New member, new to 4x4 motoring...

Hi all,
Firstly, great website, I'm already hooked & have received help with my non running but now fixed Discovery 1 V8 auto.
Some help & advice please on tyres & wheels & anything else I need to consider. Please be gentle with my dumb questions, this is all new but exciting...
So, I am taking the Discovery to the Serra da Estrela mountains in Portugal, as soon as the restrictions have been lifted, hopefully in the summer. She will be on a trailer behind my Sprinter van to get there. She will not be used everyday, I have another car for everyday use to the town etc but will be used on normal roads to get me into the mountains. I don't really know what to expect when I get there, but that's the fun, right?
She is a completely non modified, standard, 1993 fitted with 235 70 16 tyres on 7J x 16 alloy wheels (picture attached). So, what size tyres &/or wheels can I fit without the need to make modifications to the body to avoid them rubbing? Which brand of tyre should I go for? I like the look of the Cooper STT tyres I have seen but are they a good choice? Is there a tyre I should consider when driving on normal roads? Should I go for alloy or steel wheels? Is it OK to go for these bigger ones without making any changes to the suspension or steering? What, if any, other things should I consider as a minimum modification? Thanks.

Hi, sounds like a fun trip! Unless you're doing very serious offroading, alloy wheels should be fine. They are stronger but don't bend, they just crack and usually can't be repaired. A bent steel rim can used be repaired with a suitable hammer to get you home

kermit_rr said:

Hi, sounds like a fun trip! Unless you're doing very serious offroading, alloy wheels should be fine. They are stronger but don't bend, they just crack and usually can't be repaired. A bent steel rim can used be repaired with a suitable hammer to get you home

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Thanks kermit, what are your thoughts on tyre sizes?

JDZ2 said:

Thanks kermit, what are your thoughts on tyre sizes?

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I'd stick with stock size, if you go for a taller tyre then your speedo will be affected and you'll be illegal.

kermit_rr said:

I'd stick with stock size, if you go for a taller tyre then your speedo will be affected and you'll be illegal.

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Oh! I hadn't even thought of that...so if you go bigger tyres you're then illegal....is there a way around this? a modified speedo or something?

I don't know, sorry! I'm not sure on the laws in Portugal. People put over sized wheels on over here but i don't know the technicalities

Cant beat standard.
Standard normally = cheap and easily available parts.
If its truly remote, i would take more than one spare wheel/tyre.

Apart from a more aggressive tread pattern, the main difference with taller tyres is increased diff clearance, and that only really helps in deep muddy ruts.

lynall said:

Cant beat standard.
Standard normally = cheap and easily available parts.
If its truly remote, i would take more than one spare wheel/tyre.

Apart from a more aggressive tread pattern, the main difference with taller tyres is increased diff clearance, and that only really helps in deep muddy ruts.

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OK, thanks. Maybe I will wait then to see what it's like. I imagine it'll be drier of course, not so muddy....

If you do a search you will find literally hundreds of threads on this. All your answers are there. Best of luck

ronsealdeath said:

If you do a search you will find literally hundreds of threads on this. All your answers are there. Best of luck

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OK, thanks...

ronsealdeath said:

If you do a search you will find literally hundreds of threads on this. All your answers are there. Best of luck

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Search for Tyres, reveals 140 pages with 20 results per page, thats some night time reading!