My new wheels and tyres

I have been out splashing the cash. It's no good when saving for a house but I'm hoping it will be it for a while now.

I couldn't get 21/80/15's anymore from any suppliers except 1 or 2 (Insa Turbo Saharas) and have been told it's due to the size being an old size not much in demand, except by me!!!

So I've made the move over to 16 inch Grand Vitara wheels bought from Rhino Ray, who is a very nice chap by the way!!! He is selling his hugely offset wheels as per the article in TOR if any of you that like a very wide track and a massive lift are interested. They were too offset for me as they stuck out the arches about an inch or so. Ray has another 2.5 inches of lift over me so it worked for him but was too much for me.

I fitted the wheels and tyres (Kumho KL71's in 205/80/16) and found the wheels foul on the steering arm ball joints. So after finding out our wheel spacers (kept at Lindz Mums about 8 miles away)I stuck them on and they fit like a glove.

Then I went and got her all cross axled so that she sat balancing on diagonally opposite wheels compressing the suspension as much as it's ever likelt to go and the new tyres are nearly touching the front bumper so you could just get a fag paper between them.

The tyre pressures are a little high as I've not let them down from the tyre fitters yet and they will wear a llittle in time, so I don't have to trim anything, which puts a smile on my face!!!

The Kumho's don't look like they will set the worl alight off road but will be ideal for the Greenlaning / On Road mix I do with our upcoming trip to the Lakes where rock Crawling is the norm.

On the road though, it has to be said, they are amazing. They are so quiet you'd never know you had a set of MT's on and all those wobbles are gone where they are new and not remoulds and are all nicely balanced up.

All I need to do now is get a good set of wheel spacers as the ones I've got now are cheap ones with the extended bolts. I don't trust them and have seen photo's of failed studs. I'm on the lookout for a new set of the cast types and currently have seen these at what appear a reasonable price

www.supertrux.com/acatalog/copy_of_Wheel_Spacers.html

There are others about, and TBR4x4.com seem to do some good quality ones but at £195.00 they want to be something special!!!

What spacers are you lot using and where did you get them from and for how much and when???

Kirkynut

I've got some billet wheel spacers from LA Supertrux via Ebay from their shop and they were £16.00 cheaper that way than from their website!!!

Kirkynut

what size GV rims have you got, i understand they come in 6.5" and 7" sizes. I've acquired a set of 7 inch GV rims and would like to fit similar 205/80/tyres

I think they are the 6.5 inch version as I compared them to the wider ones when buying as they were both there.

Have you put the rims on and seen if they rub on the steering arm ball joints???

You should have no probs putting on 205/80/16 tyres and I think that the extra offset you have will negate the need for wheel spacers like I have had to get to stop the rubbing on the ball joints.

Just be careful with your tyre choice if you don't want to have to do any trimming of your front bumper and possibly front arches.

I have been lucky with my Kumho's in getting it just spot on with not quite any rubbing anywhere, but as I mentioned before, the front bumper is rather close to rubbing on full artculation.

Whilst I was at Rhino Ray's I tried on his really offset wheels with a new Insa Turbo Special Track in this size and it was massive. Partly due to the massive amount of tread and partly to do with the fact that it was just slightly bigger, what with the extra tyre bonded onto the original carcass.

I don't know what other tyres in the Insa Turbo range are like in this respect but I believe they are rather generous with their tread, which is a good thing, but only if you have the room for it!!!

I'll not know how the Kumho's are in mud for a while yet but expect them to be no worse than my Colway MT's.

TOR magazine seem to hold them in high regard though.

Kirkynut

no i havent tried fitting the rims yet, they're still lying around waiting for some tyres to be fitted.
I've got some 30mm spacers on already so i could reuse them if theres any rubbing.
my current 195/75/15 colway MT's are excellant in the mud so i want to try and find something very similar but taller to help with axel clearance problems.

the nearest i can find are Insa Dakars or Kingpin tracker MT which are my preffered chouice as they only about £40 a corner, almost half the price of the Insa dakar
i'll have a look at the kumho's too
i was just unsure whether 205/80/16 tyres would fit a 7" GV rim

Yes they will fit on the 7" rims as out friends have them on their SJ on the 7" rims.

What tyres to buy depends on your usage. If you use it on road alot, I'd opt for more Kumho's, if not the cheaper remoulds.

Tyre choice is down to the individual to decide what trade off suits them best - cost v wear v wheel wobble v grip off road v stability on road etc...


Kirkynut