Tyre Size

[julesta]

Hi there,

New to the whole forum thing so excuse my ignorance....

I currently own a 2008 Grand Vitara 2.7L V6 Auto and will shortly be putting in a 40mm lift kit. i currently run a set of 225/70/R16 HT tyres and would like to know what the biggest set of tyres I could run once the kit is put in. I'm currently looking for extra height so would a 235/85/R16 fit and not rub under the wheel archers or am I only going to be able to put a 225/75/R16 size?

Does anyone also know of who can replace and fit the rear tow bar as this sits awfully low to the ground (hence the lift and tyre size) that is still certified to tow a trailer??

[gwagensteve]

Hi Julesta welcome to the board.

We have some other members that might be able to help more specifically, but I'd be VERY surprised if a 235/85/16 would fit a current GV without major fabrication work. That's quite a tall tyre. It's a lovely idea, but I don't think it's practical.

It's important to recognise that a 40mm lift doesn't really allow the fitment of larger tyres at all. When the suspension moves, the wheels will still move in the same way as they did before the lift was added - all the lift is doing is moving the "normal" position of the suspension, it doesn't effect the limits, so if the larger tyre rubs now, it will still rub with the new suspension once it's compressed 40mm- which could happen driving into a driveway... let alone whilst offroad.

I do think that 245 75 16's have been mentioned though as a suitable fitment (That's about 1" taller than standard). someone else may be able to confirm this.

However, most manufacturers allow enough clearance around the factory tyres for snow chains, and that generally means there's 25mm of clearance at the closest point. generally, it's possible to run a 2" taller than stock tyre without clearance problems, so long as width isn't excessively changed, and rim offset isn't significantly altered.

Cheers,

Steve.

[andrew_wale]

Julesta.

Great to here from another Grand Vitara owner.
I had a 1999 V6 Grand Vitara for 10 years with OME 40mm suspension lift.
I was able to fit 225/75 R16 MTR's (29") without any modifications to the flares etc, although they did rub occasionally.
The original tyres were 235/50 R16's (26")

The 245/75 R16's (approx 31's) would have rubbed abit to much on mine.
Not sure how the 2008 models go though.

[julesta]

Thanks guy's for the feedback. Probably best until the lift is in then get the tyres fitted and see where we can go.

Any ideas on the rear tow bar issue I have? the GV is such a great car and very capable but to have that tow bar sitting so low sort defeats the purpose. I guess the factory pitch the car to a different market??

Piranha Off road in Bayswater Victoria can modify the towbar but wont certify the bar for towing which I need for the dirt bike and possible camper trailer down the track. There would be now body mod's need to the rear which I'm happy to do as long as I can lift the tow bar up so that I don’t keep scraping each time I set out off road.

[gwagensteve]

Sorry for not mentioning the tow bar.

No, I'm not aware of anyone that would modify the bar and rate it for towing. They might be happy to do it, but a "rating" is a different matter altogether - that implies liability should a trailer come loose, or your car be damaged. That's a bigger responsibility than most fabricators would be willing to take on.

I understand your pain though - it does seem to hang down very low. Perhaps it's not too time consuming to remove altogether for off road trips and replace for towing?

Steve.

[julesta]

Seems that might be the only option for the tow bar but it is a bit of a pain to remove especially if you only decide to hit a few tracks last minute, like I did last weekend.

[steve125]

Hello julesta, I have an '08 diesel GV and have gone through the whole suspension/tyres thing. It all got too difficult/expensive for only a small gain in clearance so I decided to modify my Sierra instead. But you probably don't have this option.

235/85 is almost 32 inches tall. I have seen 31s fitted with major modification. 245/75 is just under 31 and will just fit (I tried one on for size and there was maybe 5mm clearance). One owner with 245/75 Kumhos used a heat gun to soften the plastic inner guard and push it in where the tyre rubbed. I believe 30 inch is about the maximum that will comfortably fit without mods but there few tyres this size, they are either a little bigger or a little smaller.

Have you seen newgrandvitara.net? It has all this information.

With the tow bar, it does hang a bit low but is also an effective bumper that will stop you ripping the plastic one off.

[julesta]

Hi steve, thanks for the feedback. I to have looked into spending the money that i would on the GV on something that has already had work done to as an option. it seems and GV 2005 and older are too new and not in demand for mods just yet.

I think to be safe 30" tyres will be the maximum that I can put under the wheel arch.

Thanks for the web site, I havent seen this one before.