Landcruiser hj47: fat tyres v original

G'day Jo,
the alloys and fat tyres no doubt are sexier, but in fact they are not as good as the standard 750x16's off-road. On hard/rocky surfaces they are more vulnerable to punctures or sidewall damage as the larger footprint means they go over obstacles that narrower tyres might miss. On sand, the extra flotation provided by the extra width is negated by the extra "bow-wave" of sand pushed up ahead of each tyre, which requires more power and effort to get over/through, putting more strain on hte vehicles mechanics and increasing your fuel consumption. As regards to parking, I assume there is no power steering on the cruiser, so the smaller contact patch of the standard 750x16's means less friction on the floor of the carpark, and easier turning and parking. You may also be able to screw in the steering stops to get a smaller turning circle if the width of the BFG's means that they had to be screwed out to stop them rubbing on anything. Depending on what sort of driving you do the rest of the time, the BFG's are a great tyre for mud driving, but wear faster and are noisier than an All-Terrain tyre on the bitumen. If you do the occasional mud driving, keep the fats for when you go, and get a set of standard split rims and 750x16 tyres for general use.
Hope this helps, Cheers, Alex.

Jo. Try this for an idea. Trade thoes sexy fat wheels in and buy a set of 16' by 8' mags (CSA or something similar) and put 285 by 85 by 16 BFG muddy's on them.They are about a 34' tyre but a lot narrower so steering will be a lighter, and you still have the aggressive "look". I had these on my GQ wagon for three years and drove in all conditions and they were brillant I have now put the same size tyre on a 100 series but have tried the copper muddies to see how they fair. Adjusting the steering stops on the back of the swivel hubs can help but remember when you are in 4WD and on full lock you are opening up the cv joint a lot more when it is at its weakest point. Hope this helps and if all else fails maybe buy a bicycle they are easy to get in and out of tight spots.
Cheerss Glen.

Jo:
Don't have any spunky wheels on my rig but suggest that Alex' answer was the one to take note of .... narrow split rims are standard on all working vehicles in the outback and bush country... The city slickers adorn their machinery with fatties and 8 inch wide wheels ... that's their personal problem.. If you fit a quality tyre you will be able to run them at a higher pressure and all your heavy steer problems should disappear !! (relatively speaking ) Wide Tyres and wide rims will never be as light on steering as a narrow tyre on a narrow rim, which will probably be far more usefull to you than all those 'fatties' combined.!!..
steve

Hi Jo, Alex and Steve have probably said it all - can't really fault their logic. Many, many 4WDs are used by country people, mining companies, the military, national parks, etc. The majority use split rims because they work well. Might not look as 'sexy' but there's no need to justify their looks or cost if it makes your driving easier! Cheers, Cruiser