Tyre options
As you may know I have a 280GES with the 5.5 J alloys. I currently have the 205 Semperit fitted. I have been told by the tyre dealer that the biggest BFGs I can have fitted at the 215s (this is in the BFG book). Other than getting some new bigger wheels, which I believe would be prohibitively expensive, what other options are there. In particular what rims and tyres has two dogs got on his green LWB as they look good.
If anyone has got any replacement wheel ideas please do mention them.
Thanks
Check this one out...
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/G-Class/wheels/start.html
According to the manual the factory fitted 225/75-16 to that rim.
The widest you can go on a 5.5J is 215.
The 225/75 is given by the factory on the later 461 model whose wheels are 6J
The widest you can go on a 5.5J is 215.
The 225/75 is given by the factory on the later 461 model whose wheels are 6J
Pambos, this is not quite correct, I know a number of users here is Spain that use BFGs MT 235/85R16 fitted to the 5,5J16 rims standard to the 460.
I personally have the BFG Track Edge 235/85R16 fitted to the 6J16 rims standard to the early 463 G and I cannot praise this size enough.
Mortison hello !
I looked into the size issue a lot cause I have the 5,5J steel rims.
The factory said no to 235/85, and the tyre suppliers handbooks said 6J was the ideal size, whereas there is no mention of 5,5J. Even the BFGoodrich website specifically suggests a minimum size of 6J
Anyway, the only reason I want to go to 235/85 is to lower the gearing.
Hi Pambos
I can assure you that we put our GWagens through serious stuff over here. I understand the factory and BFG's claims but I can only put them down to keep themselves on the safe side to avoid litigation, however remote.
What I can say is that 235/85R16s are widely used in Spain and in Germany for serious off-road, being in my opinion the best compromise between height/width/cost fot his purpose. To date, I have heard no adverse reports on its use with 5,5J16 rims.
our first G we had back in 1983 had 7x15 mercedes alloys and was fitted with kelly safari rvr's in 33x12.50x15! it ran on those tyres for 4 years no problem at all,although it wasnt adviced by anyone :shock:
See extract from MB manual
The manual is a bit confusing cause it also gives a 17,5 inch tyre on a 16" wheel.
That would be something interesting to try !!!
For what it is worth,
My two pence talk is that you should put on 225/75x16 BFG A/T if most of your work with the G is on road with maybe weekend use on the trails. These will give you the best compromise between on road grip and stability and off road performance on the rough stuff.
On the other hand if its farmyards, lanes and most of the ruff stuff every day then defo go with the 235/85x16 preferably in a BFG M/T (bomb proof) I think most will agree.
Please bare in mind I do not have an axe to grind with ATS. or anyone else ~Next time you ask someone (tyre centre specifically) for their advise question what that advise is based on. Its easy to look at a book, not so easy to know what you are talking about in relation to all fields i.e car, van, truck, agricultural and earthmover.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Mike
Thanks it does. But I am just wondering if it is safe to fit the 225 or 235 to that rim when the BFG book says 215 is as big as you can go. Is there not a danger that it will come off or something? I am not well up on tyres as you can see.
If you were standing in front of me with your vehicle and subject to the answers to the aforementioned questions I would genuinely fit either of the above mentioned tyres to your vehicle in the knowledge that what I was doing was done with the utmost regard for your safety and health.
Because I would need you back as a customer again, and if I do a good job and your happy you might tell one or two others and I might get more business. If I sell you something for the sake of it and you subsquently discover this to be dangerous or not based on sound principles you will tell everyone and I would lose business.
Your not in front of me, not even in the same country, I have nothing to gain or lose. The only thing we have in common is we both have an interest in G wagens. The advise is not malicious it based on my personal opinion and many years of experience in this business, probally more than I care to remember. This I'm sure also holds true for others who are often found on this forum, although I can't speak for them. Best of luck with your decision !!!
Sorry, I am not doubting what you say, I just don't really understand how this tyre size business works. I think I will go for one of the two you recommend. Is there much road noise from the M/Ts? I
Dan,
Sorry if it sounded OTT it was not ment to.
Tyre sizes explained :
225 = Width of the top of the tyre where it meets the road in mm.
75 = % the relationship between the width of the top of the tyre and the height of the sidewall of the tyre expressed as a %.
16 = inch measurement for the diameter of the wheel across the rim.
This is a simplified version of what each portion of the tyre size represents.
M/T is slightly noisier than A/T but as already explained horses for courses. Forget about looks base your decision on the use that you are putting the vehicle/tyres to (predominant type of driving conditions) and of course how deep your pockets are.
Regards,
Mike
Just to add my twopenneth - I've got 235 85 16s on 5.5J steels and have no problems at all. They are Goodyear wrangler MT/R and they are, I think a little quieter than BFGs, excelent in the mud and at 80mph on the motorway.
I've got some 31x10.5 x15s on my other 230 which have done 76,000 miles including 2 desert crossings ( sometimes at 10psi),a lot of towing and they are still good for another 40k. Not a single puncture. At GBP 100 each they weren't cheap but fantastic value for money.
Now see Dan, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
There is a happy G owner with the same thing done as you wish to do with no adverse affects spoken of.
Best of luck with your forthcoming purchase !!!
Regards,
Mike
I knew that I had seen it somewhere.
The attached is an exerpt of the German MOT certification of Fulda tyres.
The second page lists all the tyres that can be fitted to a 16" rim.
The third tyre listed is the 235/85R16, for which it suggest the rims coded as R1, R2 and R6, corresponding to 5.5JKx16H2ET63, 6J16H2ET63 and 7.5J16H2ET63 respectively.
So there you go. If the Germans have homologated that rim for that tyre then I would say that it's perfectly safe to use it.
Cheers
Thanks
I have another question though. My 500 came with a set of winter wheels fitted with Bridgestone Winter Duelers. Will they become damaged if they stay on for a bit longer, say end of May, on the basis that they look better than the slick Yokos.
Hi Dan,
Your winter grip tyres have alot of knife like cuts on the tread called sipes. These are what give you predominantly your winter grip along with a rubber compound that grips better in cold weather than summer or 4x4 tyres do.
The only down side to leaving them on is faster wear rate and not as much grip on road. On the G500 you will probally notice it , but on the other G you would be OK as not as much weight or power on the road.
Regards,
Mike
PS Its amazing how much extra grip you get on sheet ice/ snow with winter tyres as compared to your run of the mill 4x4 tyre fitted all year round. Driving is believing.
I will swap them back soon then
I prefer the 16" wheels with bigger tyres. Any recommendations for replacements for the Yokos on the 18". I like BFG ATs but doubt they fit.
Hi Dan,
Road use : 255/55x18 Michelin Synchrone. ask Fred for a recommendation or otherwise.
I use them , they are brill. Good value for money too once you get over the steep initial price shock.
regards,
Mike
How about the 265/70R1? It has 265s on at the moment. Also I don't really want them that low profile as the suspension is really hard and fatter tyres give it more bounce.
Please ignore, they are 16". Have to go for 255s.
Dan,
You mentioned 18" rims, thats why I said about the Synchrones. Re reading it you asked about BFG A/T. they now import a 265/65R 18 which will fit the rims .
I have ordered a set now with months but still no sign, will report back when fitted and tried out.
265/70x16 or 275/70x16 all available in BFG as is 265/75x16 all in A/T. The choice is yours?
Why do you have to go with 255? width
Regards,
Mike
Hi Dan,
Road use : 255/55x18 Michelin Synchrone. ask Fred for a recommendation or otherwise.
I use them , they are brill. Good value for money too once you get over the steep initial price shock.
regards,
Mike
I'va had the synchro fitted for a month now on my 500 and wont look back on the Bridgestone ......
What is do good about them? I only like the Bridgestone Wnter Duelers as they are fatter and give a softer ride. Put Yokos back on this morning though.
Hi Dan,
I sell all brands of tyre for a living and have been doing so for more years than I care to remember.
As a business we are not tied to any one brand as we have the same out of all tyres we sell, wholesale, retail whatever.
I personally recommend tyres to my customers based on feed back recieved from other trusted customers about how their tyres performed for them and what use they put them too. I also test some of the tyres on my own vehicles so that I too know what the hell I'm talking about.
My recommendations are based on this information/ experience. this is important to me as I need customers recommendations to generate resales for me, so everyone wins.
You who is nowhere near me gets this info for free. Its yours to do with it what you will. I will happilly answer any questions if I can.
Regards,
Mike
I am not doubting that they are good, I was just wondering why they were better. I prefer my Bridgestone W/Ds as they give a better ride. I put this down to them being fatter, 16" as opposed to 18" rims. Just wondering why the Synchrones are better, from what Fred says they are by some way.
The reason that the Yokos are not top of my list is that, combined with the suspension, they give a hard ride. They seem ok other than that. I have been putting it down to the 18" rims and therefore thinner tyres.
I perhaps didn't mention that both sets of tyres are on their own rims and both have lots of life left in them, so I was just swaping the wheels, as opposed to tyres.
I will probably put the Synchrones on when I replace the Yokos, however, at my current mileage I think that may be some time off.
Dan,
At the end of the day you pays your money you takes your choice!!
Changing brand/tyre from what you know to be satisfactory for you to something a perfect stranger recommends on the internet takes an incredible leap of faith on your behalf.
If memory serves me correctly, Fred was going with what he could get locally which was the Bridgestone tyre also, he made the leap and I haven't heard that he wants to knock my teeth out so far, so I think he's happy. Also, going with the Mich tyre he paid more than he would have had to if he went with the Bridgestone.
I'm not you will notice telling you what the differences are between the tyres mentioned, thats too technical and would be regarded as bull by everyone else. Suffice to say the Michelin SYNCHRONE is the better tyre for 25% off road and 75% on road (powerful vehicle/ fast speeds) use.
Change the mix of useage and you also may change the recommendation that follows. Do you get my drift?
Also notice I did not recommend Michelin Latitude tour HP, only the Synchrone. The Bridgestone D680 and the Latitude would be a more even match. D680 cheaper price but less mileage for the same grip as the Latitude. Both equally useless off the road even with 4 wheel drive, one won't be long learning to use one's differentials then!
Regards,
Mike
PS I would not consider the Yokos as replacements as you pay for the fact that they are OE spec to MB and they charge accordingly.
Overall,I hope this info is of use to others trying to make similar decisions. It might make their task easier as I have found this forum invaluable in keeping my G on the road or off it as the case may be.
I've a 1985 460 with std factory 5.5j x16's steel wheels fitted together with 235/85R16's they work fine.
Hi All,
I know alot has been said about different tyres and brands on this tread and others some of it has even been said by me.
This is a link that may be of benefit to others searching this topic again. It gives another insight into tyre choice elsewhere.
Enjoy it ---- I did.
http://www.4wdmonthly.com.au/tips_tyres.php
Regards,
Mike
great tyre test :)
so the Pirelli SCORPION A/T is the one to have then
thats what i had... :?
but yoko geolanders done well too :!:
huss, have you got any photos of them on your G?
which ones james :?:
the pirellis :)
The funniest part of this tyre test is that the winners "by a country mile" in the form of the Pirelli A/T according to the test is no longer made.
Pirelli have discontinued this very formidable tyre because more and more people want a more road bias tyre than off road tyre.
The replacement tyre is the Pirelli ATR and is really not at the races, not even the same race course if you ask me.
This is what progress is all about. :lol:
Regards,
Mike
PS In desperation I am getting a set of General AT2 tyres in 255/60H18 for my rims. Failed to get BFG A/T after 6 months and many promises.
General's arrived today. They look well, 1st obvious difference to the BFG A/T is even though the pattern is similar the shoulders are more rounded on the General. Same tread depth, but looks not as deep due to closer tread bars than the BFG, so not as agressive looking.
BFG is a "T" Speed rated tyre where as the General is a "H" speed rated tyre so should be better on the road and stopping wise. The load rating is the same so no worries there.
The General I got have both sidewalls black where as the BFG have raised white lettering on one sidewall. This maybe important to some.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating and next weekend we will be off road for about 200kms so I should know more then.
Regards,
Mike
So how is the feedback going on the General Grabber AT2 ??
The (sort of) other half has a daily driven 02 TD5 Disco :oops: It is on the seond set of stock Goodyear Wranglers but the local L/R specialist was recommending the Grabber AT2 .. now he likes his mudplugging trials so I was worried these might be a bit mud worthy when what is required is a good road tyre.. 12k/yr on dual carriageway + city driving .. 0.5 mile house road that is a farm track and turns nasty in the snow once or twice every year or so.. and some horse box towing in wet/muddy fields. Disco has rear air springs and so is hopeless when pushed on bumpy tarmac so no need for slicks!
The last trip I mentioned was my first with the new tyres on. Before that I had the OE Yokohama tyres on and they were worn out.
Their first trip was approx.700kms on road, offroad and everywhere else included. I was impressed with their on road behaviour as I was comparing them to my better halfs Disco TD5 on 255/55x18 Michelin Synchrone.
The general are better in the ruff stuff than the Mich but honestly you pay your money you take your choice. The Synchrone will eat the general for breakfast on the road for quietness, lateral stability,longevity and braking distance with the only consideration being price they are at least 1/3 more expensive than the General which may help make up your mind for you.
On the other hand don't try use the Mich to do the wet and muddy field lark without a neighbour and a tractor handy. The Generals got me around a offroad course without having to seek outside help with alot of Landy drivers egging me on to get me to eat humble pie. No such luck --- G wagen and Generals came through with flying colours and impressed me no end.
To date they have about 3000 miles done without any scary moments mostly on road with a little bit of lanes and such without any irregular wear evident.
In the past B.G.W. I had tried Pirelli ST and Goodyear WRL HP on the Disco and previous P38 R/R x2 and preferred the Mich above all .
Regards,
Mike
sorry james for the 2 month delay :oops:
Mike
Thanks for the feedback. Had Mich as OEM on 85 240GDS + 87 300GDtL and they were great on road ... but on the dirt L/R on their non Mich OEMs would go places you should have. Guess it is a question of horses for courses.. pity the Mich are so poor off the road relatively.
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That's what ATS said. If that's the case I will wait unil I need a new set and then put BFG AT or MTs on.