JC Def 90

Member
Evening all, I hope your well.

I have recently just purchased a 2014 90 Pickup and wish to change the wheels, please could somebody inform me if the pics I’ve attached be okay with standard suspension?

15x10 Beadlock with 33x12.5x15 BFG Mud Terrains

Will I need spacers?
Will I need to adjust stop locks?
Will I need to cut the arches and add extra wide?

I won’t be off-roading (please don’t hate).

Thanks in advance,

Jonny
 

Attachments

  • C0257DDA-FCDF-4479-B27D-90F6790443A9.png
    C0257DDA-FCDF-4479-B27D-90F6790443A9.png
    141.1 KB · Views: 239
  • 0FC5EF08-57D2-4AB7-9E7F-4DF43EACE0E1.png
    0FC5EF08-57D2-4AB7-9E7F-4DF43EACE0E1.png
    128.2 KB · Views: 224
Why Mud Terrains for on-road?

Yes, they should fit, maybe need to adjust lockstops to stop rubbing on radius arms. You might need wide arches, 'it depends' ...

However, give it some serious thought that you're using a predominantly off-road tyre for an on-road application. Your handling is slightly compromised, but especially so in the wet, your road noise will be way louder and Mud tyres simply won't last as long as more road oriented tyres.
 
_DSC8551.NEF.jpg
Hi and welcome to the club.
+1 as the above. I think the standard size rim for Defenders are 16. Someone with more knowledge will soon come on here and shoot me down if I'm wrong. I have 16 inch rims on my 110. I would imagine you will be loosing a bit of ground clearance with a smaller 15 inch rim.
I have similar looking steel wheels on my 110 which I bought from Paddocks which were cheap and cheerful, however I wouldn't buy again as the paintwork has come away. I run with 235 x 85 x 16 which work well.
If you don't intend to do serious off roading work I would not go for mud terrain tyres for all the reasons mentioned above. I would suggest you look at All Terrain tyres. I have General Grabber's AT2's which have taken me across the sahara, Got me through the winter snow here and going through the forest. They have a much more comfortable ride, noticeably better in the wet and reasonably quiet and very good mileage. I wouldn't dream of putting Mud terrain tyres on my vehicle which spends about 80% of its time on the road. I'm sure if you go ahead with your present choice you will regret it.
The steel wheels I have are slightly off center which has enabled me to adjust the steering lock and given me a much better turning circle which is a great benefit, I can now park in tight Supermarket car parks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8ha
Morning Paul and Mike, I appreciate your comments and totally understand.

In regards to what I said it is just to make it aesthetically pleasing on my wifes eyes, I am hoping to re-create a single cab pick-up 'Spectre', please see the picture attached.

Having spoke with the owner he has 16' with BFG Muds, no lift just spacers.

Hence mine being a 90 I was unsure on fitting/clearance etc.

Nice trucks by the way.

Thanks,

Jonny
 

Attachments

  • defender spectre.jpg
    defender spectre.jpg
    195.9 KB · Views: 248
As Paul pointed out, loss of grip in the wet as there is reduced surface area in contact with the road, and even in the dry, your steering will not be as positive!
Those mud tyres will also generate a lot of road noise and vibration, which could seriously reduce the life of many components, including TRE's, shocks, electrickery stuff, and your teeth as a few examples!
On top of which, I hope that you have a solid bank account as the tread will scrub off in no time at all on tarmac, especially as being smaller, to run at 'normal road speeds' they will have to turn faster!! :eek::eek:
Do yourself a favour and stick some 750x16's on for road use, and save them for winter conditions ... but remember that they are neither use nor ornament on ice!!
Apart from that, enjoy yourself :):)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8ha
Thanks for the input you old sea dog, advice taken on board.

Could you recommend a chunky road tyre? its more the look I am trying to achieve, also have you a picture, tyre websites never give a good account, I apologise for the questions.
 
I use Cooper Discoverer STT Pro's, which have quite good road manners for a mud tyre, not too noisy and OK in the wet.
 
One thing I forgot to mention which oldseadog touched on is having a smaller rim (15 inch) instead of the 16 inch may also effect the reading/ accuracy of your speedo.
https://www.generaltire-tyres.com/car/tyres/summer/suv/grabber-at3
I'm not sure if you can still get the General Grabbers AT2's but the AT3's I'm told are just as good. Below are the AT2's which work quiet well in the snow and seem to be lasting very well. I've done over 50 thousand and there doesn't seem to be hardly any wear to them. Good luck with what ever you go with.



25875133193_f3c43671c6_o (1).jpg
 
Have a look at BFG T/A KO2s as they are more road friendly but also have an aggressive tread pattern for the sticky stuff. They are an "all terrain" tyre rather than a pure "mud terrain" one. They are not noisy at all and seem to handle OK in the rain on tarmac. Duty cycle is advertised as 50% road and 50% off road so they'll last longer than pure mud terrains on the road will. They are not cheap though. I've just put five on my new truck @ £160 each plus fitting but I do have 18" rims.

large_hilux3_jpg_b1ab85e4df34bcb64bfa665498b4bbc2.jpg


http://www.silverlinewheels-tyres.com/news/story/13

http://www.bfgoodrich.co.uk/gb/ranges/4x4-Range/BFGoodrich-All-Terrain-T-A-sup-KO2-sup
 
Last edited:
Evening Chaps,

I appreciate all help and assume I will be backing asking more questions, I will keep all posted and keep you up to date on my project.

Have a nice weekend.

Has anyone pictures of wide tyres and arches, with spacers?

Thank you
 
15 inch rims won't affect the speedo reading or ground clearance if the side walls of the tyre Increase to make them the same diameter as the 16 inch rims, as the tyres the op mentioned in first post are 33 inch the speedo would read under actual but he would have slightly more ground clearance
 
Evening Chaps,

I’m going to order the steels I first attached a pic off with some Cooper ST Maxx, size 285/75/16, do you believe this will be a better option than mud tyres I was suggesting, and I apologise it is going on a 110 single cab pickup. As previously asked, will it be best to add spacers?

Sorry Chaps
 
Evening Chaps,

I’m going to order the steels I first attached a pic off with some Cooper ST Maxx, size 285/75/16, do you believe this will be a better option than mud tyres I was suggesting, and I apologise it is going on a 110 single cab pickup. As previously asked, will it be best to add spacers?

Sorry Chaps
As they are designed for both on and off road use, they will be much better than pure mud terrains, as has been explained in great detail above.
A 285 profile is a wide tyre. Not 100% sure, but to avoid having a turning circle akin to an ocean going oil tanker you'll probably need spacers and will need to check the lock stops so they don't rub on the inner wing. The tyre width and spacer combo might push the outer edge of the tyre beyond the wheel arch eyebrow which will make it illegal on the road. Spacers move the turning force further out creating greater strain on hub components. Many don't worry about this. but personally I would avoid it.
EDIT
We are bombarded with adverts for tyres, with new designs coming out quite regularly. They do try to win our money by enticing us with superficial aesthetics. In reality your tyres are a complex and refined design and, arguably, one of if not the most important components on your vehicle. Aesthetics should not be the primary factor affecting your choice, IMHO.
 
Last edited:
I've got 265/70/16's on ET15 offset alloys, they only just fit in the arches of my 110CSW with no spacers
I did need to adjust the stops slightly which has reduced my steering lock
I would image 285's are going to need spacers unless you have a high offset wheel
:
coopers.png
1234.jpg
 
I run mine on 235 x 85 x16 on off set steel wheels. No spacers. Steering locks adjusted so I have a good turning circle. I'm not a fan of having spacers. Loads of threads on here regarding spacers wearing out wheel bearings much quicker.
 
Evening Chaps, and thank you again.

JimS, from what I can make out they are ET-32? What would this mean?

MikeScuba, I’ve read that too, yes it’s only for road driving really if that makes a difference.

Thanks
 
ET-32 is a very high negative offset, must be quite a deep dish wheel, should give you more clearance on the inside, but there's a risk the tyres will extend past your arches
 
just checked the paperwork for what the PO put on my 90. The receipts state:

Tyres are 285 / 75 x 16 BFG KM2 MUDs

It appears to have the following wheels ( I have not checked the marking to verify that this is what are actually fitted on it now.

16 x 8 ET08 Black Modulars.

No spacers fitted, but the turning circle can make it feel like the bismarck on a tight lane.
EDIT: Also the tread on the tyres does sit within the std wheelarch eyebrows.

Cheers
 

Similar threads