tyre place to check for an actual puncture or have the rim cleaned up.

A rooftent shouldn't cause handling or tyre issues - 50kg is the equivalent of a small person sat in the back - not really a struggle for a 110 weighing in at over 2000kg, and the location of your tent is just fine. A small adjustment of tracking the wrong way is more likely to make it tramline, possibly a little too much toe-out. 

 

[oneandtwo]

The Td5 bonnet isn’t strong enough for a spare wheel.

In my opinion Defenders do handle better with 235/85 rather than 265’s

[landroversforever]

On 11/2/2021 at 8:01 PM, DougJ said:

 

The tent is approx. 50kg and is a 3 man lift given the height! Will take it off when I have the assistance and long enough gap between uses. The book roof loading is 150kg; the tent is 50kg and the Patriot rack is 60kg so dont want to put too much more on there, hence the question about bonnet mount.

Thanks. I like the wider tyre and previously had BFgs which were used on previous 110 before switching to this one and seemed to last forever, maybe 60k miles!! Will check out some altenatives.

IIRC, that's the static loading. It's only 75kg dynamic from memory.

[missingsid]

Another thing with alloys though is balancing. Never EVER let the monkey at a tyre shop use standard hammer on weights.

 

I took my D3 to a large and well respected local indy tyre company and was appalled when it came out with hammer on rim weights. I went back in an told them that they would never do that to a BMW or other make so change them for stick on on the inside.

So they ended up doing the job twice  hopefully that taught them to ask at least.

[smallfry]

6 hours ago, missingsid said:

So they ended up doing the job twice  hopefully that taught them to ask at least.

Doubt it, they dont give a toss, and just had thoughts about your parentage/heritage/sexuality.

Damage already done I fear. I am in the process of doing some BMW rims to fit on my Trafic van. They have been mullered by hammer on weights.