What Tyres?

[Walrus]

Reposted from the 'technical' forum...!

I've bought some 15" Mefro wheels and would like some help in finding tyres to suit.

I have a 2.1 Syncro currently fitted with 14" alloys. I've looked through the forums but cant find much info on what tyres would be suitable for my van. I have read about tyre speed & weight ratings, widths, diamaters, bolts for wheels, ET's & offsets etc but there isn't much info (I can find) for tyres!

So, to narrow the question down a bit more:
I use the van 80-90% on-road but would like the capability to cope with some occasional off road (greenlaning mostly). Speed isnt an issue (It'll do 75 downhill with a tail wind) but load rating is; it's fitted out as a camper and me & SWMBO are not skinny people!

Can I use 4x4 tyres? Would some form of AT tyre be ok? Or should I only use 'C' rated tyres?

And size: The 14" wheels currently have 205r14C tyres on them; would 225/70r15 (probably) fit?

[axeman]

stick to the middle ground and go for a 215/75/15 as it wont affect the gearing too badly, thats the size that i am using on my mefros along with most other people. as too which tyre i have had grneral grabber at2 and would recomend them as a good all rounder, it is a direct competitor to the bfg a/t. which others swear, both of these are come in 215/75/15

neil

[Aidan]

FYI Walrus's camper is Beaker, that is 2.1 MV petrol/lpg factory hi-top now running 4.86 final drive gearboxes
even with 215/75/15 it will be slightly overgeared, you will find yourself dropping to third and revving 4000 to get up windy hill at 50mph, which is ok to do
if you can find an AT with the same diameter as the 20514s and a load rating of 99 or higher it should be fine
Khumo are doing a 14" AT I believe now but I haven't seen any, like the old BFGs, rare

[syncropaddy]

Im running 225/70/15 and they are 1.5% bigger on diameter than the 205/14. I dont know how they would work on 6 x 15 rims though as mine are fitted to 7 x 15 rims.

[Walrus]

So... 4x4 AT's would be ok? My main concern is the loading on the tyres.

[Aidan]

Most of us are running 15" tyres with load rating around 99, at least at the weekend

[John Potter]

If you can find some Kumho KL78 they are an AT Tyre in 100 rating (or more) and are available in 195x15 or 215x15 (roughly an 80 profile).

Theyre also quite cheap - like £60 each.

[toomanytoys]

I was going to suggest some Khumo/Marshall (same co, one is cheaper than the other though..) KL78's in 195r15, 100 load rating, all terrain style.. cheap, good quality.. if mainly road narrower is better for drag and stability generally..

http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php? ... 0s243p6596" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bigherb]

I would'nt go wider than 195. If you have a high top gear then 195/70R15C would be the same diameter as standard wheels asuming it was a 14" wheel to start with. If you are mainly doing tarmac then a good Mud and snow may be better like Vredestien Comtrac winter.
http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php? ... s1538p5928" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can get a 2WD up to Cwmorthin and down again with them.

[toomanytoys]

It was running 205r14, so 195r15 is only slightly bigger diameter (10mm), 195/70r15 will make it feel slightly more sprightly..

[andisnewsyncro]

I've been running Marshall Powerguard 195R15 AT on mine for over a year and they suit my needs fine, 2.1DJ engine. They look like the tread pattern in the link that Si posted. As mentioned Marshal & Kumho are the same now so mine are the old version but I've been happy with them so far. There's some pics on my Garage page if you want to see how they look fitted

[Walrus]

So many options, so much choice!

[Walrus]

Ok, it took me a while but I finally made a decision! I went for Khumo KL71's (195/80R15) in the end then tested them out in Wales last weekend...


Corwen by Walrus1968, on Flickr

DSCF4544 by Walrus1968, on Flickr

DSCF4589 by Walrus1968, on Flickr

At the start of the trip they thought I was mental driving a van up there, but by Saturday, while they were faffing with tents on the beach, the idea of a go-anywhere camper was really starting to appeal. Beaker did really well and went everywhere the Landy's did. There is an axle-twister part too, showing off what angle a top-heavy vehicle can do but I'm still waiting for photo's.

[Aidan]

[hugomonkey]

if thats what you call 80-90% road tyres i cant wait to see what you buy for the rough stuff
i like your style