Series 3 245/75r16 and wolf wheels

Just bought a set of wolf wheels for my S3 88. I have a like new set of 245/75r16 tires mounted on Toyota wheels. Before I dismount them I was wondering if they will fit without rubbing. I searched and found a few people who use that size of tire on Wolf wheels but they are on different model LR's.

I have wolf wheels fitted with 7.50s on my s3 88 with no problems and they will have a larger diameter than your tyres.

Thanks. It currently has 235/85-16 retreads on original wheels and they rub on the inside. Just wanted to not have the same problems.

Ole blue said:

Thanks. It currently has 235/85-16 retreads on original wheels and they rub on the inside. Just wanted to not have the same problems.

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if you have the same problem the steering stops may need adjusting to prevent it, but my wols with 750's fitted with no adjustment needed, and they replaced 205's on standard rims

Good to know about the stops. Will look at them tomorrow.

The offset on the Wolfs is right for a Series so you should not have major issues, however you will need to set the stops to keep the tyre off the springs - its usually at the rear that it catches. The Wolfs and 245s will be wider and so you may get contact with the front wheel arches. Keep a watch on them for rubbing, and make sure there are no sharp edges. I've had tyres rub and so long as its only occasionally - ie turning sharply and a big bump, its not an issue if everything is smooth.

Steering will be really heavy with that width tyre.

Well I finally got to work on the LR. The left side stop bolt was missing. Trying to find a 1/4" bolt in the land of metric was a bit challenging. I removed a bolt from the seat box and installed it for the steering stop. Now when turning to the right the tire does not rub the spring or body work.

Steering effort, PS conversion? Smaller tyres? Should start a project page I guess.

Steering effort is about the width of tread on the road when you are stopped or going slowly, and the overhang once you are driving. Series steer better on narrower tyres like the 7.50R16 but are fine on LT235/85 16 but get heavier as you go wider. 245 is not a lot wider so you may be OK. but tyres of the same size vary a lot. The LT 235 (Light truck) are stiffer walled and more square and I find they work well with the Wolf rims

My S3 is a diesel and I do need a shorter tyre. I installed a Roamerdrive and on flat ground it barely has enough power to maintain 55 mph. Going up a slight upgrade I have to shift out of 4th-od to 4th. If I keep the 235/85-16's the overdrive is pretty much useless.. Unfortunately I already have the 245/75-16 winter tires that are like new. They are about 1" shorter but about 1" wider. I tried to sell them locally but the best offer was 250€ for all.

245/75 have a smaller contact patch than 235/85 but both are around 50% more than a 7.50. Increased offset with a Wolf will also make the steering heavier and more susceptible to bumps.

And they look a bit American

Give them a go. I'm sure the steering is plenty light enough on snow and ice! 55 is fast enough in a diesel series, that's our limit before we put ear defenders on. I run LT235/85 -16 Geoladars (31.7" dia) , 3.54 diffs and an O/D so I'm geared at 30 mph / 1000 rpm which cuts the noise a lot, Engine is a 3.3 Perkins that is claimed 63 hp - ie only 1 more HP than the LR diesel but it can haul us up to 65 (given a long enough road) and that's a LWB camper top and roof rack. The 2.25 diesels were never fast but perhaps you are a bit down on power too? Others will know more but I would have thought 60 on the level in OD should be within reach.

Bobsticle said:

And they look a bit American

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This is what was popular when I left the states a few months ago. Raised 6 inches and tires stuck outside the body several inches.

Ole blue said:

My S3 is a diesel and I do need a shorter tyre. I installed a Roamerdrive and on flat ground it barely has enough power to maintain 55 mph. Going up a slight upgrade I have to shift out of 4th-od to 4th. If I keep the 235/85-16's the overdrive is pretty much useless.. Unfortunately I already have the 245/75-16 winter tires that are like new. They are about 1" shorter but about 1" wider. I tried to sell them locally but the best offer was 250€ for all.

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I would suggest if that is the case your engine is in need of a good service and "tune up". I also run 2.25 diesel with michline xzl 7.50's, and whereas I agree you need to change down back to 4th on any sort of incline with a long enough flat run up mine will get to an hold and indicated 65 (fairy OD). Although this is still slow this is fast enough to be quicker than hgv's rather than slower than them. I do not tend to drive at this speed but it does make overtaking a truck on a motorway an option, and means that I can comfortably travel at the same speed as them.

dag019 said:

I would suggest if that is the case your engine is in need of a good service and "tune up". I also run 2.25 diesel with michline xzl 7.50's, and whereas I agree you need to change down back to 4th on any sort of incline with a long enough flat run up mine will get to an hold and indicated 65 (fairy OD). Although this is still slow this is fast enough to be quicker than hgv's rather than slower than them. I do not tend to drive at this speed but it does make overtaking a truck on a motorway an option, and means that I can comfortably travel at the same speed as them.

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The injector pump and injectors were sent out and rebuilt. The engine starts, runs ok and does not smoke. The timing can be off and the valves might need to be adjusted. Without tearing into the engine there is not much else to adjust.

Finally had a bit of time to dig the tyres out of the storage unit.

Left tyre, 235/85-16, 31 7/8" tall, tread 8" wide
Center tyre, 245/75-16, 30 1/8" tall, tread 7 3/4" wide
Right tyre, 205/80-16, 29 1/8" tall, tread 6" wide. Currently the spare.

Now to make an appointment to get the tyres mounted on the wolf wheels.

That's a very interesting photo, thanks! I'm sure that will get referred to a lot.
I think your plan will work OK.
How is the air filter? I cleaned my oil bath out and got a bit more power. You may also be able to up the fueling a tiny (I mean tiny) amount and check the throttle is going full travel. I was losing power and found the pedal had slipped on the shaft, took several days to work that one out!

rob1miles said:

That's a very interesting photo, thanks! I'm sure that will get referred to a lot.
I think your plan will work OK.
How is the air filter? I cleaned my oil bath out and got a bit more power. You may also be able to up the fueling a tiny (I mean tiny) amount and check the throttle is going full travel. I was losing power and found the pedal had slipped on the shaft, took several days to work that one out!

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This is key, being a shaft linkage as stated it can slip around, but also a fairly normal trick (less so now with the regulation change on classics) to pass the emissions test for the mot was to wind the throttle stop out so pedal travel is limited and you cannot get full revs.

Will check the linkage, throttle stop and not sure how to add fuel. Air cleaner was cleaned out about 2000 miles ago.