A few novice questions about the 04 Dll

[Z O O R O P A]

Just a few questions if anyone could be of assistance I'd greatly appreciate it

the 16s tires, what sizes are recommended for heavy load but attempting to keep mpgs as best as one can expect? 255/70 16?

any considerations around Cooper STT and BFG Tires as far as ratings go? considering a fairly balanced but laden vehicle ( 3-4 adults plus gear )

Options for location of an air compressor outside the vehicle?

recommended battery? are there differences between all latest heavy duty batteries? or is one as good as another?

many thanks

 

[Disco2Guy]

Do you have (or plan to install) a lift? The biggest tire you can fit without a lift is 245/75/R16. I'm currently running BFG AT's in that size and they've been great for the 12K miles they have been installed. They are also M+S rated and put to the test at Shaver lake this past March.

Can't help much on the air compressor.

For the battery I had an Optima Blue Top, but replaced it with a Sears PM-1 after the winch was installed. If you go that route you'll need to extend the ground cable by a couple of inches. I just made a new one with a military style terminal on the battery.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I'm running 245/75/16 also in a rig meant to serve double duty as a tow rig. Discoverer S/T-C's which I've been very happy with in all regards. They did fit without a lift, but I have a 2" lift now.

The Odyssey PC2150 is the best battery you can buy, I feel. It's the same* as the Sears PM-1 as mentioned, which is also cheaper. I have the PC2150 in my truck. Fits perfect, other than needing a new ground strap.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

thanks that's great information


if you are willing to share any pics of the 245s would be great

do they rub at all? do you find that an adequate size for your applications and versatile for most terrain side from rock crawling and major boulders?

I would prefer not to do a lift, I'd like to keep the vehicle as close to stock as possible. If I feel that 3 adults and the gear put a real stress on the truck under rough terrain ( which I don't think it will ) then I may add a small like 1.5 inch lift. Or perhaps when the springs need replacement I may

Have you seen these for $130

http://www.onlinetiredealer.com/truck/txr.asp

 

[MattScott]

Have you seen these for $130

http://www.onlinetiredealer.com/truck/txr.asp

To be frank, those tires are about as bad as, um, well they're horrible I have nothing to compare them to. Just buy BFG's and be done with them, they wear like iron.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

Matt,

any reason you don't like the WS? I had a pair a few years back and they performed very well on my D1

I think Cooper makes the best tires and have owned half a dozen pair. BFG have great longevity if rotated properly but they cake up with mud and clay so easily

those have been my experiences with the above tires but I don't know everything about tires and load ratings or if anything has changed over the last few years hence why I am soliciting advice

thanks again for sharing and I'd be interested to hear more about your or others opinions

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I don't buy no-name tires. Those WS things aren't even cheap. I think you could definitely get Coopers for that price, I paid $170 or 190 up here in Canada where we get screwed on tires. I bet they're 130 or less in the US.

I didn't have any rubbing with the 245/75/16 when off-roading without the lift. But, I think you'll find that if you're loading the truck and driving off-road, the stock suspension will be taxed. I only drove it empty off-road with the stock suspension.

 

[pnorvell]

Zooropa,

For the tires I would agree on the 245/75/16's being your best bet. As for tire brands I've been really happy with BFG, though they are M/T's. I will agree on the fact that the A/T can cake easy, but I have yet to personally see a tire wear better than these. I've heard great things about Coopers as well. It comes down to what you are willing to spend money on, as last time I checked the Cooper M/T were more expensive than BFG.

For the battery I have the Sears DieHard Platinum P-1 - Group Size 34, Here. This battery has worked great and has a great warranty if ever needed. It is the same battery as the over priced Odyssey, same casing etc. Last I checked someone looked into it and they're even made at the same plant.

I lifted my truck for a few reasons, but one of the biggest one's was that when I would go on backpacking trips my truck would look like a low rider! with five people in the truck and with five packs! I went with the Rovertym 2" lift to solve this problem. It's a great lift that doesn't scream, "check out my big lifted truck!" Just a thought if you're going to be piling people and gear in! I absolutely love the lift and tire combo I have, but I also love the look of the 245's on stock trucks. Best of luck getting it all figured out!

Peter

 

[muskyman]

If mileage is your first concern then a 225/75/16 will yeild a bit better mileage then the 245 aspect ratio.

I ran 225/75/16's on 16" DII rims for 7 years and allthough some say they are to narrow I felt they worked great.

Narrow tires reduce the frontal area of a truck as well as reduce the rolling resistance, both of these factors play into mileage to a extent.

The other advantage of a narrow tire is it increases surface pressure and thats a good thing on slippery roads because it prevents hydroplanning or on snow and ice it will make the tire want to continue to roll as aposed to sliding sideways.

I have now gone to that same size tire on my RRC because it see's mostly road miles and it has increased the mileage just a bit on that compared to the 255/65/16 and the ride got a bit smother as well.

If the plan is to use the tire off road alot then I would agree that a 245/75/16 is a pretty good size.

And last I would like to say that anything is better then the factory 255/18" tires. Those just ride horrible and I still to this day can understand what land rover was thinking because how much they degrade the ride quality of the DII's.

 

[R_Lefebvre]

I find that 245 leave the wheels pretty vulnerable to getting banged on things off-road, there is no sidewall bulbing out past the face of the wheel. 225 would be even worse. Maybe with steel wheels 225 would be ok, but I wouldn't do it with aluminum wheels. Also I've heard that as you get narrower, the tire is less likely to have the bead stay seated when aired down because the sidewall is trying to pull it off the wheel.

Yes, bigger wheels ride worse on ALL cars. They are always a detriment to ride, and sometimes even a detriment to handling (camber sensitivity) but people like the looks, and think they are higher performance, so that's what the manufacturer will mount.

 

[Disco2Guy]

It kinda sucks not being able to have links in your sig line, so here are my photo albums of trips and mods. I would consider getting a mild lift if you're looking to travel offroad with 3 adults. Those stock springs are 5 years old now and probably have sagged a little just from the weight of the truck. I'm running RTE's 2" lift and it works fine. I ran the 245/75/16's off road once before the lift went on the next day and didn't experience any rubbing. Actually I take that back. Coming off of some hills if I didn't watch my speed the rear would rub on the outer most section of the treads, but that's due to the offset of the steelies. On the alloys you sould be fine.

Trips

Mods

 

[muskyman]

I find that 245 leave the wheels pretty vulnerable to getting banged on things off-road, there is no sidewall bulbing out past the face of the wheel. 225 would be even worse. Maybe with steel wheels 225 would be ok, but I wouldn't do it with aluminum wheels. Also I've heard that as you get narrower, the tire is less likely to have the bead stay seated when aired down because the sidewall is trying to pull it off the wheel.

Yes, bigger wheels ride worse on ALL cars. They are always a detriment to ride, and sometimes even a detriment to handling (camber sensitivity) but people like the looks, and think they are higher performance, so that's what the manufacturer will mount.

Couple things to keep in mind.

the land rover alloys have about the biggest safety bead of any rim you will find so at pressures above 20psi the chance of popping a bead is almost zero.

If you are taking a truck with no lift or as very short lift as the OP mentioned off road you are not likely/should not air down past about 20 psi anyways because you are going to loose to much ground clearence.

As I pointed out if the tire is going to see alot of off road use then a wider tire would be better but if mileage as the OP mentioned is what you are looking for then skinny wins.

I used mine off road plenty and never had a issue with popped beads or rim damage. But then again I have a real good idea where my tires are and the type off road I used that truck for was very mild. Plus you have to keep in mind if I was hitting tough trails I would jump into my D1 that is set up for hard core trails.

 

[muskyman]

just went back and reread the OP

235/85/16 E wall

this size is a nice blend for what you are looking for.

it will go on a stock unlifted truck.

the E wall will support the heavy laden truck as you describe and the aspect ratio will hide the stiff wall on the highway.

plus as I stated earlier the skinny tire will help maintain your mileage.

I have never run this size on a DII but I know a buncha people that have with no lift and had great luck.

It also is a very common size for dualies so they are often cheap.

As far as cooper tires go I have had lots of them and they are a great tire. Infact they build lots of the no name brands. They build a couple aggresive AT tread patterns that work very well both off road and in snow and ice.

 

[evilfij]

235 85 R16 is too narrow for the stock DII 16in wheel.

 

[muskyman]

235 85 R16 is too narrow for the stock DII 16in wheel.

well Ron some tire companies would agree with you and some would not.

Lots of DII guys have run them without issue and Like I said earlier many have even run the 225's on the DII rims without issue.