So had my car serviced yesterday and flushed the gearbox oil for good measure and upon collection, chatted to the mechanic as per usual

He advised me to changed my front tyres which is nearing its end and whn I told him I intend replacing all 5 with bigger tyres, he strongly advised against it - wheel bearing issues, additional strain on the system etc

Told him that upsizing has been done for years and most owenrs seems to he happy

Anyone experience such issues when up sizing??

BTW - 245/70/17 AT is impossible to find locally, so I'll be going 255/65/17 which is smaller in circumference but 10mm wider that the 245's

Last edited by mountainboy on 1st Feb 2014 3:09 pm. Edited 1 time in total

Check before buying the clearance between the tire and the rear suspension struts.

thanks, I will be doing a full check on clearance

Did a search and it seems Agroman fitted these a few yrs back with no issues - hoping for the same

Yes I did have General Grabber AT 2's 255 65 17 for about 30 or 40k on my 57 plate td4 manual. No reliability problems over that time. They were very tight against the rear struts and because it spent a lot of time with muddy tyres! The black paint rubbed off the struts
No problem at the front with steering / suspension on full articulation.

And just to test it a bit, it had a Bluefin remap as well and spent plenty of time towing.

Negative was slight effect on speedo accuracy, which I think was reading 3 or 4 % low. Probably reduced mpg a bit to.
I did it because at the time it was the only way you could fit a decent off road AT tyre to it, nothing decent available in the standard 235 width then, but there is now. Just about to fit some GG AT's soon, just eking out the last few miles from Continental Contact AT's which are worn out. Spun to a halt on a wet grassy field near Penzance on Weds. most embarising. 1998 Feelander XDI Hardback - Gone
2002 Freelander TD4 GS Hardback - Gone
2004 Freelander TD4 HSE Stationwaggon - Gone
2007 Freelander 2 TD4 XS manual - Gone
2010 Freelander 2 TD4 GS Auto - Gone
2013 SD4 GS arrived April 2013

Thanks for the reply Agroman

We dont have too much mud down here, lots of sand and some rocky stuff.

So there is no need for a spacer then?? 255/65/17 should fit just fine, not too fussed about speedo readings and fuel just did not want to risk possible damage as indicated by my mechanic

I'm keen on the oversized wheels purely for an easy lift, extra 10-20mm will be perfect

I didn't fit a spacer, but they were tight against the rear strut, probably 1/8th inch clearance between tyre and strut. Hopefully the offset on all 17 inch alloys is the same? I guess the other option is - do Evoque wheels have a greater offset? You might have to go to a bigger diameter alloy to do this, which may reduce tyre options. Just a thought. 1998 Feelander XDI Hardback - Gone
2002 Freelander TD4 GS Hardback - Gone
2004 Freelander TD4 HSE Stationwaggon - Gone
2007 Freelander 2 TD4 XS manual - Gone
2010 Freelander 2 TD4 GS Auto - Gone
2013 SD4 GS arrived April 2013

thanks for the tip

so just to confirm, the tight fit against the struts did not damage the vehicle or tyre?? Just some loss of black paint here and there

I was slighty concerned when deflating the tyre and expanding it's footprint but logic told me only the bottom part of the tyre will expand when deflated

Correct no damage other than some black paint removal! Tyre deflection is only going to be at the bottom, ground not the top where it's tight. Good luck!  1998 Feelander XDI Hardback - Gone
2002 Freelander TD4 GS Hardback - Gone
2004 Freelander TD4 HSE Stationwaggon - Gone
2007 Freelander 2 TD4 XS manual - Gone
2010 Freelander 2 TD4 GS Auto - Gone
2013 SD4 GS arrived April 2013

Gents

Would 235/75/17 fit the freelander2? Has anyone done this circumference before? Any issues?

I would be interested in answers to the above question if anyone knows ????

I take it that 235/75/17 has yet to be tried?

Could be expensive for me to be that pioneer!!!

As merely an interested party reading the post please can some body report on speedo error caused by oversize tyres having a different rolling diameter.
.
I am running standard factory fit contis and each time I pass one of those post moubted speed monitor displays I note that it reads spot on to the car speedo.
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Kind regards from Fred.
. 2010GS Auto ex Celeb, Santorini Black, 2011 facelift , spoiler, spats, mudflaps, LED footwell lamps, Witter detach,
Other cars:-
1958 & 1959 Austin J40 Pedal Cars under restoration (I make many J40 parts)
If you have an Austin J40 or Pathfinder Pedal Car looking for a new home pls PM me.
2009 Meriva

235/75/17 is 2" bigger in diameter so 1" radius. That's a fair bit. You can gauge where that would be by looking at it because the width is the same? Seems too big for me...

so without wanting to drag this out...

The biggest "Arch-filler" would be the afore-mentioned 255/65/17?

I'm wanting big n chuncky as long as they fit and don't rub!

The Yoko Geolanders and the General Grabber AT's look the most suitable/aggressive as the tread comes round the sidewall - do any other tyres do this as I don't want to break the bank!!!?

General Grabber AT is a good choice.  Andy.
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