Is anyone running 255/85/16 M/T's on a 90 then........

[sae70]

.............

After some extensive research & pondering I'd made my mind up on a 1.5" BL a set of 285/75/16's & wheel spacers/body panel manipulation as required. But I got the chance to spend 45min having a look under Fiery today for the first time since buying her & I'm now leaning more towards the 255/85/16 option

I've seen a lot of threads where peeps are discussing them as an option but have only seen the one truck running with them & only the one photo

So anyone else running a set of these on a collie then

 

[24Seven]

Yes

Pictures are Here and more Here

 

[sae70]

Yep your the owner of the truck that I speak of

And this is the photo

Wales i seem to remember

Refresh my memory 24Seven you only run a 2" suspension lift with no BL or wheel spacers to run with the 255/85/16 tyres & experience a little rubbing when cornering & braking, is this correct

So anyone else running 255/85/16's then Or is it a very elite club

 

[SiCarrie]

I've recently fitted Cooper STT's - 265/75R16 to mine (standard suspension etc), with no problems at all. Highly recommend the Cooper.

 

[sae70]

I've always run the Cooper STT's in the past & have been very pleased with 'em but they are not available in the 255/85/16 size But you no what they say a change is as good as a rest & I'm really loving the look of the KM2's

Here's something prety sad I did for myself the other evening

265/70/16 30.61/10.43/16 standard fitment

265/75/16 31.65/10.43/16 increase in diameter over std fitment 26.42mm extra ground clearence over std fitment +13.21mm (+13.21mm)

305/70/16 32.81/12.00/16 increase in diameter over std fitment 55.88mm extra ground clearence over std fitment +27.94mm (+14.73mm)

285/75/16 32.83/11.22/16 increase in diameter over std fitment 56.39mm extra ground clearence over std fitment +28.19mm (+00.25mm)

255/85/16 33.07/10.04/16 increase in diameter over std fitment 62.48mm extra ground clearence over std fitment +31.24mm (+03.05mm)

This of course make no allowance for how these tyre sizes are effected by rim width & inflation pressure

 

[24Seven]

Correct, OME 2" lift and that's it, the fronts will rub on the wheel arch liners braking with a lock going down hill but it's only minor.

I've trimmed the liners now and it's noise free.

I got the idea from an American Hilux / Surf site a few years ago and as far as I know it's an elite club on a 90.

 

[sae70]

Mmmm.........Grrrrrrrrr

Thought I had it sorted 1.5" BL a set of 285/75/16 tyres & maybe a small fettle with a possible 2" SL way off in the future. But now having spent some time under the truck with full left & right lock on I can see the advantage of the 255 width tyre just under there without going into the vertues (is that how you spell it) of a narrower tyre for off road performance. Now I'm looking into a 2" SL right off the bat to fit a narrower ever so slightly taller tyre.

To be honest I'm slim either way BL would give a better aproach/depart angle & enable a small tank lift, but the SL would in itself give better clearence below the diff & enable a slightly taller tyre giving even more diff to ground clearence Mmmmm........here we go again

24Seven do you get any tyre rub when for example you're cross axled with full lock on & one side of the front suspension is @ full compression

Another general question I have is do we know if the 2" Ironman SL gives the same amount of lift as a 2" OME SL and with either suspension lift do you loose upward travel & gain droop or does the suspension travel range remain the same once lifted but the truck just sits +2" higher

 

[Chris]

Or you can fit suspension strut top spacers that push your wheel centers forward without the SL, fit rear spacers to level up and fit taller tyres without rubbing at all.

Hah, that's thrown you, I bet. You can lift the IFS without lengthening the springs and dampers. But you CANNOT do both. BL doesn't make a huge difference. Looks good but you really need to fit wheel spacers to widen the track back out a little.

You mentioned lifting the tank. Well you do that with the BL but you then have to lift the tank guard as that is attached to the chassis not the body. It's a good mod. Then junk the bumpers are they are the biggest drag. Ditch any tow bar and go for a receiver if you need to tow. They are like a land anchor, especially as you have a SWB. You go in at a steeper angle with a SWB- yes?

Remember to balance the lift with the weight that you expect to carry or you'll just sink back down again. Too much spring and it'll be like riding an ironing board.
All been done before, so plenty of guidance.

Chris

Obviously ditch the side steps too in favour of some sliders.

 

[sae70]

Hi there Chris

You've made some good points there thank you But I've just spent the last hour going through all of those photos of 24Sevens & I do like the look of his truck with the lift & narrow tyres.

See what I mean Mmmmmmm...........milky, milky

I'm now heavily leaning towards the SL shelving the BL for now, but I do keep considering the 285/75/16 tyres in favour of a wider selection of tyre manufacturers Mmmmm.......I see that you are running a set of Cooper ST 255's I think the only other manufacturer I've stumbled over are Toyo

I carry less than 150Kg of off road kit with no winch 90% of that in the back so should be able to select a spring set up fairly easily I hope

24Seven did you do a thread on your SL & are those alloys your running the standard 15mm off set I'm guessing that they are as your spare is a standard FF collie ally which brings me nicely onto to next question please tell me you did a thread on your spare wheel carrier

PS - Very sexy photos especially the ones with the collie in

Oh and the roof rack you have there 24Seven Thule, Mont Blanc

 

[Chris]

I think you are missing the point. A strut lift would give you even more lift than that. Fraction of the cost and better wheel arch clearance. Have a look at KZJ90's posting on 33" tyres on his SWB. If you aren't going for a winch etc then std suspension components would give you a much better ride than OME etc

I have been known to tinker with 90s in the past.

Chris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ogJefncgUc

Sorry Crispin, can't seem to get you tube insert linky thing working

 

[sae70]

Mmmm............strut top spacers Not something I've considered with regards to the collie Very common in the Suzuki fold that I've come from I never ran with them myself always favouring an spring based SL from Calmini. I was on the Ironman web site last night (I think if I was to go for a SL lift it would be an Ironman from my readings between them & OME) & was looking @ the strut top spacers on there, from memory I think they came in 15 /30mm, do you know what kind of lift would you get from each of these Do you not loose suspension compression @least equivalent to the width of the spacer

Have a look at KZJ90's posting on 33" tyres on his SWB

Ah yes another very inspirational 90 for me I've spent very much time reading about his modifications as I have watching that video of Lil-Blue This vehicle swap has been a long time in the planning

I have been known to tinker with 90s in the past.

I've spent much time drooling over & photographing Lil-Blue @ the 4x4 show thinking to myself gosh that man knows how to use an off roader

Fraction of the cost and better wheel arch clearance

std suspension components would give you a much better ride than OME etc

Two or is that three valid & interesting points Mmmmm.........

Is there very much improvement with regards to flex/droop with the Ironman 2" SL

 

[Chris]

30mm top spacer gives you about 2 1/2 of lift from memory. But they don't touch your suspension at all. They go OUTSIDE of the McPherson strut unit. IE between the top pf the whole strut and the mounting point. They push the entire strut and wishbone downwards. As the struts are angled forwards, any lengthening means that you wheel centre moves forward too giving you better clearance behind the tower. And ... look, I just happen to have a set in my garage! Fancy that.

It's worth considering. Then go with Tough Dog spacers at the rear (two pairs)

Chris

 

[24Seven]

sae70 This all depends on how much money you want to spend, you could spend £££ chasing a very small gain.

I would have a look at Bosvark's posts about fitting large tyres on a buget.

Some other threads you may find interesting.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7682&start=10

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=7515

My roof bars viewtopic.php?f=19&t=116

 

[sae70]

There's that word again McPherson strut I've had no experience with these but those strut spacers effectively lower the mounting point of the Mcstrut then. Would you need to increase the length of the bump stop after fitting these to stop the shock topping out Sounds like an excellent value mod for the lift & if it was all about the larger diameter tyres I may be tempted but now I'm considering ditching the body lift for a suspension lift I'm starting to feel more comfy with my thought process After I had completed all the mods to my Vitara (3"SL, 3"BL, 31" tyres) the diff to ground clearance was 300mm @ the front & 250mm @ the rear & very occasionally in the ruts of my local lanes she would belly & need a little help from a couple of waffles So with this in mind I measured the diff to ground clearance of Fiery today & found it to be 240mm both front & rear This puts me @ an instant disadvantage over my recently sold Vitara So a 50mm suspension lift & the 255/85/16 tyres would give something in the region of an additional 80mm ground clearance bringing me back to a more level playing field with Snowy (my Vit) Going back to my original conclusion of a 1.5" BL to facilitate the fitting of a set of 285/75/16 tyres these modifications would only give me an extra 30mm ish ground clearance leaving me @ a disadvantage right off the bat compared to my old Vit for all that effort & expense. The decision to go with the 255 tyres over the 285 tyres has nothing to do with gaining the extra 3mm of ground clearance over the 285's but all to do with the width I called my local tyre supplier today & got a price for five of the 255's in the BFG KM2's £750 fitted & balanced I then got a price for five of the Cooper STT's in the 285 size & it was £750 the same So for me the 255 are a no brainer as is the suspension lift really but that could all change tomorrow you never know

That's where Iam @ the moment Thanks for the offer of the spacers though Chris Much appreciated

It would be great to find someone running the BFG KM2's on a collie before making that final call I'm just a little worried that the new side wall lugs may cause me some trouble

I would have a look at Bosvark's posts about fitting large tyres on a budget

I did read through his posts & you have to take your hat off to him but I just don't have the time for all the chasing around

Thanks for posting your roof bar topic I'm going to need a descent set for my Hi-Lift & waffles

Here's a couple of pic of how I used to load my truck for off roading

When I asked about your spare wheel carrier I was talking about the one on your rear door I can see that you've moved it over a little just wondered how you did it

So may try to find time to give WestCoast4x4 a call tomorrow for a chat about the Ironman lift

Please keep chucking info @ me in case I'm falling into a big hole

 

[sae70]

When I asked about your spare wheel carrier I was talking about the one on your rear door I can see that you've moved it over a little just wondered how you did it

I ment to post this YouTube link above to show you what I did with my last spare wheel bracket to get a 31" Cooper tyre onto it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAA1MJcpNY

 

[24Seven]

You don't miss a thing .................Yes my rear wheel carrier is modified.

A 255/85 on the back will hit the light with the door open, also not clear the rear wiper arm and maybe even hit the bumper.

The rear wheel carrier is held on with 4 bolts going into captive nuts inside the rear door.

Remove, elongate the holes in the carrier with a file to the required amount (not much) then I fitted some washers to the top studs behind the wheel to set the spare wheel off the wiper arm.

20 min job really in total.

Off to Wales now, so I don't I will be on the Internet until Sunday.

 

[sae70]

Off to Wales now, so I don't I will be on the Internet until Sunday.

Oh Have a nice weekend Take some piccys for me

 

[sae70]

Spoke with Paul @ West Coast 4x4 today What a very pleasant chap

Ended up ordering an Ironman 2" kit But he's currently out of stock & it's a 6 to 8 week delivery Oh well good things come to those who wait Not all is lost though while on the phone I also ordered a snorkel that should be with me the middle of next week

While I was making phone calls I also called my local Yota main stealer & ordered a new alloy wheel centre cap, fuse box cover & wait for it drinks holder lid Again should all be with me middle of next week

I then called my local alloy wheel refurbisher as the spare wheel is rotten & I want to run with it on show So drop that off on Monday

Halfords tomorrow to get a set of rubber foot well mats then on to my local motor factors for a set of seat covers & a compass with a sucky bottom

You see not all is lost those 6 to 8 weeks will fly buy & then a set of five 255/85/16 KM2's

Oh mustn't forget a fire extinguisher

 

[Chris]

For those of you wondering what this 'top spacer' idea is or looks like, here you are. The lift that it gives is amazing really. But cannot be fitted with a suspension lift too unless you can find a top ball joint drop kit to go with it

You then need some rear spacers to go in the back. I would put 2 sets in I think to get it level.

On a shortie, you are usually missing these bits which can be got from our own Mr Rubie

This is the lift it gave with a SL at the same time

Chris

 

[sae70]

Ah I see know A picture really does covey a thousand words

It's a shame that all these parts are not available from one supplier right here in the UK

Still very tempting to go for it untill my Ironman lift turns up

Have you any pics of the rear spring spacers fitted & in place Chris