Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi Guys,

My newly acquired Vitara has a scrubbed tyre on the front and it needs to replaced now. Obviously, I cant just replace one.

I was thinking that I might put 2 new AT tyres on the front as there is a few months meat left on the back ones.

BUT, the back ones are HT tyres (205/70/15).

I have been quoted $127 for Toyo AT tyres (205/75/15)

Should I put 2 on the front or go for 4 to keep the rolling diameter the same straight away.

If I go for 4 would a different tyre be better. I just need to keep it on the road while I plan the mods etc.

Tks

Clive

if your not going to put it in 4wd then it sont be an issue if its different brands etc. yes it ugly but its only tempoary till you get your offroad treads.

Strangely enough when I bought my first set of tyres for the Vitara it was two rear Toyo AT's.

I think it was actually my front tyres that were stuffed but I put the A/T's on the back being rear wheel drive thought the new tyres on the back would be the go.


If youre other tyres are Bridgestones this is gonna start getting spooky.

its really up to you, obviously, but i would get some tyres that will be ok for the future. seeing as you need to get 2 new ones, why not use the 2 good ones as emergency spares, or sell cheap, and get a new set altogether.

or, if you want to upgrade now, sorta like planning ahead, you can get some cheap muddies, in a 235/75R15, or some 30"s cheap. around about $150-$180 ea.

or if you can scrape up the funds now, get a set of ATs, in a 235/75R15. something like a good year AT/R is good. you can mount the 235s on the stock zook rims, but if you're really worried about legalities, you may want to get some 15"x7" wheels a little later on when funds are available.

i know some people will say that 235's will scrub and rub a bit, but when i has 235s on my swb vit, no lift, the right tyre would occasionally touch the chassis rail on full lock right. easily fixed with after market offset rims. i've also seen 235 AT/Rs on a 5 door rav4 with no lift, and i have 235 MT/Rs on my X-Trail, and they dont touch.

if you get the same printed tyre size, the rolling diameter can't be excessively off from each tyre, so you can spend $254 on 2 tyres now, and maybe within a year, when you get it lifted, you can spend $800+ on a new set. which, with the extra $250 or so, could get you the next size up tyre, or a better AT or MT tyre.

you dont use 4wd on the road, and if you need it off road, chances are your tyres and slipping or spinning anyway. the sierra i have here now have 30" MT/Rs on the front and 30" BFG muddies on the back. so what? off road, wind up, if it winds up at all, will only be short short periods. and with AT, or HT, they have little grip off road anyway.

think of it this way, your first mod to the vit, are the tyres. the tyres you get now should last you at least another year, and with in the year, you could have put in a lift kit, and would have built up experience off roading with the vit. some people often rush into modding their 4wds with out fully exploring its capabilities 1st.

if $$$ are tight, then just get the 2 AT for now. if not, sell the barina, use half of it to get your wheel and tyres. and the other half for the OME lift. problems solved.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your terrific advice and great PM offers.

I feel like I have joined a friendly club here.

I found a tyre place at Milperra that specialises in second hand. They supply 90% tread depth for about $80 a tyre and have a large variety of AT in 15in.

The Vitara has aftermarket Suzuki mags that are 15 x 7. Unforunately they seem to be designed for a car and the stud/hub covers cover the manual hub locks. I may have to modify two covers.

I'll keep an open mind and see how it pans out.

Tks again

Cheers

Clive

so how much did you end up getting it for?
is it the one from the car yard at kingswood?

Hi Jake,

Yes it's the one from Kingswood! My avatar is the Trading Post photo!!

Cost me 3500

Cheers

Clive

Hi Guys,

I did a search here on tyres and read a lot of threads. I understand the trade off with going to bigger diameter tyres is a loss of gearing at full pressure on road.

I read one thread where an owner commented that his Vitara with 30" tyres struggled to do 110km/h.

Is the trade off in loss of gearing acceptable with 235/75/15?

Would I be better to split the difference to 215/75/15 or 225/75/15 bearing in mind that it is 80% a road car and 20% an off road toy?

Any thoughts

Clive

The auto compensates for bigger tyres better than a manual. I run 31's and have had 33's on mine. It's still quite driveable but hills on open road cruising will quite often see me flick the overdrive off to deal with them better. 235/75R15's or 30x9.5's should be fine. You can always pick up a little more by changing the exhaust later if you want. There are also cam grinds available.

I work as a sales rep for a tyre co . replace the two tyres always have the same tread ,size and construction of tyre on same axle. tyres have different dia's in different brands. this measurement is called the static loaded radius. this measurement is the size the tyre goes to when rotating.
i would personally fit new tyres like this but look for a size similar to what you have on that has more varied tread patterns for off road or road depending on your application

mine has 30x9.5's, it'll do 150kph if ya keen, but its an effort. it will happily cruiser at 110, only long steep hills really cause a problem, and sometimes require a change to 4th

kimclive wrote: I read one thread where an owner commented that his Vitara with 30" tyres struggled to do 110km/h.

Is the trade off in loss of gearing acceptable with 235/75/15?

If it was me then i think you misread it - 30" was fine - 31"s it struggled to do 110.

Note also that mine was a carby 1.6 8V. Can't tell for sure from the photo but it looks like yours is a 4 door? If so it will definately be a 16v efi which has heaps more power anyway.

235/75/15 will be no hassles at all (will barely notice the difference), but may be an issue to get your roadworthiness certificate.

Thank you all.

That clears it up.

Cheers

Clive