17 inch off road tyres

Nick,
Have read on this forum that 16" rims will not replace 17" Prado rims without some surgery to calipers, ie grinding down some high points for clearance.
Get some info from someone thats done it before parting with the cash.

Cheers Bob L

Hi Nixon was with a couple on the weekend who had same rig and was running Goodrich ATs on 17 rims. I quized him about it and he said he bought them from America but apparently they are here now at Goodrich HQ in Melbourne. I may be able to get in touch with him if you have no joy.
It is my understanding that you cannot fit 16 as they hit the calipers.
My email is on my rig pic.

Hi Nixon,

Take delivery of my Prado TD GXL next week. The dealer just phoned today that they are getting it tomorrow and then have to do the A/C, Bullbar and Tinting.

The day it is delivered I have arranged with my friendly tyre dealer to swap the 5 Dunlops for Cooper A/Ts (All Terrains) in P265/70R17 for $750 changeover. He also said that Cooper wil have their ST (Super Traction) available in this size by about October.

For my money going back to 16" would be a bit silly as you will be shelling out for new rims as well as the rubber. Within 12-18 months 17" will be the standard. I hear that pajero is going to 17"s on next model. Landcruiser Sahara (top model) uses 17s and it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the range follows. The same thing happened with the transition from 15" to 16".

Best of luck.

Steven

Thanks for the advice Steve.

Who sells the Coopers? In my area, I have been to Dunlops, Bridgestones & Tyre Power, without any joy. Are the Coopers any more robust than the Dunlops, as I already have had 3 puntures in 3 off road trips. The tyres have only done 25,000kms.

Hi Nixon
What area are you in ? maybe someone near by who could try 16" tyre and Prado rim, there was a post here I think re an engineer who said no problems signing for the grinding of the calipers.
The 16" option might come in handy if in a remote area you would get a 16" replacement tyre easier than a 17" IMHO.

Cheers

StevenL,
I assume that the friendly tyre dealer who is arranging the tyre swap, is you. If that's the case, the tyre dealer you mentioned is getting a phone call from me and I will be asking for Steven.

Nixon,

i tyhink it is all about which tyre place you go to and who you talk to and how experienced they are. I have been running BFG's 17"since November because at that time they were the only LT "Light Truck" tyre available. Someone in Victoria told another member that 17" were all P (passenger rated) tyres.

If you want LT tyres I think BFG and Cooper are the only ones that have them although with cooper you must specify LIght truck as they have both a P rated and LT rated tyre in the A/T config.

By the way my tyres were through Beaurepaires in Adelaide - no commercial interest though.

Hi Guys,

For the Adelaide based guys;

Does anyone know which tyre dealers do the exchange tyres on new vehicles for the Toyota dealers.

I have a GXL which still has the original Grandtreks, but want to change the rims and tyres on my Camper Trailer so they are interchangeable with the Prado. It will also give me access to an extra spare for when I travel without the Camper.
Ideally, I'd like to get original rims and tyres, but I think that will be quite difficult. So, I'll probably get the "Speedy - Grande" rim, which is a Prado copy, and get a tyre to suit.
If I can get hold of a second hand Grandtrek for a reasonable price, it will get me by until I have to get new tyres for the Prado. By that time I hope there's a better range of options to choose from.

Thanks,
Tony

I am going through the same issue at the moment. I should be taking delivery of my new Prado in 3-4 weeks and are looking for replacement rims and tyres. Have spoken to a lot of tyre dealerships and it's amazing how many I have to tell what they can get. Have been looking at getting a 2nd set of wheels and tyres to alternate as doing 30,000klm + on bitumen each year the originals could be more comfortable but no good off road. ROH or Speedy rims seem to be the pick. As for tyre choice there's not much to choose from. Have heard that Bridgestone do a 265/65/17 in the Dueller AT but have not found anyone stocking them. Thought I'd wait the get the vehicle first before pushing the issue. Regarding modifying calipers, I spoke to Toyota and the strongly advise not to take a grinder to the vehicle as warranty issues might ensue. Seems to be about a $3k investment total.

If anyone has any suggestions on UHF's, GPS's and driving lights I'd like to hear from you.

By the way, I'm in the sushine state (but a bit wet at the moment)...

Geoff...

Hi Nixon,
Coopers will have a 265/70 R17 ST available late may early June 2004. Not a good idea to go to 16" rims.
Regards
Kim

Just a quick note thanking you all for your great feedback and advice. Best wishes, Nixon