Tyre help

So, I’ve been told my S111 SWB wayward steering is probably not helped by the “security” 6.00 16LT tyres, and that putting some radials on will help somewhat on the road. I think I’ll be mostly on the road, so I’m looking to change them.

Bit confused about tubes and radials etc, and what I need to continue to be able to use the original rims. Any recommendations? Do I have to use tubes because the rims aren’t air tight? Or can I just fit “normal” tyres?

Are 210/80r16’s the right size?

Thanks for any help you can give.

I had some deestone extra traction tyres they were noisy and crazy in the wet and slid round corners even dry
I have Avon rangemasters now , quiet, better mpg and road holding in wet and dry

I have original steel wheels and still use tubes. Your query has been asked before on here have a search to get a range of views from those tyre gurus

205/80/16 is close as to 600x16 as youl get, some brands are wider than others due to tread pattern an snipes ect (tyre talk lol)
Most tubeless tyres have ribs inside them which eventually rub through the tube. Ive fitted countless amounts of tubes in tubeless type tyres over 20 years.
When fitting new tubes its normally cheaper to buy tr13 valved tubes & fit tr15 collars see link
FOUR INNER TUBE VALVE TR13 TR15 HOLE PLASTIC FERRULES VAN LORRY CAR LAND ROVER | eBay

Cheers Kev

Another vote for Avon Rangemasters (205) but maybe describing "wayward steering" in more depth may help you more. Mine was sloppy and wandering before l sorted and restored the swivel balls.

Go to modern 205/80 radials ASAP and fit tubes as you will have tubeless rims. Agree re valve adaptors, been there! Crossply tyres are truly awful to drive on compared to a modern radial. You will never track straight on cross plys, they tramline too much.

Rangemasters are radials, but look appropriate.

Thanks for the replies. I’ve got some rims now with number ANR4636. Think they’re 5.5 16’s. But don’t know if they’re tubeless or not. They have tubeless tyres on, but I suspect they’re tubed too. Can you tell from the valve? Not sure where I’m going with this tbh. These next to the 600 16’s look huge….

If you deflate the tyre you should be able to push a tubed valve inwards. Looks tubed to me as I cannot see an outer lip.

Blackburn said:

If you deflate the tyre you should be able to push a tubed valve inwards. Looks tubed to me as I cannot see an outer lip.

Click to expand...

Ah, yes. Definitely no lip and floating about in the hole. So tubed tubeless tyres on these.

With old type cross plys the steering should still run true.....and will be mega lighter than a Landrover on radials......but unfortunately cross plys are terrible on wet roads....steers straight no prob.....but will slide easy on bends ect.

I fitted tubeless tyres to my std rims....lots will say it wont work.....me and a pal have used them for over 20 years.....pay no attention.....

When tubeless tyre came out....they were all on std rims....50s/60s.

Afternoon. Quick update… and trying to fathom what else might be going on…

I’ve just noticed the PO has fitted different sized wheels on the front axle! One is an original 5” wide, the other a replacement new wheel which is 5.5”. Bit of Googling suggests with the same tyres and offset it might not be an issue… obviously not ideal. However, a quick measure shows the tyre sits in different positions in relation to the hub on each side. Presumably in a straight line, no problem, but on steering the geometry will be very different each side… and be interesting at times … make sense?

I’ll switch them round later when I get a chance…

Cant see it helping.

I have the wider 109 LWB type on my SWB....look better....and better with the wider 205x16s I have.

Yep different offsets. I have 12 rims that I have bought at varous times and I dont think out of that lot I have a full set of 5 matching rims!

They really must be the same offset and rim width. The offset changes the effective castor on the steering and so it will always pull to one side and it moves the braking force so it is dangerous under hard braking. The rim with changes the tyre profile, it sits higher on a narrower rim and changes the rolling radius. On any 4x4 you want same dia tyres as a mis-match increase diff loads. Also the rolling radius changes the steering trail which upsets the steering. If one side has more trail than the other the steering will centre to one side, especially on a cambered road and give uneven wear.
The std steel wheels are so cheap on e-bay there's no reason not to get a matched set. I sold 4 with tyres recently for £40 and you should be able to get a set of 4 bare wheels for around £10.

The rims themselves will be stamped 'tubeless' if they are and will have a bead around the inside of the hub to help seat and retain a tubeless tyre.

Thanks for the replies.

I’ve sourced a set of defender wheels with good 205r16 tyres… I’ve painted them limestone… sorted.


It has highlighted how bad something is in the steering. So, next step is to remove the relay as it seems to be full of gunk resembling cv grease…. Also, I’ve found the steering box has little oil in. But peering through the hole looks ok. I’ll remove the side plate and go from there, just waiting for new gaskets to arrive.