I’ve replied to your PM Si, look forward to you dropping in at some point.
Swamper/AT wheels with 4 season tyres
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No worries. My post is as much to get things clear in my own mind (and to provide an opportunity for others to set me straight) as it is to shed light for others.
Si
I have run Wolfrace Assassin's with 235 55 18 and 235 60 18 General Grabber AT3s. 255s will fit and go round but scrub on lock and with compressed suspension.
I personally wouldn't use anything other than Generals, I tow a tri-axle trailer up rutted tracks, live rural so suffer pot holes and being run off the road into soft verges etc...they have never failed to perform. I also take the van to Portugal and Spain so do my fair share of motorway miles in 35 degree's...again, never failed.
If I were you, I'd go 235 55. No need for spacers in my opinion but if you do decide on using them, consider its as easy as putting a washer on a bolt.
For what it’s worth my van is fitted with 17” Black Rhino wheels 8” with a ET35 and 235/65/17 AT tyres no spacers. It’s a full camper conversion and is mildly lowered iirc 35-40mm on springs and all is good no rubbing so far . The previous 20” wheels rubbed at full lock mildly but were 9” wide. Happy with the set up we have now certainly comfortable.
Thanks Danny,
Your reply was a lot of help. Do you put the 235/60s on the rear wheels?
So if I’m correct, the 255/55s will not rub if I use spacers? I have seen a few people on here stating that they “will not rub under any circumstances” on standard suspension. That’s what makes the subject so confusing. The constant opposing “facts”.
I’ll take a look at the wheels you suggest. Have you got a picture of your van from the side so I can see how they look on Assasins?
Very many thanks.
Si
Si,
I didn't use different profiles..it was either or. I'm now running 235 55 18. 255s all rub even with spacers. I did try 255s and the rears they especially rubbed on the rear arches even when the van was empty as it went over a speed hump or undulations in the road. I'll have a look for some photos but I'm sure I don't have any with the assassin's.
Loving those. What profile are they? 235/65? Thanks
Hi @Si Longworth.
I also had great trouble finding solutions to tyre sizes, wheel widths and ET offsets. I eventually happened this website;
Rim & Tire Size Calculator. Custom Offsets
If you for instance play with the ET setting you’ll notice it moves the wheel/tyre combo in and out inside the wheelarch.
I bought 19x9” wheels with an ET of 50. This caused my front wheel tyres to rub lightly, not at the top, but on the inside, against the wheel arch liners when on full lock. I had to buy 5mm spacers and longer wheel bolts to space the wheels out a little. This stopped the wheels rubbing the wheelarch liner and had the same effect as buying 19x9” wheels with an ET offset of 45 and not using the spacers.
This could explain why some people say a certain tyre size will fit without rubbing where others have had problems. It’s all down to the wheel width and also the ET offset of the wheel, which can, in effect, move the wheel/tyre combo in or out.
Sorry for waffling and hope the above can enlighten you a little more.
Cheers
Andy
Andy,
A lightbulb has just gone off in my head. Thank you. Obviously for every person that says 255/55/18s are ok, another says they aren’t and as you say - confusing as hell. So now I just need to know whether my Wolfrace’s will cause problems or not. Maybe the only way to find out is to try or try match my ET to those that say they have had no problem. The saga continues. Thank you for your explanation. It has really helped.
Si
Vicbauwens
New Member
Hi Vegt,If my tyre size calculations are correct*:
235/60 R17 has a tyre height of ~141mm
225/65 R17 has a tyre height of ~146mm
235/65 R17 has a tyre height of ~153mm
245/65 R17 has a tyre height of ~159mm
For context, standard 16” steels with 205/65 R16s have a tyre height of ~133mm, and standard 17” with 235/55 R17s have a tyre height of ~129mm.
(*Note: My tyre size calculation doesn’t take rim width into consideration - I’m not sure how much difference that makes. I assume not much because I don’t think the output of willtheyfit.com differs based on rim width either.)
@WeeCobi, hope the above info is of some use to you. 235/65 R17s seem to be quite popular. I’ve not seen anyone complain of rubbing on 8.5j ET34 wheel which is similar to the Warlord (which I believe is 8j ET35).
I think the only problem is that the bigger the tyre the more the speedo will be out by (along with any calculations that rely on this, like automatic gearing, MPG calcuations, etc). I believe this can be reconfigured though. And it’ll be out whether you go with 235/60 or 235/65!(You can stick with 235/55 R17 if you’d prefer to keep everything accurate like @SimonJ said above.)
You can see some other 17” wheel/tyre combinations in Show us your 17s too.
In response to your *note:
Rim width does matter, and it sings in tune with its ET. Besides the more intricate details that are related to the specific geometry of the wheel well and multilink setup, there is one general rule that should be taken into account, which is that with every 10mm of additional tyre with, rim ET should decrease by 5mm to keep the inner flank of the tyre in the same plane as the original situation, and thus eliminate the risk of rubbing.
So, as an example, say you want to move from the standard 205/65 R16 to a 245/65 R17. The rim ET should then decrease by 20mm (to 35mm instead of the standard 55). That will keep things neutral in respect of rubbing due to increased tyre width, but it will push out the outer flank of the tyre by a full 40mm; While this will help with a more macho stance, it will also increase the turning radius of the front wheel extremities and may as such still cause rubbing when fully turned over, which is why you will want to adjust steering limits. Rear wheels don't have this issue obviously but if the van is not raised, the tyre may very well rub on the arches when suspensions maxes out.
Hope this is clear and helpful to people.
kr vic
@Vicbauwens what a brilliant, simple to understand explanation. (can you do us all a favour and write one for the electrics?)
Vicbauwens
New Member
Rally rims have something very appealing. Rational and robust, yet almost sophisticated in their presentation. Like the matched color too, lightens up the mood a bit compared to plain black. I’m going with pure grey braids (winrace S), very similar actually.
Daryl_88
Member
Hi mate, any noticeable difference to mpg with this setup? Are they as noisy as everyone claims and do they handle ok on a wet road for cornering and braking?
I’m off to elite tomorrow morning and these are the exact wheels and tyres I’m planning to fit to my t6 dsg
Hi, I cannot comment on the consumption as I have only known the van with these fitted.
They are not noisy, my snorkel is noisier!
I am happy with them on wet roads, you just have to drive with them in mind. I have yet to lose it on a wet road.
Daryl_88
Member
Cheers mate! Having same fitted as I type this, I’ll only be able to tell difference in fuel consumption going from 20s to these but hoping it’s not too bad as I was already only getting around 27mpg according to mfd on 2018 t6 150 dsg
The consumption registered and distance you actually travel depends on various parameters;
The diameter of the new tyres compared to standard wheels/tyres.
The sizes of your 20” tyres.
Whether the van had previously had its MFD settings adjusted to those 20” tyres.
For info the 245/65 r17” tyres are 9% bigger than the standard 215/65 r17s.
So, if the settings haven’t been adjusted, if you register driving 100 miles, you will actually have traveled 109 miles and have been travelling 9% faster than indicated.
These are all as indicated differences, raring in mind it is often mentioned that standard the speedos/odometers under report by about 3%.
Sorry to all if my figures/quotes /terminology are adrift, but no access to resources @ the mo.
