Big Rims....big tyres....BIG BUCKS...????
Submitted: Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 17:51
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Member - Oldbaz. NSW.
I have for some time noted the ever increasing rim size fitted to 4by wagons,
now up to 20", maybe more. Before you toddle off to buy such a beast you may
like to consider this....only LT construction tyres I can find are good old BFG A/T ,
considered a good tyre by many, including me, but a set of five 285/55R20 will
set you back.....$4440...yep, no misprint.
Or you could go for Mickey Thompson Baja Radials at only $3075 a set, or if
the dough dont matter a set of Continentals, P not LT, for $5500.
A quick look through the 19" size reveals that you will be lucky to get a beer out of $3k for a set.
All of the tyres for these rims have a profile ranging from 40 to 55, hardly the thing a real offroader might be looking for. Another good reason to stick with
the old stuff. The 16" on the Jack are looking real good. All prices taken from
a "reputable" 4WD mag...:)))....oldbaz.
Reply By: Member - Barnesy - Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 17:54
Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 17:54
These sort of 4wd's and their tyres look at
home in California in "the hood". They would be useless in Australia once you leave the bitumen.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Mick O - Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 18:31
Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 18:31
Yep she's all bull Baz. I've just bought the latest "best thing" being the Toyo Open Country MT's (285 75R16) and they've set me back fraction over $400 a tyre (which I consider a very good price mind you). I'm not imagining seeing 20" anythings aired down to 15 psi (as reccomended by Pat Callinan) doing the Canning anytime soon.
Probably great on your H3 Hummer on the mean streets of
Sydney if you're an angry accountant having a mid life crisis and no doubt of great value slipping the 4bie into 4x4 to get it up on the bark garden to give her a wash in down town Toorak. Surely they don't market these things as serious four wheel drive tyres.....do they?
Mick
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldbaz. NSW. - Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 19:27
Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 19:27
G'day Mick, If you are happy with $400 a tyre, thats fine, last price I got on BFG
A/ts was around $340 for 16". I've got a few
Dunlop Grand
Treks to wear out
before I need new rubber so dont need to
shell out just yet. The thing that concerns me is that 4bys seem to be being built for the exact types you describe,
maybe they are the biggest part of the market. For every inch of rim added seems to add $100 to the price of a tyre minimum. $1000 bucks a tyre !!!!!
My first car cost me $250 & lasted 5 years & that was only 50 years ago...:)))))
....oldbaz.
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 20:06
Saturday, Feb 20, 2010 at 20:06
Baz, yep I'm happy with the price as these aren't an A/T tyre. They are a lot more aggressive. I reckon the BFG M/T and Cooper STT are this price and more. The highest price I had on the Toyo's was $490 and the average about $430 (fitted). Different strokes but again they are all going to do the job they're expected to do, A/T or M/T and a lot better than a 20".
Believe me
feedback will flow to the
forum after this years trip.
Cheers Mick.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: get outmore - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 02:31
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 02:31
hate to burst your bubble - but those oc toyos wont even cut it on the alate strip
biggest loads of crap i ever saw. I got about 5,000k out of them if i was llucky. punctures, lost sidewalls and torn off tread
i had to retire them for my own safety- if you can get your money back before we read about you
- yes they are that bad
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Follow Up By: Mick O - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 08:52
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 08:52
Yep, tyre choices certainly polarise people. Have heard stories about the Toyo Opat A/T's. Based my selection on the Open Country MT's by actually being there and seeing them work in the harshest possible conditions. I'll let you know my thoughts on their performance come August.
Cheers Mick
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 09:56
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 09:56
We are the same as you Mick, after traveling with
John and Suzette and seeing what they put their tyre through, we also went for the Toyo and we are more then happy.
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Follow Up By: Member - John (Vic) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 11:39
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 11:39
Amazing how wildly the tyre prices fluctuate.
I'm chasing new BFG Muddies the new KM2 the 285/75 R16 ranges from $330- to $385- (17% difference) and the 265/75 R16 were $305- to $359- (18% difference).
Those are fitted and balanced prices and that was the difference between just two dealers.
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Follow Up By: Member - Syd R (QLD) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:01
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:01
I had the Open Countries for 60K and they were just great. The boys in the Alice said thats what the "stations" used the OPATS around there. By contrast to the Cooper AT's in the bush they were superb. I have now fitted BFG at all round and they are fantastic. I wouldn't go anywhere near Coopers again.!!
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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:24
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 14:24
Don't blame the tyre resellers for the price difference.
Not all tyre resellers buy tyres at the same price, most tyre resellers are aligned to one brand....Bridgestone, Toyo, Cooper, Mickey Thompson,
Dunlop etc.
Tyre reseleers are classed in two categories, RESELLER and DEALER, most tyres
places can sell any brand of tyre you want.
A
Dunlop dealer can buy tyres cheaper then a
Dunlop rerseller, hence why the tyre is cheaper from
Dunlop dealer.
When we bought our Toyo's, we went to the company who looks after our tyres on our service vehicles, They were $65.00 per tyre dearer then the tyre place down the road, the place down the road was a Toyo dealer and the place who looks after our service vehicles was a reseller.
Bob Jane will sell any brand tyre but but have a look at there catalog and you will see they push Yokohama tyres more as there premium brand.
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Reply By: Baz&Pud (Tassie) - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 10:12
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 10:12
Hi yu Old Baz
We are heading off in June and will put new set of tyres on before we go, have got a price of $2040 (but was told say $2000) to replace the six tyres with BFG a/t's, this equates to $333.33 per tyre which i thought was pretty good seeing we recently put a 215/55R17 on Puds Outback and that cost $297.
Cheers
Its the
young one again.
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Reply By: Rossco td105 - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 12:16
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 12:16
G'day Oldbaz,
I guess the need for better and better brakes on newer vehicles has something to do with it. Four wheel drives seem to all be getting bigger and safety requirements mean better brakes.
There is no way you could put a set of 16in rims on a new 200 series, they just wouldn't fit over the brakes. A friend of
mine has one and his choice for serious off road rubber is limited (at the moment) in comparison to vehicles with smaller rims.
Ten years ago people with 17in rims were having the same issues, there are now quite a few options for this rim size.
Like you, I'm glad I still have 16in rims, I can get tyres from any manufacturer in any configuration I require!
I agree with you that rim sizes on newer 4WD's don't make for friendly off-road tyre sizes though, and the prices are right up there!
Cheers.
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Follow Up By: The Boss - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 10:08
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 10:08
Yep thats right. I dont get why people put larger rims on there 4wd when they dont have to. My old Prado had 17'' rims, and i hated it. Minimum of $300 a tyre. Now very happy im back down to 16s. Will stick with 16's as they are very very common, and could get a replacement tyre near on anywhere.
The larger the rim, the smaller the sidewall, and the stiffer the tyre also, so less bagging of the tyre and more heat with less benefit. And the 265/65/17s on my Prado, which cost me $308 where only 31'' in diamter or something, yet a 15'' sunraysia rim and a 31'' tyre of the same make is only $280. So your paying big dollars for the less rubber. Pathetic
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Follow Up By: That Troopy Bloke (SA) - Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 19:41
Monday, Feb 22, 2010 at 19:41
Quote: "The larger the rim, the smaller the sidewall, and the stiffer the tyre also, so less bagging of the tyre and more heat"
That's interesting, I would have thought it was the other way around.
I always thought the heat was a result of the tyre flexing (bagging)....the more flexing it does, the hotter it gets.
But then, I have been known to be wrong before :-(
Cheers
Glenn
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Member - Vince B (NSW) - Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 18:38
Sunday, Feb 21, 2010 at 18:38
Hi Oldbaz.
A few months ago we had a Range Rover at work for repairs.The owner had hit a brick on the highway & demolished 2 brand new 20" mags & tyres.
Ouch!! The Insurance quote was a beauty.
Cheers.
Vince
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