Thread: Tyre size approaches

Hello folks - after seeking opinions here and elsewhere I recently bought a Suzuki Escudo J20A, its a Gen 2 model and is just about as good as my old Gen 1 Vitara 1600 haha but a dammed sight nicer on the road!! Its not lifted and not likely to be.

So I want to put some real tyres on it. From what I can find the biggest I can practically go power and clearance wize are 29's (something like a 215/75r16, 225/75r16 or 235/70r16 - its currently on 235/60r16 or 27.1").

It will be used mainly in paddocks, up bulldozer tracks and on the road in my Fencing business and any of the more "aggressive" AT's will be OK for that BUT . . .

Occasionally I like to venture up the East coast riverbeds. I'm a pootle along sort of driver, no rip shit and bust for me. I'm pretty confident I can tackle any reasonable riverbed stuff that I've been over in my old Safari and current BT50 EXCEPT where guys have made big ruts in softer going with 33's and the like. You don't often strike this but nearly every riverbed has some short sections of it, and its a real pain when it gets muddy - "fall in" and with a small tyre you're bellied and spinning!!.

So - with those thoughts in mind what do you guys think for a tyre selection?? Will an MT be any better on soft deep ruts, either getting along or climbing back out if you do fall in!!

Yeah I wholeheartly agree with your thoughts on this, was thinking a set of the 215's might be best . . .

I had a similar challenge a few years back when mates gave me stick for not having {fats} on my Hilux. My response was to remind them of narrow Landrover wheels and where those early machines went. I think berg 243 makes an excellent comment.

i think i run the 225/75/16 on my suzuki vitara. i did get tyre rub. Ended up doing body lift, never again

Some of the high country cockies I know run narrow tyres in winter for the same reasons mentioned. They tend to cut down to the firmer ground and not slip around on top like big boots do. Your on the right track Tentman.

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Kumho Road Venture 195 R15 100Q $1125 for five fitted.

Did put 1" spacers in coils.
27000 km,I'm happy with the wear so far.

Traction relies on contact pressure.
The wider the tyre the smaller and wider the tyre footprint on the ground and less contact pressure.
Taller tyres have a larger and longer footprint and therefore greater contact pressure.

Muddy and rocky conditions you need as much contact pressure as you can get to gain traction to keep momentum up.
The only time this works against the vehicle is on soft sand. There you want a wider tyre with very little tread so that the tyre "floats" on the soft sand. The more tread the more the tyres will dig into the sand and bog the vehicle.

If you are doing majority of tarmac driving A/T's is probably advisable over M/T's.
If you have the room under the wheel arches use traction chains to aid offroading in muddy and slippery conditions. You'll be surprised just how much further you can take it.

Vitara's without a lift can't go too much bigger wheel size wise without rubbing.
They tend to get bellied pretty easily without bigger wheels. I had to massage the guards as well as adding a lift on the Vitaras I owned.

Edit: Forgot to say Vitara's need to have a wider track as well to help them falling into ruts from other trucks, so choosing a wider offset wheel will help that issue. But then the guards may need a bit of a chop, and add on flares at the very least.

A light vehicle such as a Vitara, I would be staying with a tall and skinny tyre, they have weak front diffs and the alloy housings are very prone to breaking if put under too much load.
We were running a 7.50 x 16 S.A.T. tyre under the kids Gen1 Vitara, but we had done suspension lift and flared the guards a bit as well as a little bit of fire wall massaging to fit them and there was still rub at hard lock.

Originally Posted by mimms2

Where did you get SATs??

Picked them up secondhand off a 4wd mate. They are now on hilux rims.and going up for sale.

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I’ve posted this before, the only one I’ve got on the iPad that shows the tyres properly. Picking rocks out of the alternator, N Kenya on the way to Ethiopia.

7.00x16 Dunlop Universal, cross ply, tubed, split rims.



A radial equivalent size is hard to come by, still got the rims! I’ve wanted to find something to fit them here, but no luck. But my point is this, I’m really glad the conversation has steered away from “fats” as they are the single worst bloody thing you can put on a 4WD unless you’re going to the North Pole, Top Gear style. Even in deep Namibian desert dune sand, where there is no hard base, drop a narrow tyre to 14psi, you’ll go pretty much anywhere.

On my current Aussie Hilux I have the factory 16” rims and 225/75 Coopers. The smirks I’ve had from “fats” drivers tend to be extinguished when I force them to look through the 12,000 photos of every Australian environment including the worst of the deep sand on treacherous WA beaches, crossing the Simpson, and horrendous Tassie mud holes.

Fat tyres are a fallacy on a 4WD. Go with a narrow tyre, not so high that there’s any risk of rubbing even in extreme situations, and carry a proper twin tube compressor mounted in the vehicle, with a long hose. Drop the pressures as a matter of routine, soon as you get off the black top. Then, drive sensibly, avoid the higher risk from A-B, you’ll be amazed where the vehicle will go.

Who makes a tall skinny tyre for a hilux


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@Flyblown, As I understand the narrowest radial that gets you a similar height tyre is a 195/80R16 or 225/75R16, both are wider but similar height to a 7.00R16
But tread patterns would likely be more road tread orientated.

Originally Posted by MSL

Who makes a tall skinny tyre for a hilux

These will fit other vehicles as well as a Hilux.
https://www.4wdbits.co.nz/ProductDet...productID=8213

Originally Posted by MSL

Who makes a tall skinny tyre for a hilux

I remember now I did find some tyres for those old split rims, but never pursued it.

Deestone D503 was the closest to the old school “biscuit” tyres I used in Africa. Basically a SAT copy.

I’m pretty sure @madmaori was the one who suggested them.

Hmmm - thanks for those thoughts guys. I have a set of 225/75r16 Hankooks offered through the forum here and following the above advice I see Goodride offer a SL369 AT in 205/80r16 (the very definition of tall and skinny) at a pretty modest price, so I'll see what I can find out about them.

A mate ran Goodride SL366 MT's and liked them, he swapped them out at 40,000 km's (just a bit under half worn, starting to loose effectiveness as "muds") and reckons they were great value for the money ($165 per corner)