Tyres...

[Navraj Singh]

Hey Guys,

I have managed to find myself a 100 series in the UK. I think that its a fair price for the vehicle and will post details of it later on in the day.

My question is regarding tyres.

At the moment the cruiser has Dunflops 275/60R18's on it but need to be changed. What tyre should I go for and where can I get them. I need a general guideline on the price so that I can negotiate with the seller for a discount on the value of the tyres or convince him to change them.

I was thinking of BFG A/T. Nothing on the MT spec as I will be using the VX only on tar.

 

[Chris]

If that's the case, I'd save your money and leave the Dunlops on. Why buy all terrains, when you know the terrain is tar? Some people really seem to 'diss' the Dunlops. I have had several sets (came as standard) and I have to say I have had much worse tyres. OK, the AT whether BFG or similar are really good, but is it necessary to change them, really? If you hate them with a passion why not go for a road tyre like the Michelin Synchrone or something like that.

Just a thought.

Chris

 

[Navraj Singh]

Hey Chris,

I got an Inspection report done on the cruiser by Dekra and this was what they said about the tyres.

All 5 tyres are dunflops size 275/60R18.
The front tyres have 3mm tread left on them.
The LH rear tyre has 2mm tread left
The RH rear tyre has 1mm tread as well as the spare.

According to them I have to change the tyres with 1mm tread. I thus thought that it would be better to change all the tyres. Seeing as I will only be using the car in UK for about a year then exporting it back to Kenya I was thinking it would be better to fit AT's so that I do not have to change the tyres again when I get to Kenya.

The reason I wanted BFG's is because they are easily available here and the agent is a close friend

The reason the Amazon will only be used on tar is because of the insurance. I am a student after all and every penny will count

Regarding the Dunflops , these tyres are not able to handle what is thrown at them in Kenya and blow out quite often. BFG and Michelin are probably the best that you can get but michelin is Expensive!!

 

[Rob]

Navraj, the legal minim tyre depth in Europe is 1.6mm (including the spare) and i would recommend changing any tyre which is below 3mm as their grip in the wet deteriorates very quickly. There are fines including 3 points for each tyre for driving around on worn tyres and yes that includes the spare.

 

[Graham]

Hi Navraj,

Well, it looks like you need new tyres, and not by choice.
Them Dunflops are really done for.

If your mate is a BFG A/T supplier, then that makes the obvious sense.
275 x 67 x 18 are made, but not the 60 series.

http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire-sel ... re-details

Graham

 

[Andrew Prince]

Hi Navraj

Your options in 275/60R18 are fairly limited - there are a few online tyre sellers, so you could look there for prices. Eg: Camskill
It looks like you're in for £110-130 per tyre and proper ATs are not really on the menu.
If you go up a size to 275/65, the Toyo Open Country AT are available, which are regarded as good ATs with a slight tar bias compared to some. They offer a few sizes in the 18" range so will probably be your best choice.

The reason the Amazon will only be used on tar is because of the insurance. I am a student after all and every penny will count

Note that "green-lanes", where cars are permitted, are counted as public roads and your insurance will cover you! Off-road in the UK means off-road courses, Pay n Play sites etc. Dirt roads (i.e. green lanes) can still be considered as on-road

Cheers,

 

[Navraj Singh]

Cheers Guys,

I definately do have to change the tyres, might as well go for the whole set.

Thanks for the link Graham.

 

[Navraj Singh]

Hi Navraj

Your options in 275/60R18 are fairly limited - there are a few online tyre sellers, so you could look there for prices. Eg: Camskill
It looks like you're in for £110-130 per tyre and proper ATs are not really on the menu.
If you go up a size to 275/65, the Toyo Open Country AT are available, which are regarded as good ATs with a slight tar bias compared to some. They offer a few sizes in the 18" range so will probably be your best choice.

Note that "green-lanes", where cars are permitted, are counted as public roads and your insurance will cover you! Off-road in the UK means off-road courses, Pay n Play sites etc. Dirt roads (i.e. green lanes) can still be considered as on-road

Cheers,

I had a look at camskill website and it seems that I can only get BFG's either in 265/65R18 or 285/65R18 for about GBP 170.00 each . Thats gonna be a killer......

What would you guys say about the size options above??

On the green-lane issue, are you talking about the off-road tracks that I saw in some of the trip reports??
Cuz if thats so....then, time to study might become a bit scarce

 

[Andrew Prince]

On the green-lane issue, are you talking about the off-road tracks that I saw in some of the trip reports??
Cuz if thats so....then, time to study might become a bit scarce

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

If you aim to keep the tyres when you return to Kenya, what is availability of 18's like there? Might you be better off swapping to some 16" wheels with more tyre choices?

 

[Navraj Singh]

That would be a better option but the problem is the green.

Already the extra 800 - 1000 GBP for the tyres means that I will have to forgo the DSLR camera that I had planned to buy. Unless it would amount to the same for a 16" rim plus tyre???

 

[Rob]

well we do have a member on here that has a huge collection of 16" 100 series alloys

 

[Navraj Singh]

well we do have a member on here that has a huge collection of 16" 100 series alloys

Possibly you can point me in the direction of this member

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

18" wheels seem to fetch good money on eBay so you *should* be able to sell the 18's for more than a set of 16's (possibly with decent road tyres) or you might be able to do a simple swap with someone.

My wheel collection has been on a bit of a diet and all my 16" rims are accounted for

 

[Navraj Singh]

Cheers Jon,

The search continues.....

 

[Chris]

Nav, good point well made. QED I think. Didn't realise that they were stuffed.

Just a bit of sideways thinking that was all.

I love the ATs by the way. They are a great tyre in my view.

Chris

 

[Navraj Singh]

Nav, good point well made. QED I think. Didn't realise that they were stuffed.

Just a bit of sideways thinking that was all.

I love the ATs by the way. They are a great tyre in my view.

Chris

No worries,

I always appreciate a different perspactive on things.

Looking at all the aspects, I will go with the BFG AT's. It will probably work out best. The only thing is what size??

 

[Navraj Singh]

Rite,

Got another question regarding the tyres.

So far I have decided that I will keep the 18" rims and fit BFG tyres to them.

Currently the cruiser has 275/60R18's on and I can get 285/65R18 or 265/65R18's from catskill. Would either of these tyres fit the rims???

Tyre sizes confuse the hell outa me
Also, the 285/65R18, would that turn out to be about the size of a 33" or 35"????

 

[Andrew Prince]

Yes, pretty sure the tyres will be ok on your standard rims.

the 285/65 are about 5% bigger than standard 275/60, and the 265/75 will be 1.8% bigger. The 285/65s will be just shy of 33". For 35" you would need to go nearer 285/75R18, which is what Jon runs on his 100 (on-road)

I'm sure you'll be fine on either the 265 or 285s!

Cheers,

 

[Navraj Singh]

For 35" you would need to go nearer 285/75R18, which is what Jon runs on his 100 (on-road)

Cheers Andrew, that was really quick

I dont think I will go for 35" cuz I would have to re-gear the diffs to 4.88 and that can get quite expensive plus i'm sure it affects the fuel consumption