Offroad rims and tyres

[BertieT5]

Ok so i've had some 245/75R16 tyres on stock rims for about 2 years now but only done 30K kms but already they are completely shagged!

So ive worked out the main problem.... the width of the rim. 6.5" is just too narrow for the tyres and the wear pattern is terrible!!!.

I was looking on gumtree at Amarok rims and trying to see if they might be ok.

the 17"x7" rims with ET49 is only 2mm of offset different to the T5 but i dont think i'll be getting the gains i want.

Ideally i would like to run a set of cooper discoverer A/T3's but to keep within warranty terms the 6.5 wide rims need to be replaced with 8" .

Does anyone else have any ideas for me? I dont wanna blow the budget too hard coz then the of the upgrades go on the backburner again.

If we were in the UK i would get a set of stock rims banded out to 8" and all my problems will be solved.

I kind of want to get it all sorted for christmas since i might be doing quite a bit of driving a and don't want to put the stock tyre and rims back on. I prefer the 16" size because when i go offroad it is almost always on the beach.


I don't want to spend too much and i'm happy with steel rims.

[Transporter]

The 17" steel which my 4Motion came on should be suitable, even saw them on Amarok, so should be good enough on T5 for off road use.

[gldgti]

difficult to find anything that wide in that diameter. My stock allroad rims are 17x7.5, and I know my pa has a set of aftermarket MAC rims that are 17x7.5 suiting T4.

[Seano]

If we were in the UK i would get a set of stock rims banded out to 8" and all my problems will be solved.

That could be done in Perth. Get in touch with Summerfield Engineering. This bloke uses them to do customised steelies https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hicra...22677874535089

[Murphenzo]

Easy. Dynamic do a suitable steel wheel for about $115 a pop. I've just fitted a set of 17"x8" in a +30 offset to my 4-motion. With 235/65r17 Pirelli Scorpion All Terrains you get no rubbing on the inner arch and they're flush with the arches on the outside. That tire is a 48mm diameter increase on the stockers, so it's still legal. Note I do have raised suspension in mine.

Dynamic Tyres & Wheels
They don't list them in their catalogue, but they do do the 17x8 +30 with the 5x120 PCD. Note they also do a 16x8, but they don't fit over the brakes. Found that one out the hard way. Oh yes, and they are load rated well above what we need.

[Sunny43.5]

Nice photos you should sell them to VW for advertising purposes .

[TFour]

Yes, nice photo. Inskip?

[Murphenzo]

Cheers! The first is Teewah and the second Inskip. Heading back up there this weekend.
There are a few more photos from the last two trips here: Index of /pics/transporter

[Murphenzo]

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Dynamics have a centre bore of 72.6 mm (LandRover), not the 65.1 that our T5s use. The wheels will still locate on the studs, but it is prone to very slight misalignment. Note that no loads are transferred through the wheel hub/centre bore, it's just there to centrally locate the wheel. I ran like that for a month and only noticed vibration a few times on very specific surfaces at over 100km/h.

Today I've just installed a set of hub centric rings to see if that makes a difference. They're just a small aluminium ring that sits between the hub ring and the wheel centre bore. I picked mine up from sunline automotive on eBay for about $35. I'll report back after this weekends inskip trip.

[Murphenzo]

I can confirm after a quick blast down the motorway....it's definitely a good bit smoother with the hub centric rings in. Highly recommended.

[Heebee]

Hi Murphenzo,

Thanks for posting this! Your van looks great. I've been looking for wheel / AT tyre options on my 2014 T5 4motion multivan. A few questions:

- Do you notice any performance impact with the larger tyres on the van?
- Does the spare fit in it's holder? (do you need to deflate it to get it in?)
- Do you know if 235/65/17 tyres will fit without rubbing with a OEM +55 offset rim?

Thanks for any info.

[Murphenzo]

1. Not much. Tiny. In fact, I'd say it's negligible. There are two parts to the performance difference. Firstly you change your gearing (7% in my case...pretty small) and secondly you add a fair chunk of rotating mass.
2. For my spare I used a stock 16" steel rim and have a cheap 235/70r16 on it. I did need to deflate it and jack it up there to get it in. A little fiddly, but not too hard. Took about 5 minutes. The jack is mainly to take the extra weight. I bought a compressor for re-inflating my tires after beach trips and I keep it in the car, so no big issue there.
3. They'll rub badly at the front of the inner arch on a +55 rim. My stock 235/55r17s on the stock +55 mags just rubbed on the inner arch on the left side at full lock. Add an inch of diameter and you need to move out by a fair chunk to clear.
I'm pretty happy with +30. It's pretty much flush with the wheel arch (maybe just has a little poke on the front) on the outside and clears perfectly on the inside.

[Heebee]

Thanks for that. I also carry a compressor so no worries deflated as long as it fits.

So your stock 235/55/17 were already just rubbing? I need to have a closer look under my van on full lock. I was worried about messing with the offset and impact on wheel track so I was hoping the 235/55s would fit on OEM rims.

[Heebee]

If anyone is interested, I had a poke around under the van (2014 Multivan 4motion, factory suspension upgrade, 17 x 7 +55 offset OEM rims with 235/55/17 tyres):

- Front wheels - tightest clearance on full lock = approx 40mm (1.5") to part of the inner arch. So, a 1" increase in radius (235/65 tyre) should be ok on OEM +55 offset rims
- Vertical line running across the face of the wheel = approx 25mm (1") between face of the wheel and the front fender. So, a change in offset to +30 should not project the tyre beyond the bodywork. Didn't measure rear however by eye it looked bigger than the front.
- Wheel track (between middle of rear tyres) measured approx 1600mm.

Murphenzo - any particular reason you went for a 8 inch width vs 7 inch on your new rims? Specific benefits?

Cheers

[Murphenzo]

The tire rubs on the left hand inner arch with the wheels turned full lock to the right. Go and check that clearance. It should clear in a factory setup, so I'm assuming the plastic inner has moved a little over the years on my (8 year old) van. A 235/65r17 will foul badly.

I did all of the same measurements to check for how far the tire wall sat inside the wheel arch. Keep in mind that an 235/65r17 is quite a bit wider at the sidewall than your stock 235/55r17s. I'd calculated that I'd be well inside, but ended up flush. What's your concern with increasing track?

As for an 8" rim over a 7"? Because it looks cooler. Who doesn't like dish?!
In theory the 8" rim should keep the tire a little better controlled, but the difference would be negligible. 7" would be a little lighter. On an 8" rim the tire still protrudes well past the rim, so you won't be scratching them up. Both rims clear the brakes/suspension. Both end up with the tire in the same place. Either would be quite ok.