Skinny Tyres are scaring me

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:32
ThreadID: 32027 Views:4176 Replies:12 FollowUps:22
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Yesterday I had Bridgestone steel radials ( VSXDZ LT 235/85R16 10 ply tubeless ) installed on my new 16"x 6.5" skinny rims . Jason from Karratha recommended them to me as a good tyre to avoid staking in the off-track desert runs .

At the tyre dealer , they asked me what I liked to put into the tyres . I said put 40 psi in . They did and these things had about an 8 inch flat section on the concrete .
They said maybe we will try 45 , then they said maybe we should try 50 . They started to look a bit less like a flat tyre at 50 , but not a lot .

Driving home on the freeway they tracked well , but a sharp turn and the wqeight seems to roll across and they feel scary . Maybe I will get used to them .

The weird thing is they have very bulging sidewalls and that is what I was trying to get away from . But Jason was doing the same sort of country that I will be and reckoned they were great . I am going to be in the 5HIT if I have flats every couple of klm in the Gibson desert .

Has anyone had any experience with steel radials on skinny tyres .

Thanks ,

Willie .

PS . I cannot use rag tyres because they are too hard to get off non-split rims when repairs are required . I wish I could use them .

I coul
Willie

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Reply By: revhead307 - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:43

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:43
For a few years i ran 7.5R 16 on a 7.5" Rim on a SWB landcruiser

and ive run 235/85 16 on my Patrol for about the same. would say 7 or 7.5" split.

very happy with the way they rode and drove. much prefer them over small rolling diameter 31x10.5 15s etc.

Your vehicle sounds heavy?? mine never used to bulge out on the skinnies.
(when u let them down they bulge very well) but at 40 - 45psi they are like towers.

Could it be due to ur 6.5" being too skinny a rim? and excess weight?

Rev

AnswerID: 162199

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:33

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:33
Revheaf , What type of tyres were these .
Thanks ,
Willie .
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Reply By: The Rambler( W.A.) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:56

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:56
Willie,
You have been well advised except for tyre pressure.Ihave used that exact size tyre on my Troopys for many years and have been all over Aus . with hardly any problems.I now use Hankooks in that size as I get mileage (70000km) than the Bridgestones.Idon't know what it is with Bridgestone as when I first put those tyres on they also put 40 lb.in---far too low.When loaded I run 55lb. on the back and 50 on the front.On gravel corrugations I may drop to 45lb and on sand of course you can go down to about 18lb.This is just my experience as I have done this for years and hope it will help you.
Cheers. p.s. you will be glad to have skinny tyres in the rough hard stuff when you see how many people destroy there nice fat tyres by cutting the side walls.
AnswerID: 162201

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:35

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:35
Hi Rambler ,

Were you using the Bridgestone V Steel radials or another tyre ?

Thanks ,

Willie .
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Follow Up By: Twintrail(W.A.) - Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 01:16

Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 01:16
Hi Rambler Dint no you were out of bed at that hour. But mst agree with your comments .Truckies driving long distance .ie Interstate check their tyres for pressure at given intervals or distances.never seen one lower pressure on gravel or corragated road.twintrail.Dont panic stay calm
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Reply By: Member - Bware (Tweed Valley) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:59

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 12:59
Hi Willie,
I've just put new 235/85's on my 7" wheels. They are the same tyres as the worn ones I replaced (BFG A/T's) and I noticed the same thing as you did. My 80 series is empty most of the time and I'm running them at 32psi which is what I ran the old ones at. I was thinking that it had something to do with other posts I've read about tyre wear ie the first 30k they wear very fast but then the wear rate slows down as the tyres harden/compress? Therefore there might be a fair bit of spongieness in the new tyres which can be felt in cornering?
AnswerID: 162202

Reply By: gbc - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 13:28

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 13:28
Mid 50's is not an uncommon pressure for loaded blacktop running with these tyres. You'll also notice the vehicle gets blown around by wind if they are under inflated.
AnswerID: 162209

Reply By: Member - John L G - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 14:51

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 14:51
Willie

Used a similar set up as yours for years, especially in the Gibson on troopies and L/C 48 tray tops.

Always ran 50 + tyre pressure but always on splits. You will find second hand splits available, near new, often at some of the tyre outlets near toyota dealers as they often change the wheels on used fleet vehicles, in their used vehicle yard, over to the white 15" jobs to give the vehicle some resale appeal.

I always kept my bush/desert tyres in the shed until I went offroad then changed the city wheels for the bush when I left town.

I never purchased new tyres for the job tho and got 50% second hand heavy lug rags usually for $40.00 a pop. In my experience the tyres never wore treads out before they were trashed by sidewall damage from staking. The only tyres I ever saw that really stood the test were Bandags which had a 14 ply tread and 8 ply wall - they didn't stake but incredibly uncomfortable and like riding on a cart. They were simply hopeless in sand because with no air they still refused to bag.

It must be remebered the Gibson is a Gibber Desert and is really tough on tyres and have had some slow days with 20 clicks in 8 hours of travel and three punctures on each of the three vehicles. Wouldn't fancy doing those hard yards now but it was all an adventure then however if you are on established tracks it will be easier on the hardware.

Whatever you decide take some good quality tubes, valves etc and 12 oz canvas to reline the tyre walls if you badly tear the side wall in any of your tyres.

Sounds like you are going to have some fun. Good Luck

John G

AnswerID: 162221

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:40

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:40
John,

Unfortunately there are no splits for the offset on the Turbo Diesel , so I bought some one piece skinnys.

I have ordered three tubes today and I will be carrying an extra two wheels as well and a heap of big patches for radial tyres .

Hopefully , that will be enough , because bad tyres can destroy a holiday .

Thanks ,

Willie .
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Reply By: traveller2 - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 15:26

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 15:26
Willie
I ran 235x16's on split rims for years on a troopy. Fully laden I'd run 45 front and 55 rearon the blacktop, let them down about 10lb and drop the speed to no more than 80k on dirt, down to 15 on sand.
Never staked a tyre despite lots of cross country in the desert, but then I'm a relatively slow driver who watches the track rather than the scenery.
AnswerID: 162234

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:32

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 16:32
Were they rag tyres or radials or something else ?
Thanks ,
Willie .
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Follow Up By: traveller2 - Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 08:10

Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 08:10
Road gripper S radials as fitted to the base model 100 series.
I found them excellent tyres for sand and outback tracks, never staked one either.
You can pick them up cheap from tyre places as quite often new vehicles have the tyres and rims changed before delivery.
I used to pick them up at Advance tyres at Waitara Willie, just next to amber tiles opposite the Bluegum.
Probably from new vehicles from Phil McCarrolls
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 08:48

Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 08:48
Thanks , I will check it out .
Willie .
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FollowupID: 417358

Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 17:17

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 17:17
Pajero is lighter, but I run 50 front/55 rear on the bitumen loaded with 235/85 '10 ply' radials.
Drop to 32/35 for tracks and gibber country, max 80km/hr.
Drop to 20/25 for sand, but they get really hot at this pressure on the bitumen even at 50km/hr.
Run 40 psi empty and they wear even at this pressure.
Have run Coopers, Firestone, Toyo and Simex in that order, on 16x6 rims.

Roll over on the shoulders is a problem pushing them, they will roll over before letting go, or the common Pajero problem of lifting the front inside tyre with the 75 series.

Did notice that the toyos and forestones bagged more than the others. Also notice that 16x7 rims give more bag.

Max pressure on these tyres seems to be 80 psi, for about 1100kg load.
AnswerID: 162263

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 18:01

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 18:01
Hey Willie,

Forgot to add, you are getting older, pushing it in corners shouldn't be a concern any more. :-)
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:20

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:20
Goodaye Old Plodder ,

You've been dreamin of your Veedubs again , havent you !

Actually I still like getting into my wife's VW Golf and giving it a flogging . Not quite the grunt of what I used to punt around , but as you say , I'm getting older and those toys do not suit the retirement budget .

See ya ,

Willie .
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 09:11

Thursday, Mar 23, 2006 at 09:11
Son just bought a MK 1 78 Golf, $800.00, for a bit of fun.

It is faster than the beetle. Little secret, it has a MK II GTI motor in it, slightly modified. 110kw and 820kg, better power to weight ratio than a WRX. The beetle only does 15 sec 1/4 miles, but out handles MX5s, this golf is down to 14s, but only keeps up to MX5s in the corners. Little bit of rust on the outside, heart of gold on the inside. Keeps the V8s honest :-). And I am allowed to drive it :0). Fast enough for me and a little fun in my old age. Love those Volkswagens.

With the 85 series, found if you get the pressures right front to rear, you can get four wheel drifts happening real easy. Some people baulk a little when you drift a pajero through a corner. Watch out for the potholes though. Have seen the son get the pajero up on two wheels at about 30 degrees at a motorkhana when he was four wheel drifting and caught a pot hole. Father son thing, he was trying to better my time.
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Reply By: Member - Doug T (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:16

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:16
Willie ol mate
seems your confused about tyres, When i first got my troopie I had to run of down to the tyre dealer and hastily got rid of those awful split rims, It handled like a kids go-cart so I did what every one else does. Put 15x7s on with BF Goodridge, got 105000 with them but the clearance is down a tad and the speedo out by 6 and the revs 200 more at 100kph, so when it was time for newies i went 16x8 with 265-75R-16 Michelins , got 152000 ,cost $250 each but when time for new ones they were $355 so went to Micky Thompsons twice ....no good, mind you never had any problems in the rough but no milage,so Willie yesterday i parted with $920 for 4 265-75R-16 BF Goodridge All-Terrains ,I was once told by the bloke at William Creek pub to keep pressures down in stony country, if they'er to tight the stone can pierce instead the tyre giving a bit so i always run about 28 to 30 psi and 18 in sand ,with the wide wheels it handles fantastic and very predictable on dirt m that could also be the OMEs playing there part too.
Hey when you go out west you have a good run eh.....Uuummm no fish out there is there
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AnswerID: 162295

Follow Up By: Willem - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:32

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:32
Ahhh Doug

What are the sidewalls like on those All Terrains. 3 ply maybe.

That might not be good enough for rough country work as Willie might be alluding to.

Cheers

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Reply By: Member - Doug T (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:18

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:18
Willie ol mate
seems your confused about tyres, When i first got my troopie I had to run of down to the tyre dealer and hastily got rid of those awful split rims, It handled like a kids go-cart so I did what every one else does. Put 15x7s on with BF Goodridge, got 105000 with them but the clearance is down a tad and the speedo out by 6 and the revs 200 more at 100kph, so when it was time for newies i went 16x8 with 265-75R-16 Michelins , got 152000 ,cost $250 each but when time for new ones they were $355 so went to Micky Thompsons twice ....no good, mind you never had any problems in the rough but no milage,so Willie yesterday i parted with $920 for 4 265-75R-16 BF Goodridge All-Terrains They have 3ply walls. ,I was once told by the bloke at William Creek pub to keep pressures down in stony country, if they'er to tight the stone can pierce instead the tyre giving a bit so i always run about 28 to 30 psi and 18 in sand ,with the wide wheels it handles fantastic and very predictable on dirt m that could also be the OMEs playing there part too.
Hey when you go out west you have a good run eh.....Uuummm no fish out there is there
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AnswerID: 162298

Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:20

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:20
whats goin on here...twice ??????
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:22

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:22
Dusty hit the button again . Speak to him Dad .
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Widgiemooltha) - Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 03:55

Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 03:55
Dont be confused with 3 ply sidewalls on a radial tyre Doug - they are still as weak as tissue. Running 28 psi they wont last 10 seconds off track and maybe 10 minutes on track. The first thing I did when i bought my 80 was buy split rims because trashed radials and flats were costing me heaps so i went to the splitties and crossplys. I only got 1 flat after that but pulled them off because they were so worn - Big Mistake as i copped a sidewall stake 2nd trip out using Goodyears although that was off track. On advice 3rd time out i tried 28psi and as i said didnt make it 10 minutes off the bitumen before I had the sidewall taken out and i hadnt even left the track
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Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:28

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 19:28
Ahhhh Willie

Better start practising using the bead breaker....lol (You do have one?)

I have decided to run splits on my adventures this year shod with 12ply MRF tyres.

Leaving the STT's at home in the garage for less strenuous treks

Cheers
AnswerID: 162301

Follow Up By: hz75 - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 20:33

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 20:33
TYRES
a common known bush fact about tyres (regardless or what sort, shape or size ) is the newer they are, the softer they are! Hence they roll when you buy them new, Most farmers will buy two sets of tyres for there tractors, one to put on the tractor, the other will sit in the shed for at least 2-3 years. The ones sitting in the shed will out last the new tyres twofold. Fact.

Cheers
Darrell
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Follow Up By: Willem - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 21:18

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 21:18
Tyres cure over time...true

But how many of us can afford to do what the farmers do?
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Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:27

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:27
Willem ,
Yes , I have one , and a huge set of patches , an electric drill with rough head for buffing inside the tyre , plenty of glue , three tubes and two spare cases .
Cheers ,
Willie .
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FollowupID: 417077

Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (QLD) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:37

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:37
Hey Willie
If you want to read something real interesting go to the post i put in called Camera Detection 2 , I could noyt get the first link to work because of a certain word so i made a detour via my web page ,actually i can give you the link here, then click the connecting link on my site

camera
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Reply By: arthurking83 - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 20:42

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 20:42
I dunno (much).......but aren't those 235's a bit big(not too much) for 6.5" rims??

I thought, the recommended rim size is between 7 and 8" for 235/85's (??)

Reason I mention this is because I wanted 235/85's for my Rangie some(many) years ago, and the tyre bloke tells me that they will be no good on my std Rangie steel rims, so I got 7" Disco steelies, but ended up with 215/80's for some reason??(beats me... why?)

Just something to think about too!
AnswerID: 162329

Follow Up By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:30

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:30
Arthur ,

I am not sure if they are the correct size for a 16 x 6.5 rim . Maybe somebody can shed some light on this .

Thanks ,

Willie .
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Follow Up By: Member - Bware (Tweed Valley) - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:39

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:39
The BFG website tyre size chart lists 235/85/16's matching wheel size as being: 6" minimum, 6.5 optimum, 7 maximum.
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Widgiemooltha) - Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 03:45

Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 03:45
na 6 inch is no worries 235s are even a common fittment to 5.5 inch splits
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Reply By: Member - Willie , Epping .Syd. - Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:14

Wednesday, Mar 22, 2006 at 22:14
Why , whenever anyone types Bridgestone , does it come up as a link ?
Are they an ExplorOz sponsor or what is the go ?

Thanks everyone that answered this post . I looks like I have to put the pressures up and hope for the best .

Willie .
AnswerID: 162361

Follow Up By: Member - Mike DID - Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 08:52

Friday, Mar 24, 2006 at 08:52
Yes, all sponsor names are automatically converted to links

Waeco Weaco

Bridgestone Bridgetsone

Denco Donco

Mike
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