New Tires for Lightweight

[Duckman]

I have a Series III lightweight and am in dire need of new tires. As a part of this I am wanting to go back to stock as much as possible - not only for looks but also for the sake of getting my speedo to read as correct as possible. Using the stock 5.5 x 16 rims I am looking to go with a set of 215/85/16. These seem to be the closest in diameter and width to the stock 6.5 x 16 that I can find. Is anyone else running anything this size? My current tires are 235/85/16's so I am not expecting any issues going down in diameter as far as fitting the stock rims. Also looking at Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac's if anyone has any experience. Thanks.

[cedryck]

I like BFG, had mud terrain on my d90 (truck long gone, lives in Tennesse now) and I have BFG MK2 on my series. Like them, good tires.

[jac04]

The original size on the Lightweights was actually 6.00 x 16. Dutch Lightweights were fitted with 7.00 x 16 tires. 215/85-16 would certainly fit the bill and look appropriate. I went larger and ran 7.50 x 16 Michelin XZLs on my Lightweight. Pricey, but a nice 'military' tire.

If you are going for the military look, then Coker has a few cool looking tires available. Not sure they would be that great to drive on:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-67640/overview/
https://www.cokertire.com/650-16-firestone-knobby-truck.html

[parksy]

To be honest they may have been despatched with 6.00 x 16 but as an end user (British Airborne/Air Assault) we quickly put them on 7.50x16s so they were the same as our other landies/Trailers etc. The trailers also started on 6.00x16s.
Michelin XZL 7.50x16 look great on them in my humble opinion and is one of the tyres we used to run!

Parksy

[Duckman]

Dang it, just when I thought I had put this to rest. Those XZL do look the business - any ideas on distributers? I can't find anything on Michelin's webpage.

[jac04]

Those XZL do look the business - any ideas on distributers?
Rovers North has them. Only $1700 for a set of 5:
http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=MICHXZL-5&type=3

[rwollschlager]

Rovers North has them. Only $1700 for a set of 5:
http://www.roversnorth.com/ProductDesc.aspx?code=MICHXZL-5&type=3

but you save $149.80!!!!!!

[Les Parker]

And they sell fast ! And last forever.

[jac04]

but you save $149.80!!!!!!

Yeah, with that kind of savings I may have to buy a set just in case....
... or the kids sure would like 5 tire swings!!

[Duckman]

Yeah, with that kind of savings I may have to buy a set just in case....
... or the kids sure would like 5 tire swings!!

I was thinking the same thing.
"Hey kids, these tires are the reason we are eating bologna every night for dinner."

[jac04]

"Hey kids, these tires are the reason we are eating bologna every night for dinner."
Oh no, you won't even be able to afford that. Think Ramen Noodles!!

Anyhow, I definitely splurged on the XZLs when I restored my Lightweight. They really are an awesome looking tire, and I was very surprised at how they were on the road - they handle very well in dry conditions and don't make much noise at all. You just need to run them at about 25/28 psi. Wet traction, however, was horrible.

Just get them. You know you want them. Make sure to post pics after they're installed.

[cedryck]

How about longevity, will they last, or die young?

[darbsclt]

And they sell fast ! And last forever.

When I moved from 15" to 16" rims... I knew that I wanted "original" (old school) looking 7.5 x 16 radial tires. With that in mind, I had a hard time finding any alternatives that I liked more than the XZL's. Unfortunately, I also had a hard time with the price from our hosts (I needed a full set of five). I even looked at importing a set directly.

After much research and crunching the numbers (freight, customs, currency conversions) I determined that purchasing them from RN was the best option for me. After the initial sticker shock... I have to say that these tires are among the best investments I have made in my vehicle. RN's service was fast... the tires arrived in perfect condition... they ride GREAT... and look even better.

In short - I love them

[jac04]

How about longevity, will they last, or die young?

I only had about 3k all-pavement miles on mine when I sold the vehicle, but they still showed signs of the molding 'nubs' on the face of the tread.

[Les Parker]

Nice ! Thanks for sharing the pic. As I've said before, they last long time.

[Just A Number]

I put these on my lightweight. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cok-67640/overview/ They whine a bit less than the original tires that were on there and they look pretty good to boot. 1200 miles so far and they still look nice.

http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o793/JustANumber72/biggles_zps1c79f2cd.jpg (http://s1343.photobucket.com/user/JustANumber72/media/biggles_zps1c79f2cd.jpg.html)

[cedryck]

Nice lightweight, nice to see.

[Escargo]

Don't know that I've ever driven on bias ply. Can you feel any difference?

[mearstrae]

You'd notice the difference on a car but probably not on a truck. Coker makes old fashioned tires that are seen at antique car shows, where folks want tires to complete the proper period look.

'99 Disco II
'95 R.R.C. Lwb (Gone...)
'76 Series III Hyrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[SafeAirOne]

Don't know that I've ever driven on bias ply. Can you feel any difference?

Yes. The first couple of minutes of driving the first drive of the day, there's a minor thumpity-thump while the flat spots get worked out of the tires. Longer in cold weather.

[BirdNerd]

I run Michelin XCLs on mine, love em-the compound is about the same as hard plastic and behave the same, but I think they look cool. I searched for years for them.

10592

Cheers,
BN

[Revtor]

Hey guys, recently did a tire swap and thought it would be good to throw some real life measurements and pics in the thread to ease tire buying "analysis paralysis". Crossposted to GnR forum..

So here we have three tires, all with zero miles, all mounted on LR rims and all at 35psi. I took three measurements: total height (diameter) measured up against a wall with a square. I measured width at widest point with the tire lying flat on the ground, using a straight edge and a square. And I measured the "tread width" which is where I determined the tread ended and sidewall began. This point is pretty evident when you look at the tires, there was some sort of clear point on all three.

It would be nice to get some actual measurements from other typical Rover tires too! (238 85 16, 7.5R16, 7.50 bias plys, XZL/XCL etc etc 7x16, 8x16 etc etc..

Hope this might be helpful, enjoy the snow!
~Steve

235 75 r15 Dunlop AT Radial Rovers. Close to stock for NADA trucks that came with 15" rims?
OD - 28 13/16" (28.81")
Width at sidewall -9 1/8" (9.12")
Tread width - 6 3/4" (6.75")

215 85 r16 Yokohama Geolandar AT-S. Tall 'n skinny! The "rover" look for sure.
OD - 30 3/8" (30.37")
Width at sidewall - 8 9/16" (8.56")
Tread width - 6 1/4" (6.25")

32 11.5 r15 BFG Mud Terrain. Beefy, lots of rubber on the 15" rims, may be perfect if you want to air down to get a big footprint. Fit fine w/parabolics.
OD - 31 3/4" 31.75")
Width at Sidewall - 10 1/2 (10.5")
Tread width - 9 1/2" (9.5")

10593