New Wheels and Tires for the GV

[Brad.Jones]

Yeah used that calculator quiet a bit.

Mines got low profile 235/60/R16, I assume the GV came with a few different tyre options???
Because your numbers don't match mine? What tyre did your GV come with?

Assuming that the GV did come with a bigger tyre from the factory then I may well be able to fit the larger 225/75/R16 legally.

[christover1]

I take my wheels in, without the car, then they are happier to fit larger tyres.
Off highway use only
But You still need to consider your own insurance/legal needs, too.

[Brad.Jones]

Yeah I would really hate to have a crash on the way to or from the bush and not have the insurance cover it.
I'll be keeping my tyres legal...

[gwagensteve]

I can't make your mind up for you, but here's some input.

A 225/75/16, whilst technically illegal, is a pretty small tyre and it would be very difficult for an insurance company to decline cover on the basis of tyres of that size. There's been probably hundreds of GV's fitted with these tyres over Australia over the last 15 years - it's the only logical size.

If you are concerned about keeping the car insured, you will have to get written approval from your insurer for EVERY modification you intend - and that's not for the value of the item, it's that the item cannot influence a claim. I think you'll find that's almost impossible. Even window tinting is considered a "major modification" for an insurer, let alone a suspension kit that increases the cars ride height.

However, an insurer has to prove the modification contributed to the claim.

The problem is that you're unlikely to be satisfied with the performance of the largest legal tyre you can run. That's why some members are suggesting running two sets of tyres - a cheap set of retreads or something for trips, and the you can keep your stock tyres for daily driving. This limits your concern over insurance exposure to trips only, but has other advantages - you won't be driving on road every day on tyres that don't handle as well, your speedo won't be out, you won't be flogging out mud tyres on the road where they wear relatively quickly, and you won't have to drive to work on Monday with mud in the beads or a bent rim.

Like I said, I can't make your mind up for you, but since I joined the club in 1993 I've seen a lot of people spend money on "legal" tyres and then upgrade to larger tyres relatively quickly.

Steve.

[Brad.Jones]

If I compare the biggest legal tyre a 235/70/R16 which has a overall diameter of 735.4mm and a 225/75/R16 which is 743.9mm tall.
Making a difference of less than 10mm. Am I really going to notice that??? In fact having the tyre 10mm smaller will mean hopefully
I wont get any rubbing as most people seem to report once they have fitted the bigger tyre.

I appreciate your knowledge and I am far from making my mind up yet.

[Brad.Jones]

And the saga continues...
I have now been told that no one makes a 16" rim that will fit a Grand Vitara because of the bigger brakes.
Man I wish this was easier!

[andrew_wale]

And the saga continues...
I have now been told that no one makes a 16" rim that will fit a Grand Vitara because of the bigger brakes.
Man I wish this was easier!

You mean 15" rims?
The GV came with 16" standard.
If you mean 15" then they are correct. The rear brake drums will not allow 15" rims.

[Brad.Jones]

Nope I mean 16", apparently no one makes a 16" steel wheel with the correct stud pattern and the right offset to clear the bigger calipers in the front.
Its what I have been told by about 4 tyre shops now. Perhaps I am being told porkies I dunno.
I think I will just rock up somewhere and ask them to test fit one because I have heard so many conflicting stories now.
One guy suggested I shave a few mm of the caliper and that just sounded utterly stupid.

I think I have made my mind up on a tyre: A Federal Couragia M/T LT 205/80/R16.
I have been quoted $175 a tyre I am pretty sure thats not fitted but anyway still pretty cheap,
considering those insa retreads were selling for about the same on Ebay.

I just need to find a wheel now.

[gwagensteve]

Those Federals are a truly great off road tyre and very well priced, but I don't think I'd run them if you do many road km's. They have lots of void and they look like they wear quickly from what I've seen.

Have you checked the recommended rim for those 205's? I know that's what range rovers run, but for victorian conditions, a 7" rim is a bit too wide. It's pretty cheap to try them, and because of their narrowness, they will work excellently in winter.

It might be true that GV's can't use aftermarket 16" rims because of the position of the well in the rim fouling the caliper.

Will you notice 10mm in diameter? Well you'll never drive the same track on the same day in the same condition with each tyre, so no, you could never notice the dfference, however, generally taller, narrower tyres perform better than shorter, wider ones, so 10mm of reduced width and 10mm of added height is a bit more significant difference.

Andrew Wale had a GV with stock tyres, then 235 70 16 BFG AT's, then 225 75 16 BFG MT's. Of course he changed tread pattern, so it's hard to isolate the effect to the size.

Every other GV we've had in the club went straight to 235 75 16 right off the bat.

In general, I like to say if your tyres aren't rubbing they're too small. This is (obviously) a bit glib, but lightly rolling a guard lip, or adding a 10mm spacer under the rear bumpstop in isn't a significant modification to run the maximum tyre size you can without stepping up to very serious modifications. ( In fact, I've not seen a GV with bigger than 235 75's on it)

I like to talk about the point of diminishing returns. On a sierra, that point is a 31. At a 31, there's and easy and well proven formula for a capable car. Above that it's lots more money and work to run each step bigger, and whilst the car gets more capable each time, the compromises are bigger and the gain in performance is smaller each time.

I think 235 75 16 is the point of maximum return for minimum fuss with the GV, but your 205 idea is quite a good one too.

Steve.

[christover1]

My Couragias are a soft tyre, probably why they have such good grip on road.
(And off road)
This does cause faster wear, of course, especially on my daily driver.
But thats a little offset by the cost being cheaper.
Easier to find a smaller amount each time needed, too.
My Couragias on my Daily Driver Vitara are the same set I had on my Sierra.
For 2 or 3 years ish on Sierra and about 1 year on the Vit.
The ones from the welded Sierra rear did wear down a lot faster,
but the fronts held up well.
The wear factor seems a lot less on the Vit,
possibly beacuse rear diff is not welded.
Never popped any off the rims on the Sierra, possibly due to an experienced fitter,
who cleaned them, and used a glue type compound on the beads,
Not done enough off road in the Vitara,
to say wether the same is true on me Vit.
I'd recommend them for our light cars,
would be hesitant to use them on a 2 ton type truck.