Tall and narrow tires

[fexlboi]

Due my tire research for our new Delica (5spd, lifted 2"+) I came across a few very interesting articles about narrow and tall tires. One of them is from Expeditions West http://www.expeditionswest.com/research ... _rev1.html
Position: A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions with the exception of deep, soft sand or mud.
If you have a look at all the overland vehicles as well as military vehicles, most of them have pretty skinny wheels for many reasons.

My initial plan was to go with 31x10.5R15 which would be too wide now. It looks like we have to go to an 16" rim to achieve a taller and narrower tire than stock. One goal is (regarding to the articles) to keep the width as close to the stock (235/75R15) as possible and just increase the tire diameter. So far this sizes are available:

245/75R16 is a little narrower than a 31x10.5. About the same height. Pretty much a 30.5x9.65

235/85R16 is even narrower and taller than a 31"-- about 31.7x9.25

At the moment I'm leaning to the 235/85 which would give me the MT tire option of a
Firestone Destination M/T
Toyo Open Country M/T
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 (too expensive for my taste)

Any thoughts? Anyone running one of this two sizes?

[delicat]

I have the Destination (31" Mud) and really like them. They are pretty quiet for this type of tire and the wear is quite good as well. Very good in the rain. As for offroading, again no complaints at all! My BFG a/t don't come even close (ok, different tires but still). Price is also very decent.

I'd try to gain a bit of width from stock if you could with your rim offset. It will make the van more stable (don't need much to feel the difference).

Cheers!

[jessef]

235/85R16 would be my recommendation

As for the tires :

Firestone Destination M/T - best bang for the buck
Toyo Open Country M/T - best durable tire (popular with overlanders)
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM2 - in between the Firestone and Toyo - best compromise

[Meanman]

31x 9.5x 15 , or 33x9.5x15 are also available. The downside of narrow tires is that from an ecological standpoint they leave a "heavier" footprint and a wider tire leaves a "lighter" footprint (less damage). I know that may not mean much now but down in the US it is becoming a deciding factor with offroad parks vs protected land.

[fexlboi]

Thanks guys! My first choice are the 235/85 Firestone too.
Toyo is interesting, but it seems there are not everywhere available which makes them a no go for travelling.
Meanman, it looks like the 31x9.5R15 is pretty rare. Could not find much information/tire option with this size. 33" would be too much. Narrower tires are leave bigger footprint for sure, but I'm not too worried about that if you drive carefully.

Now in terms of rims we could use either 16x6 or 16x7 with 4" backspacing. A few post on this forum recommend 15x7 with 3.75" backspacing with a 31x10.5R15 to gain maximum width (for car stability) without the sliding door rubbing on the tire.

This is now a 16" with a narrower tire. Are there any difference in terms of backspacing?
Also because the Delica has fender flares, would it be possible to go even further out?

[Pajero]

I just Put a set of 255/70/R16 tires on my 94 Pajero and they are pretty much the same height and the stock 31x10.5 just a bit narrower, they are my winter tires from my sport trac I sold to buy my Pajero.


Joe

[mararmeisto]

One of the foremost reasons for a taller and skinnier tire is what Meanman is alluding to: a narrower tire will cut down to where it can gain traction much better than a wider tire. This tends to leave ruts. Look at the green lanes in England: some of those roads have been used for hundreds of years, and they have the ruts to prove it!

The only place tall/narrow tires won't work is soft deep sand or mud, when you need to apply a Canadian technique we use in the winter: snowshoeing. Let some air out of your tires to spread out the weight distribution in order to stay on top of the ground instead of digging down into it. This is more difficult to do with tall/narrow tires, but quite easy to do with fat mudders or A/Ts.

[sasquatch-hunter]

If you really like narrow (great contact pressure), you should go for 7 x 15. Only Yokohama makes this size in radial now. I had Bridgestone Jeep Service on my Suzuki (now history); they were the greatest mud tires.

[Meanman]

check out Interco tires....they have some great tall/ narrow tires available.
http://www.intercotire.com/

[fexlboi]

Thanks sasquatch-hunter and Meanman, but a rare tire/company is not an option. This car will be for overland travel outside North America, therefore a common brand/tire size is necessary.

Anybody know more about my backspacing question?

[docsavage]

Flex,

I would look at these tyres by Maxxis:

http://www.maxxis.com/AutomobileLight-T ... udder.aspx

Maxxis is not as easily available in Canada, but are available throughout the rest of the world. They are available in the 30x9.5x15. I have read a lot of good reviews on the Buckshots. I will likely get some when my current rubber wears out.

As for backspacing, I would go wide enough to get the tyres just to the edge of the flares. Make sure they don't stick out past the body panels. I am currently running 265/75/R16's on my van, and with the lift (about 4 inches) there is still some rubbing that needs to be addressed with some panel trimming. I prefer to keep the tyres inside the wheel well to ensure there is articulation the full depth of the wheel well.

[jessef]

16x7 with 3.75 or 4" backspacing with 9.5" wide tire will do.

You can go 3.5 " backspacing as well

[fexlboi]

Thanks docsavage. I know Maxxis just from their great products for mountain bikes but had no idea they have car tires as well. So far I think I want to stick with the big brands either Michelin, Bridgestone/Firestone or BFGoodrich to have no trouble getting replacement wherever we go.

Alright so now it's time to find a good price for Firestone Destination M/T 235/85R16 with 16x7 rims and 3.5-4" backspacing.

[jessef]

Tirerack or discounttiredirect

You may have a difficult time sourcing Firestone products in central and south America from what I've heard.

BFG's are very common but with that, you pay a premium.

If you are driving down south, I would recommend to do the trip with a minimum of 4+1 spare but I would take 2 full spares (if you can fit them - tire carrier) and rotate them in during the trip.

[fexlboi]

You may have a difficult time sourcing Firestone products in central and south America from what I've heard.

Don't know how it is in the local tire shop in South America, but because Firestone is a part from Bridgestone (largest tire manufacture in the world) it should be no problem.
It seems they have quite a few major manufacturing plants all over the globe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeston ... _locations
At least Brasil http://www.firestone.com.br and Argentina http://www.firestone.com.ar even have their own website.