The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Cbernhardt]

Hi, I am just about to purchase my first Toyota Landcruiser so its fair to say I am a compete novice. It's a 1990 model and has uprated suspension which leaves its 16" wheels looking a bit out of place.
Can the Landcruiser cope with larger wheels say 19" or 20", or does it significantly alter the ability and road handling of the vehicle? Also, if larger wheels are ok can anyone point me in the direction of a good source for wheel and tyre sets?
Many thanks

[Google]

[100rob]

Hi, is it the Colorado (90) or the Amazon (100)???

Rob.

[Cbernhardt]

Its a 1990 VX Diesel Turbo and the suspension has had a 2" uplift.

[jvoelcker]

What size engine does it have?  (Both the 100 series and 90 series came as VXs, etc)
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Cheers,

Julian
1994 HDJ80, with loads of mods without looking too obscene
1997 KZJ95 - Gilly's - plain black and muddy on BFG ATs.

[Cbernhardt]

Hi, its got the 4.2 Turbo Diesel engine.

[jvoelcker]

OK, it sounds like you have a 100 series.

The later models came with 18" rims, but it does limit your tyre options.

Why do you want to put on bigger wheels?  Bigger tyres I can understand, but not bigger wheels unless you are planning on the bling look??????
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Cheers,

Julian
1994 HDJ80, with loads of mods without looking too obscene
1997 KZJ95 - Gilly's - plain black and muddy on BFG ATs.

[wildsmith]

A 1990 100 series?    Think it might be an 80  
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Jon m0zxj

01 UZJ100 lifted (AHC & 40mm BL), ARB locked f&r, cryo'd 4.88's, TJM front bumper, 12k goldfish, sliders, rack, snorkel, 35's, storage, aux power etc.
93 HDJ80 sold
94 HDJ80 RIP

[Cbernhardt]

I was thinking of bigger wheels because the 2" suspension uplift has left the little 16" things looking lost. What would you suggest? Just bigger tyres?

[Desperatezulu]

Yep - bigger rubber! Changing the wheels and finding suitable tyres will be a lot of money. LCs are not the sharpest handling vehicles so you don't need low profiles tyres for performance  
Go for 33" or 35" tyres on a 16" rim  

Cheers,
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Andrew

'98 LC80 4.2TD VX 24v

[Cbernhardt]

Hi, Just been to National Tyres and when I told them I wanted the price of 4 35" tyres to sit on 16" wheels for a Landcruiser VX 4.2TD they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about.  In fact they said the best they could do would be a set of 225/80 instead of the 225/70 that are likely to be on it right now.  I dont have the car yet so I am unsure as to exactly what rubber they are carrying at present.

Their solution would only give me an extra 10mm and a narower tyre at that.

Where do I need to go to get good tyre advice and what exactly should I be asking for???

Many thanks

[Desperatezulu]

Hmm that doesn't sound right....

OEM size is 275/70R16 for the later 80s. I suspect your 1990 LC came out with 15" wheels but as it has 16" rims from what you've said, let's ignore the issue of 15".
I think the tyre size you're after will probably be something like a 35x12.5x16 - i.e. a different tyre size classification. (35 = height in inches, 12.5 - tread width in inches, 16 = rim size in inches). I think the modern (metric?) format that equates to something like a 315/75R16 tyre. Finding this size will be fun though!

A 285/75R16 is about 33 inches high/tall (285 = tread width in mm, 75 = height profile as a % of the tread width, 16 = rim size in inches). My suggestion would be to look at the 285s. Ok, they're not as tall as 35" tyres but they affect the gearing less and there are plenty of tyres available in this size. As you go bigger, the options shrink quickly and price goes way up.

Hope that helps a bit  

Cheers,
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Andrew

'98 LC80 4.2TD VX 24v

[Brett]

You've got a bit of duff info previously.

33 & 35" tyres are imperial sizing & the majority are only for a 15" rim.

The sizing is broken down as follows 33x12.50x15 & 35x12.50x15.

35 is the tyre height e.g. 35 inches tall, 12.50 is the tyre width, e.g 12 & 1/2 inches wide, 15 is the radius of the wheel, e.g. 15 inch.

Next you have the metric sized tyres, for example 285/75/r16. The sizing is broken down as follows:-
285 = 285mm wide, 75 = the aspect ratio which is 75% of the tyre width, e.g. 213.75mm tall, r16 is as before the radius of the wheel, this time 16 inch.

There are very few 35" tyres available for 16" wheels, Simex do a 35x10.50x16 but I would not recommend it for daily use it's a proper offroad tyre.

The metric sizes are equivalent to imperial sizes for example 285/75/r16 is roughly the same as a 33x12.50x15 but obviously it fits a 16" wheel.

Have a read of the various manufacturers tech sheets, it gives all the size info you need.
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Brett

20011 VDJ 200
1995 HDJ80 GS, 1HD-FT

[Wandering Willy]

If you want to get 4 new road tyres there are a couple of things to think about whatever size they are.

Because the car has 4 wheel drive, it's a good idea to swap the tyres around regularly so that they all wear about the same amount. This is a good thing for the differentials in the transfer box and the 2 axles. Many people buy 5 tyres as a set so that the spare matches and this gets introduced into the swapping process as well.

Because the tyres you need for off-road work are quite a bit different from ordinary road tyres, it's worth going to a specialist dealer. You will get more choice, advice and probably a better price as well. If you know what you want, consider buying them off the internet and either fitting them yourself or getting a local 'friendly' tyre shop to do it for you. With 2 or 3 tyre levers it's not too hard to do it yourself but you need a good pump if the job isn't going to kill you (not a foot pump)!

There are three grades of tyres for 4X4 cars:-

Road
A/T
M/T

M/T tyres aren't really suitable for fast road use. I have A/T tyres on mine and the are fine at legal speeds. Road tyres (e.g. Michelin M&S) aren't going to get you far in muddy conditions. Have a look at this web page to see what Goodrich supply to see the difference in the three typres:-

http://www.4x4tyres.co.uk/docs/tyres/searchresult.php?Manufacturer=BF%20Goodrich

Tyres from Goodrich, Coopers, Bridgestone, Michelin (if you are rich) are well regarded. Pirelli Scorpions are a good tyre for road and A/T use. Everyone has a different opinion of course.

I may be wrong but I think the 33" etc. tyres are cross-ply rather than radial. They are good for rocky conditions but I am not sure what they would be like for road use. Aggressive treads usually mean road noise and marginal handling. Cross-ply tyres shouldn't be mixed with radials.

The higher the ratio number (60, 70, 80 etc.), the more flexible the sidewalls will be. This means they can cope better with rough conditions but the car is less stable on the road - particularly if heavily loaded or towing a heavy trailer.

Some off-road radials tyres have thicker sidewalls and this makes them more stable and tougher in rough conditions.

Larger tyres - e.g. fitting the same section tyre on an 18" rim as was on a 16" one, will increase the road speed for the same revs. This puts a greater strain on the transmission and can reduce its life. You can replace crown wheels and pinions in the axles to lower the gearing but this gets expensive.

Larger diameter tyres give a bigger contact area which should help grip and flotation on poor surfaces so if you are serious about crossing deserts etc. this is a good idea but expensive.

The rim width sets a limit on the width of tyre than can be safely fitted. Again, a specialist will advise you but don't try fitting very wide tyres on standard rims. They will wobble about like mad making the car nasty to drive. While wide tyres give you a bigger contact area and better performance off-road in muddy or sandy conditions, they produce more drag and therefore increase fuel consumption.

You can find web sites which give you the range of tyre widths which can be fitted to different wheel rim widths.  Again, it's worth being conservative with the width of tyre even if the rim is technically able to take wider ones because of the stability problem.

Sorry if this is a bit of a ramble but there is a lot of options to consider. As you are going to be spending £400 to £600 you should check out the issues before spending all your pennies.

I hope this helps

Willy
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100 Series 2002 GX diesel automatic

[PtP]

This site might help you with your calculations of the diameters and widths etc: http://www.redrock4x4.com/tech/tire_calc.php

This tyre trader on e bay comes highly recommended from another forum I’m on. The link will also give you some insight as to all the different types of tyres available: http://stores.shop.e bay.co.uk/JCS-4x4-Wheels-and-Tyres__W0QQ_armrsZ1

These guys specialise in mail order Cooper Tyres: http://www.tyrespec.co.uk Also, if you’re unsure where to buy your tyres from, then either search the net or pop down to WH Smiths and pick up a copy of Total Off Road or similar and you will find plenty of different tyre suppliers advertising there. I don’t reckon that the likes of National Tyres and Kwik-Fit etc have a clue when it comes to some of these bigger sizes and different makes.

Have a look at these sites too:
http://www.bfgoodrich.co.uk
http://www.kumhotyre.co.uk or http://www.marshaltyre.co.uk
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php
http://www.4x4-tyres.co.uk
http://www.blackcircles.com/tyres/4x4

This should keep you busy for a while!
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Peter
100 Series 2003 VX Diesel Automatic