Going bigger tyres

[whatscracken]

I'm due for a new set of treads on the old cruiser. Currently I've got 265/16 in bfg all terrians which have been great and are my third set. I have had the suspension done up since and have some room to go bigger, bigger also including a little wider. Its a 2H diesel and already doesn't set the world on fire with speed and going bigger tyres I should lose some speed. Can anyone let me know their expierences when going bigger tyres and whether you've lost heaps of speed on take off and what the braking is like. I don't have my heart set on a big set of wheels but I'm keen to know the pros and cons. Cheers

[russ81]

hows it going mate
i have a friend with an old cruiser and he is running 33's bfg mud terrain and absolutely loves them he has never had and dramas and it hasent affected power or take off
Russ

[finding_time]

Your next step up is the 285/75 16 or the 305/70 , these have almost the same rolling dia, with the 305 40mm wider than you have presently got. There a mean looking tyre esp. in a mudder but if you have the arch room this is what i would go for. Otherwise the 285/ 75 will be the go , your speedo will be about 6% out but will make bugger all differance to your acceloration/ braking.

[breamexplorer]

Just put a set of 285/75/16 Micky Thompson Baja Mtx on my 100 series, they look good, plenty of grip, speedo at 100 actual speed (via gps) 105, they not real loud but then again the 100 series is pretty sound proof, my only gripe is cornering, most probably the 75 profile and the tread depth combined make them feel to roll on moderatly sharp bends to a point of feeling uneasy. I havent been over to the beach yet so i cant comment on that, but all in all they look to be a good tyre, they also come with a written 80 000 km warranty ( still legal at 80000km).

[Reel Hard]

I fitted 33x12.5x15 to an old cruiser with a 2H 5speed I had and it went good.

[BenDover]

my 75 series i put 35 x 12.5 on and it made a big difference to fuel and speed. Lost 80 k's a tank. And made it much slower. Actually made my speedo correct when i got it calabrated it was right on the money. Solong as your not going too big you should be fine if you go too wide though you will have to run spacer plates on your front. Depending on the rims size and offset. My 15 x 10's rubbed on the tie rod ends on the front. And binded under suspension travel on the chassie in the rear. Id go 32's x 11.5 if i where you. And im a big all terain fan. Had muds for years and dont know why i even bothered with the noize and vibrations. smooth and noizless now.

[Fishin_Dan]

I'm running 33x11x16 BFG Muds on my 60 series without drama. Other than my speedo is slightly out... As long as you know it, it's all fine.

[Wahoo]

my speedo is out a bit also

[tunaticer]

If you are going to be towing a boat stay with ur std tyres you will curse the larger diameter tyres when you need the power for overtaking on the freeway or whatever.

If you run around all the time with the same weight on board and fairly neutral conditions the larger tyre diameter may give you better economy and it may not nearly 50/50 depending on how strong your motor is working.

Jack

[BenDover]

i was hoping and wishing for better fuel economy once upon a time aswell tunaticer but when you go bigger tyres it will never happen. Always chews more even with lower revs at 100k's.... and even with tones of torque 1000+nm
BD

[Kleyny]

Larger tyres HMM

PROS: looks heaps better, more ground clearance, better off road driving, probably get more mileage out them

CONS: If you go larger than 15mm from standard in QLD you are illegal. therefore your insurance is compromised. and likely to get a fine. Go too big and you may scrub out on body parts. Your steering components may wear prematurely.

Neil

[BenDover]

Yeah but who cares about legal. I was told that solong as they dont stick out of the gaurds they are legal even 35's on a cruiser by qld transport. The fact is because noone knows and keep changing the laws and contridicting themselves. Just do what ya want solong as you deem it to be safe. And take out special 4x4 insurance which isnt much more expensive than normal but you have to be over 25 to get it. And then you can do what you want solong as it has an engineers report.

[Fishin_Dan]

Yeah but who cares about legal. I was told that solong as they dont stick out of the gaurds they are legal even 35's on a cruiser by qld transport. The fact is because noone knows and keep changing the laws and contridicting themselves. Just do what ya want solong as you deem it to be safe. And take out special 4x4 insurance which isnt much more expensive than normal but you have to be over 25 to get it. And then you can do what you want solong as it has an engineers report.

No matter what insurance you get, if your car is illegal on the road, they will not give you a pay out. They will happily take your money, but won't give it back...

35's on the road in QLD, are not technically legal on a Cruiser. 33's are. It's the increase in overall diameter (as previously mentioned) that is the limit. Just because no-one is getting booked for it, doesn't mean it's legal...

[BenDover]

Thanks dan, But at the time thats what qld transport told me themselves!! i already rolled my truck 4x4ing and had told the 4x4 insurance company about all the mods i had done before it happened and they said it was all fine and fixed it... So for me... It is worth having. They specialize in only 4x4 insurance and are the people in the know. About what mods you can and cant do. And im sure they would let me know if something has changed and what id need to do to stay insured. So i dont really care about the laws and rules they make on the road solong as im insured its all good. Not to mention i got pulled over once (ever) with a bunch of other cars for roadworthy checks and they are so dumb they missed everything i did and wondered why my bonet was almost eye level, because they just didnt know!!! I had bracket specially made for my shackle reversal and they just looked like part of the truck etc.. Plus big black body lift blocks. No sway bars but moster adjustable shocks, big custom made greasable shackles. (Which is good for me..) Dont get me wrong. I didnt have a mod plate but i did get my own engineers reports for everything i do and just keep it in the glove box. Most guys are pretty cool and can see its done right/correctly and its safe and will just ignore it. But there is that few power hungry ones that will give me greef. In which i will take it back to standard for them and then back home to refit my custom made gear. After all im the 1 driving it. If its dangerous at all i wouldnt do it. Thats why my new truck is just mild. With a 5" suspension lift and im putting 33's on it. But i do have plans for a 3 with panhard rod /5 link front Based along the lines of this one www.actionjackson.com/cruiser/mods/20060110.asp. But using the original chassi mounts. We'll see how i go. Have to make it look fairly standard for the transport guy . Hide stuff and good old black spray paint
BD

[GBC]

Don't Calbah do bolt on 3, 4 and 5 link front ends for 80's?

I'd hate to try to go touring in his bus - you'd be working harder than a one armed paper hanger with crabs to keep it straight. Great flex but