80 series 33s or 35s

Submitted: Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 20:34
ThreadID: 140315 Views:13266 Replies:9 FollowUps:5
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New to 4wding and wanting to fit bigger tyres to the old girl, wondering what is needed in terms of lift, and other thing such as Victorias regulations Ect, 80s currently stock as a rock so any advice is appreciated.
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Reply By: RMD - Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:13

Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:13
Demp
Take this with careful consideration. Modifications aren't always what they seem, some ok some have negatives for you and the vehicle.
Yes you can fit bigger tyres but the already low fuel economy will get worse with larger dia/circumference tyres trying to drive the load forward.
Wider rims for bigger tyres means more offset so the steering centre won't be near the tyre centre at the roadway. Makes for increasing unstable steering and increased swivel hub bearings and wheel bearing loadings. Less life. Larger tyres "Decrease" the braking power which some say should be better anyway. This is because the tyre dia has more leverage over the disc pad friction ability. Raising the vehicle, unless correction bushes are fitted to the trailing arms, will lessen the amount of steering axis caster angle and greatly increase wandering and vagueness of steering feel and inherent self centering ability of the steering design, Total lift is 50mm allowed, I think, so any combination of tyre size and suspension lifting should not exceed 50mm. Yes you see some in the trees but when they crash into anything, no insurance. Not sure how they get away with it.
Universal driveline angles may be affected by some degree of lift so knowing what the angles are BEFORE any mods is a good idea. Can easily be checked with a digital angle level gauge.. Any mismatch on angle or excessive angle of drive will cause driveline vibes as the drive shafts actually speed up and slow down twice every rotation. More effect when angles are greater.
Lifting may require better shock absorbers to retain control of the body mass seeing it is now higher than OE. Best not to find that out "by accident".
AnswerID: 632791

Follow Up By: Batt's - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 01:44

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 01:44
Fuel econ does not always get worse with larger tyres that is a myth most people just believe and never test out for themselves. The best way to test econ is with a gps as most speedos are incorrect from the factory and usually read more than what the vehicle is actually doing. Every vehicle will react differently to larger tyres I had a Petrol GQ it was at it's best with 32" tyres as 31", 33" tyres used more fuel. My current GQ turbo diesel is better with 33" tyres and a turbo 12ht cruiser 60 ser was best on 33" tyres all these 4wd's had manual gearboxes an auto may react differently. So there is more to it than just saying big tyres decrease econ it will also depend tread pattern, if most of your driving is in hillly county or relativly flat areas also if you tow a van how much gear you carry etc so you may need to do some proper research and real testing RMD.

You have to check the LV lift rules for your state as most are 75mm total lift which I read for QLD is based on your roof line because it's a fixed point. So tyres no more than 50mm above what your specific vehicle is plated with you cannot go off a different varient of your model which may have come out with larger tyres. This give you a 25mm tyre lift and suspension lift is 50mm max or in some states you can go 25mm suspension with 25mm body blocks all up with tyres 75mm legal max.
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Follow Up By: OBJ - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 08:49

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 08:49
Agree with RMD totally.
I had a normallly aspirated 80 series diesel, went for the bigger wheels etc when I first bought it. It went like a slug. Toward the end of its time with me I went back to standard, and fuel economy improved and it went 'like a rocket'. Should have left everything as it was.
OBJ
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FollowupID: 909689

Follow Up By: RMD - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 09:59

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 09:59
Batts
I agree that some vehicles have a point of usage where larger tyres may provide more fuel economy, but generally NO. Unless you, as you expect I do, test every possible condition of use to see the results we may never know. It seems you have spent many $$$$'s finding out one way or the other. Demp might get his right first time and not know. Chances are he won't, if following the sheep of the nation to modification slaughter.
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FollowupID: 909691

Follow Up By: Member - Bigfish - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 10:51

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 10:51
I used to put larger diameter tyres on my Tojos and Nissans...all for the detriment of fuel. . Last few 4wd,s I always leave the factory diameters...maybe the factry knows a little more than me!. Save your money and stick with factory size...dont get sucked in by big lifts, wide tyres and massive bullbars etc.....all they do is make you look like just another clueless weekend warrior.
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Follow Up By: gke - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 14:18

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 14:18
I have had two 80 series diesels for a total of 20 plus years.
My favourite size was 235/85/R16 including a lot of sand work.
Enjoy your 80.
Graham.
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FollowupID: 909699

Reply By: OzzieCruiser - Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:28

Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:28
Learn how to 4wd with what you have first and then you will be in an better position to know what you want - just because every Toyota driver wants 35" tyres doesn't mean they are needed.

Learn first and then make the decisions.
AnswerID: 632792

Reply By: Blown4by - Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:30

Saturday, Aug 01, 2020 at 23:30
Agree with everything RMD says. 35's will exceed the max tyre dia increase of 50mm above the max size tyre as stated on the tyre placard and allowed under VSB14
AnswerID: 632793

Reply By: Batt's - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 02:13

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 02:13
Good advice from Ozziecruiser lean how to drive the vehicle if it's your first 4wd don't be in a hurry to jack it up they are very capable off road in standard form like most 4wd's are.
AnswerID: 632794

Reply By: wooly0005 - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 04:44

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 04:44
Not sure about Victorian road rules but here in SA, we had 33 inch tyres (285/75/16) and a 50mm lift kit and it worked very well together for us, got us everywhere we wanted to go.

Any more than that is overkill really.
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AnswerID: 632796

Reply By: Craig H4 - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 12:31

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 12:31
33s and a 2 inch lift is a standard mod for an 80, its a good compromise between tourer/weekend fun truck and daily driver.

If it's a petrol 80 fuel economy will suck no matter what you do.
AnswerID: 632800

Reply By: Member - Outback Gazz - Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 13:59

Sunday, Aug 02, 2020 at 13:59
G'day Demp

I would suggest doing a decent 4wd course before doing lift kit and big wheels.

With my experience in 4wdriving I have got my bog standard 4wd's over and through places the boys with lift kits and big wheels couldn't make it ! Lift kits and big wheels just make it easier for those who don't know how to drive properly :)

Cheers
Gazz
AnswerID: 632801

Reply By: Andrew f5 - Monday, Aug 17, 2020 at 20:10

Monday, Aug 17, 2020 at 20:10
Depends what your doing with it. But unless your rock crawling or need huge ground clearance, bigger tires are basically a scam. 235/85/r16 is the biggest tire you will need for 95% of terrain and conditions. My patrol came with massive tires, pulled them straight off and replaced with 16x5.5” rims and 7.50r16s.
AnswerID: 633012

Reply By: Michael H9 - Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 07:37

Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 07:37
Larger tyres make your speedo and odometer highly inaccurate so you don't really know what your fuel economy is like after you fit them because your distance numbers become wrong. Your speedo and odometer will read lower usually by the same percentage as the difference in circumference between the tyres before and after. Your gearing will be affected and the car may run out of puff going uphill in top gear feeling quite gutless. Larger tyres increase turning torque forces and make it easier to break cv's and axles if you drop a spinning wheel on a protruding rock or tree root. Finally, 35's would be very close to illegal in most states so check the regs carefully. It's a lot of money to fork out to attract a potential defect notice. There are limits you can exceed on tyre width as well, so keep that in mind, 20mm from memory.
AnswerID: 633017

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