33x10.5?

[asalnick]

I have a series 3 88 with the stock 15" rim and good stock springs. My tires are nearing the end of their life and I am thinking of going a little bigger. I am investingating staying with the 15" rim but have a few questions. Anyone running a BFG 33x10.5? Do I need to lift some to put these under it? THoughts on these with a solid motor?

Cheers,
Adam

[singingcamel]

Go with a narrower tire, the 10 " tires will ballon out at the side walls.

[leafsprung]

They dont balloon out. The rover 15s are wider than the 16s. You will need to adjust your steering stops and you might rub a touch in the rear wheel well, but 33x10.5 works fine. I know lots of rover owners running them. I have them on an 88 as well:

on rover 15s turned inside out:



On stock rover 15s (they are down there):

[singingcamel]

they will if you get a thin side wall. the option of a heavier side wall will help. or as on previous post reverse the rim.
a taller narrower tire is what i would recommend

[leafsprung]

Marc,
Turning the rim inside out (ie cutting the centers out and rewelding them with the hoops reversed) has no effect on the sidewall profile, it merely changes the offset and backspacing. AFIK there aren't any "sidewall options" for the 33x10.50 The only folks offering that size is BFG . . . The only thing "taller and narrower" as per your recomendation is the 34x9.50 Swamper LTB.

[thixon]

Ike,

do you scrub at all up front while turning, with suspension fully articulated?

[leafsprung]

tires

Not with those wheels. There was an 88 running them on stock rims that attended our new years run (pictured), it didnt seem to scrub either.

[scott]

skinny talls get better traction in mud and snow in my opinion. airing way down will create a bigger foot print for sandy surfaces. i have 16s mounted with cooper discovery sst 265/75 16 with load range E. run 35 psi for a comfortble ride and drop 'em down to 15 psi for crawling around. this about a 32 x 7.5 tire that fits well in my wells. i've paraolics which lifted it about 1" over stock

[leafsprung]

skinny talls get better traction in mud and snow in my opinion.

Only in shallow mud/snow. For deep snow/mud you need wide tires that clean well and lots of HP. 10.50s are pretty narrow for a modern radial. Section width on a bias ply 7.50x16 is over 9 inches (as much as 9.50 on some brands). 10.50s are not that much wider, especially considering their radial construction.

[yorker]

Is the tread actually 10.5 wide anyway? sometimes the actual measuremnt isn't as wide as that anyway. even if it is true 10.5 that is what 265mm- 255? What is the true height? 32"?

That really isn't a huge tire- IIRC it replaced the 33 9.50 15s BFG made and those were great on Series Land Rovers.

[badvibes]

skinny talls get better traction in mud and snow in my opinion. airing way down will create a bigger foot print for sandy surfaces. i have 16s mounted with cooper discovery sst 265/75 16 with load range E. run 35 psi for a comfortble ride and drop 'em down to 15 psi for crawling around. this about a 32 x 7.5 tire that fits well in my wells. i've paraolics which lifted it about 1" over stock

Scott you have 235/85/16s just like me. I know because I was there when you bought 'em and I have your truck in my driveway right now! Tall skinnies in the mud work pretty good, I almost think tread pattern is as important as footprint. I ran 33x10.5x15 Swampers on my Heep and they were killer in the mud. They sucked in any kind of wet pavement conditions though, rain or snow. I've run wider mud tires too and they didn't bite as well as the Swampers. My BFG ATs are good in wet conditions on pavement and OK off-road but they load up terribly in mud, not their forte IMO. It's all about the tread pattern and siping. Size-wise I think the 235s are about as big a tire as a stock suspension can usually handle for clearance. I replaced my suspension about 7 years ago with the stock 9 leaf front, 11 leaf rears and clearance with 235s is a non-issue. The 33x10/50s do look good but I'm wondering what kind of rubbing one might get when totally crossed up and with the wheels cranked hard. If you've got the clearance I think the 33x10.50s would be a good choice size-wise.

Jeff

[NC Rover]

Not sure if these pics can help since my rover had D90 axles but maybe could give you an idea of a different tire size.....

BF Goodrich AT
33 X 9.50 X R15

2" Lift on the vehicle.

[yorker]

It is kind of funny how 4X4 styles have changed, this used to be the typical 88 tire size:



they almost look silly nowadays...

[Alaska Mike]

Not sure if these pics can help since my rover had D90 axles but maybe could give you an idea of a different tire size.....

What size are those. Just trying to get an idea of what fits without rolling too many tires next to my rig.

[NC Rover]

What size are those. Just trying to get an idea of what fits without rolling too many tires next to my rig.

BF Goodrich AT
33 X 9.50 X R15