Series Tyres for off-roading

[sotal]

I spent yesterday driving the series round the local quarry at one of the 4x4 fun days.

It was great fun and the series again proved itself to be very capable, however this time the ground was quite muddy and wet and I was getting quite a lot of wheel spin.

When we stopped for a burger I noticed that the tread on the back wheels was clean, but the front wheels looked like slicks as the mud had filled the tread completely.

On closer inspection the front tyres don't look as good as the rears, the tread isn't as deep and the pattern doesn't look as good, the fronts are Avon Rangemaster (or something like that) the backs were something different but I can't remember what now. The attached picture should so the sort of tread on them.

The tyres are 7.50R16's on LWB offset Rims,

So my question is (without spending a fortune) what would be best to put on it, I would prefer to keep the rims the same, I don't mind adding arches if wider wheels are required and I'm not too fussed about losing turning circle. I would like something which looks beefy and I guess an extra bit of height wouldn't help with ground clearance etc.

Any suggestions

[Lewis]

I saw you/your car yesterday

I was with friends in a 2door Range Rover with cage and winches, and a red 90 truckcab with cage and winches.

A couple of other forum members also go occaisionally - "MPB", "thebiggreenthing", and "rock_on_skeeter"

As for tyres, 235/85 Grizzly claws or Insa turbo's would probably do. I wouldnt bother with 265/75, as your turning circle will be enormous

[RobotMan]

I run 235-85 16 Grizzlys on my 88 and it's about as big as you can sensibly go without losing the ability to turn or breaking too many 1/2 shafts.

[sotal]

Ah great, hopefully you didn't see me doing anything stupid - or my mate crashing at the end and bending my front bumper!! Have you got any pics of the 2 door range rover or the red 90 to see if they jog any memories?

It was good fun at the quarry, haven't been since last October, but I'd just recently bought a disco and joined a couple of lr forums to find a few things out, and reading the other off roading threads got me wanting to go again!

We were with another series, the green lwb pickup.

I'll have a look for some of those tyres - do they fit straight on the current rims?

[sotal]

Is there anywhere else to get the grizzly claws from, I know Bronco does them in Leek (which is handy as it's only 5 miles away) but they're £320 which is a bit more than I wanted to spend.

Do they often come up second hand?

[twizzle]

Is there anywhere else to get the grizzly claws from, I know Bronco does them in Leek (which is handy as it's only 5 miles away) but they're £320 which is a bit more than I wanted to spend.

Do they often come up second hand?

TRY E-Blage

if not go for colways

a friends got some muds on his 88 an dosent get bogged under(well sometimes)

TWIZZLE

[Bowie69]

Just out of interest, would the rims be wide enough for 235/85/16?

[FridgeFreezer]

Another vote for colways - not quite as grippy as the others but damned good value, you won't cry if you shred one on a rock, and a bit kinder to your half-shafts and diffs too. Dad runs Colway MT's, I run AT's and they have performed very well considering they're less than £50 per tyre.

[twizzle]

Another vote for colways - not quite as grippy as the others but damned good value, you won't cry if you shred one on a rock, and a bit kinder to your half-shafts and diffs too. Dad runs Colway MT's, I run AT's and they have performed very well considering they're less than £50 per tyre.

We used colway mt's an then changed to greenways as seen in photo

[Lewis]

Another vote for colways - not quite as grippy as the others . . . . . . a bit kinder to your half-shafts and diffs too.

Isnt that a polite way of saying they are rubbish?

Like: "Bald Goody AT's are kinder to the drivetrain than 44x19.5 Interco Boggers"

Surely if you want a tyre for mud, you want one that actually grips in muddy conditions.

Sotal, second hand Grizzly's appear on ebay on rims all the time

I'll dig out some photo's of the cars later

[Jon White]

I've got 285/75/16 grizzlys on my series. Work very well if you air them down. However they dont wear particularly well on the road.

Jon

[sotal]

I've got 285/75/16 grizzlys on my series. Work very well if you air them down. However they dont wear particularly well on the road.

Jon

Any chance of a pic of them on the vehicle, did the 285's fit OK? are they on standard rims?

[spitfire]

35" ? Why not

The tires are MTR mounted on 10" X 15" rims and they is work great on and off road , the tire wear are good also.

The car is an 1971 model.

Ketil

[FridgeFreezer]

Isnt that a polite way of saying they are rubbish?

Not quite - they're not as aggressive as grizzlys but still perform very well, and for the money I reckon they're great, especially as a first step away from road tyres. Horses for courses, the guy has a stock series and is looking for a bit more grip on a budget, I'd say Colways fit that bill nicely.

[twizzle]

We used colway mt's an then changed to greenways as seen in photo

this landy is basic theres no mods only rangy diffs he uses it everyday

TWIZZLE

[Peter]

Another vote for colways - not quite as grippy as the others but damned good value, you won't cry if you shred one on a rock, and a bit kinder to your half-shafts and diffs too. Dad runs Colway MT's, I run AT's and they have performed very well considering they're less than £50 per tyre.

Shame you can't get Colways anymore then - reports in northern press say they have gone into receivership last week !

[nicks90]

indeed they have,

but they are in discussions about getting taken over - so things may be back on track again shortly.

However, insa sahara / greenway macho are also a belting all round mud tyre.

much better offroad than the looks would suggest and very well mannered on road.

£55 a corner from paddocks. They do them in alot of sizes - but i would recommend 7.50*16 on a series to keep the authentic look, 32" tall and skinny enough to fit your existing wheels and keep a good turning circle. 235/85 are also the same height but wider.

got a set on my 90 and they regularly chew their way round rtv sections and play days with ease, plus i use the truck as a daily drive and they are quiet and well behaved even in the wet.

As for grizzlies

I would be careful with something that aggressive on a standard series axle - unless you like changing halfshafts....... or drive like a coffin dodger 80 year old.

[Gareth Dickens]

I would suggest BF Goodridge mud terains. 31" 10.5's. Bloody good tyres old chap. No cutting required, good off road performance. Long lasting even on tar. I'm running 33" 12.5's but had to cut my fenders. ( I also stripped a crown wheel and the first gear on my gearbox.) Next vehicle 35" 14.5's. Only one constant here BF GOODRIDGE MUD TERRAINS

[FridgeFreezer]

Agree BFG's are hard to beat as an all-rounder, especially if you do a lot of road miles - but they are twice the price of remoulds like the colways / greenways etc.

[Jon White]

Mine

Jon

[Gareth Dickens]

Agree BFG's are hard to beat as an all-rounder, especially if you do a lot of road miles - but they are twice the price of remoulds like the colways / greenways etc.

Yep you have to decide what youre going for. Never had much confidence in a retread. Had one separate at 160 kph (100mph). Wakes you up decent. Nothing like broadsiding at oncoming traffic to get the juices flowing. I have a buddy who has done 85 000 km's on a set of BFG's. He drives like a doos, so normal people should get almost 80 000 miles from a set.

[nicks90]

just be careful what size you get - as you said you want to keep your lwb rims,

any wider than 235/85 and they wont fit on your 5.5" wide rims. even 235/85 will be a push - hence why i suggested 7.50x16 saharas.

31x10.5 and 265/75/16 will be far to wide unless you buy some 7" rims. (or wangle some disco 1 steelies for free off someone upgrading to alloys )

[sotal]

just be careful what size you get - as you said you want to keep your lwb rims,

any wider than 235/85 and they wont fit on your 5.5" wide rims. even 235/85 will be a push - hence why i suggested 7.50x16 saharas.

31x10.5 and 265/75/16 will be far to wide unless you buy some 7" rims. (or wangle some disco 1 steelies for free off someone upgrading to alloys )

I fancied something a bit wider than the 7.50x16's, the 235's sound big enough at 1.75" Wider. I have however got a set of discovery steels in a pile in my garage - will these fit straight on and if so how wide can I go on these?

[sheeppimp]

Disco steels should fit straight on, my 80's wearing them as for maximum width I don't know (only want 205s and tubeless so fit my bill perfectly) Sure someone will be along shortly to advise

[sotal]

does that mean disco alloys fit a series as well?