Being new in this forum I started by reading most of the threads on tyres, but to be honest, without really having my question answered.

I drive a Defender 90 (200tdi), which I bought with Michelin 7.50R16 on standard rims. So far they have served me well, but as they are getting worn I am thinking of replacing them with BFG AT KO 235/85R16 or 265/75R16 on Boost alloys.

I mostly drive ON roads (90%) but would still prefer an all-round tyre as I live way out in the muddy countryside.

And now the question! Will the handling become sluggish on the relatively wider tyres? I once had the experince of driving a Defender with 285/70R16 on steel modular rims, and that felt like driving on balloons when on surfaced roads.

I am keen on getting the 265 rather than the 235 as these will match the diameter of the 7.50 exactly, thereby maintaining a true reading on the speedometer (I know that the difference is small, but nevertheless).

Any experiences with this kind of swap is highly welcome as I would love to avoid 'mistakes' at 185 pounds per set of rim + tyre.

wider tyres will slow you down and make you use more fuel i know i run 305s but doupt you would notice much difference between 235s and 265s

What makes you think your speedo is accurate now? I run 265's on me disco and according to the sat nav the speedo is now pretty much spot on. Which means it was fookin miles out with the standard tyres on.

I run 265's on my 90 speedeo now matches sat nav. Fuel economy 27ish to the gallon.

SCOTSMAN said:

I run 265's on my 90 speedeo now matches sat nav. Fuel economy 27ish to the gallon.

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Your speedometer and my speedometer are both accurate as the 265/75R16 and the 7.50R16 have exactly the same circumference (2524.5 mm). The 235/85R16, however, has a circumference of 2531.1 mm which would make the speedometer show slightly less than your actual speed.

The 265/75R16 is of course a lot wider than the 7.50R16 (roughly 1 3/4 inch), which I presume could effect the general performance on surfaced roads.