AdeParko Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 The 300tdi Disco 1 that I bought seems to have diffent size tyres on each of the corners Its fitted with the freestyle alloys (spare as well) My question is, what size tyres should it have fitted? Or, which size of tyres would be the most ideal for my needs? The car is being repaired/restored to eventually be a tow car for the horses, so will see road use with the occassional muddy field Thanks Ade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niamh Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Assuming 7J rims, 235/70R16 is a usual road fitmeent. You might want to consider an AT tread rather than a road tyre. Niamh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPendrey Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Best option would be 235/70/16 tyres, probably of AT (all terrain) variety given some field use. You may find you've got 205/80/16s mixed with 235/70/16s which is acceptable as they are both the same circumference but I don't support it looks right?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BogMonster Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Freestyles always originally had 235/70R16 on these vehicles though the OEM fit varied - some were Michelin, others Goodyear and I think Pirelli put in an appearance for a while too. Some of the other alloys (Castor alloys for example) had 205/80R16 fitted. All the D1 alloys are the same size though - 7Jx16 - as are the steel wheels sometimes fitted as a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdeParko Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Freestyles always originally had 235/70R16 on these vehicles though the OEM fit varied - some were Michelin, others Goodyear and I think Pirelli put in an appearance for a while too From memory (at work at the moment), but I think the spare is a brand new Scorpion 255/65 R16 It looks wide on the freestyle alloy wheel, but is the 255/65 OK? I dont want the car to feel vague on a wide tyre especially when it will be used for towing the horses Its a shame with it being brand new - I was hoping that would be the correct size and then I could buy the rest to match it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPendrey Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 That would only be 0.3inches larger in circumference than 'standard' tyres, but over a mile would revolve three more times. Not sure what the tolerance of the diff is, but I'd opt for all the same size anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range Rover Blues Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 It's illegal to fit different tyres on the same axle or wider tyres front than back, but other than that it's more a matter of handling. If the tread of the tyre is significantly wider than the rim then the tyre will not handle as sharply and might wear at the shoulder, for the outright best handling around an inch narrower is best. Of course Land Rovers aren't about handling so much but I prefer not to go wider than 235, even then I'm not convinced it grips or handles any better than 205s which were original equipment on RRC and Disco 1 with steel wheels. I'm not convinced either that the steel rim is the same width, though I never measured it. I learned a few years ago that Discos under warranty that were fitted with optional 235/70 tyres suffered kickback so badly that they were retrofitted with alloys by dealers at no cost to sort out the problem. Having more weight on the rim spinning around cauases problems too. I suspect the Disco had wider tyres to cope with it's higher rear axle load, the RRC has a lower MAM and were only fitted with 235s towards the end of production. In the 80s the recomended upgrade was 225/75 IIRC, 235/70 is a far more common size so is fitted on purely economic grounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdeParko Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 If the tread of the tyre is significantly wider than the rim then the tyre will not handle as sharply and might wear at the shoulder, for the outright best handling around an inch narrower is best. This rings true with the state of the mis-matched tyres on my Disco. THe outer edge of the tyres are badly worn compared to the inner and centre of the tyre. It would suggest that there has been too much flex in the side walls of the 255/265 tyres when say cornering due to the overhang dompered to the rim wheel width Interestingly, I found the information below on the Bridgestone website when looking around at tyre sites Looking at the freestyle alloys; they are 7" wide; so would a 205 tyre be better? Does anyone else run 205/R16's on alloys rather than steel wheels? Thanks Ade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPendrey Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Freestyles always originally had 235/70R16 on these vehicles though the OEM fit varied - some were Michelin, others Goodyear and I think Pirelli put in an appearance for a while too. Some of the other alloys (Castor alloys for example) had 205/80R16 fitted. All the D1 alloys are the same size though - 7Jx16 - as are the steel wheels sometimes fitted as a spare. Basically this quote is best answer you can get... OEM fitment was 235/70R16, but you could run 205/80R16 if you prefer. They do look a but thin, and I'd suspect given the odd muddy field you may be better off with that extra inch of width in the tyre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzilla84 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 My disco was on 205 road biased tyres when i got it and it was terrible on and off road. As mentioned above it was on Castor alloys which had 205s as standard. I swapped to 235/70 muds and it felt more surefooted even on the road. I would recommend that size for road and light off road use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdeParko Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Thanks for all the help everyone, and putting my mind at ease I've ordered 5 new 235/70/16 AT tyres today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil B Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 My 235 Dakar Tyres are better than the 265's as they have a smaller rolling radious, I felt the larger were better on the road but that's beyond te point, the steel spare wheel is the same width rim so you could fit a spare 235 on but I opted for looks and ordered an extra graphite es rim for the boot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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