[Samurai]

GTO, I am not in an hurry. But slowly I want to move on to alloys. It is the only vehicle without alloys in my household, that too with tubetype.

Look at my current tyres in these shots.

[Blue Thunder]

The tyres look good, Samurai, they have quite some life left in them. And I think repainting the wheel rims would make them look much better.

[GTO]

Tyres are in good shape, and you aren't in a hurry. Upgrade after a while, Samurai.

[Samurai]

Guys, I am looking for Alloys, not tyres.

GTO, I haven't seen a good side profile shot of your Jeep to appreciate the Alloys.

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by GTO

Samurai:

1. How good are the original tyres? Ideally, I'd look at a 225 patch tyre for the 340. But if your 235's are in great shape, obviously there isn't a need to replace them. As I posted earlier, I didn't opt for 235's as they were touching the insides on full lock.

2. 6 inch wide will be perfect for the 235s.

3. The Classic originally came with wire wheels (attachment 1), but Mahindra replaced them with a smart 5 spoke design later (attachment 2). They are pretty robust wheels, and have been tested by Mahindra in offroading applications. Do you want to try sourcing these. Alternatively, have you seen the three spokes on mine? They'd be easier to find.

I don't mean to confuse you with any more options but what I would do, if in your place, is keep the wheel / tyre upgrades for later. First learn the Jeep inside out...get some healthy offroading done. Then save up and go for a hardcore upsize (attachment 3 & 4).

@ Gaurav : What wheel + tyre combo is the Jeep in your avatar pic running on? Looks like a monster! Any additional pictures & review?

GTO,

Yes that red flat fender is my Jeep! Those wheels are 15x8 imported alloys with a nice large offset (numerically low), my guess is about 4 inch or so. The tires & rims are the ones that I know have on my Blue MM550, and I had posted several pics of those. Tires size is 10R15 which is a 30" tall tire and about 10 inch wide. Brand is Bridgestone Desert Duelers. These tires wear like steel.

Pros: Look awesome, and have great floatation, no rubbing at all. But you will have to lift the suspension about 2 inches to get some more clearance. I did this by a little re-arching and adding an extra leaf at each corner.

Cons: HEAVY steering. You will need good upper body strength to steer. Or figure out a way to add power steering, which is what I am trying to do with my 550.
Other con is that the brakes are affected, but I think you already have front discs, so it should not be a very big issue.

I should tell you that my current set of tires on my 340 are 30x9.5R15 BFG Mud terrains, on 15x8 Mickey Thompson Classic IIs, with a 3 5/8 inch offset that push the tires out nice and far for a really good wide track. These dont look as tough as the Desert Duelers, but give very light (relatively) steering effort, good high speed stability and handling, and fantastic mud grip.

Not trying to highjack this thread with my jeep pics, but just want to get you jeep guy motivated to put some BIG tires on your jeeps. Just remember, bigger is better when it comes to tires on jeeps. If you don't believe me, I will post some pics of my Wrangler TJ parking in California with 35inchers!

Cheers,

Gaurav

[GTO]

Your Jeep looks awesome! Just look at the ground clearance in the second last picture. I see a K&N logo on the wall, is this the same place where you got your Jeep modded? I presume it is since the Ranchos look fresh and clean too. I only imagine the steering effort within the city.

but just want to get you jeep guy motivated to put some BIG tires on your jeeps.

Can tell you that its working . I was thinking of a lift too, probably 2 inches? What tyres? Can I fit them on my current three-spokes?

Check these Jeeps out. All pictures sourced from The CJ3B Page

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by GTO

Your Jeep looks awesome! Just look at the ground clearance in the second last picture. I see a K&N logo on the wall, is this the same place where you got your Jeep modded? I presume it is since the Ranchos look fresh and clean too. I only imagine the steering effort within the city.

Can tell you that its working . I was thinking of a lift too, probably 2 inches? What tyres? Can I fit them on my current three-spokes?

Check these Jeeps out. All pictures sourced from The CJ3B Page

Thanks for the compliments on my Jeep.

I did get some work done at Performance Motors in Noida. They do good painting.

The Rancho shocks have a big name in aftermarket applications, but they are not good shocks at all. Bilsteins are the way to go.

31 inch tires are probably the best all around tire for mildly lifted Jeeps. They are readily available in India now, and will give a good balance of ground clearance & floatation. A very mild 2 inch lift will work. This can be done in a number of ways, each with its own pro/con:

2" lift via spring re-arch only
2" lift, spring re-arch + add 1 leaf
No spring work, just add 2" spacer blocks
1" lift via spring re-arch only + 1 inch body lift
1" lift, spring re-arch + add 1 leaf + 1 inch body lift
No spring work, just add 1" spacer blocks + 1 inch body lift

It all depends on how you want your suspension tuned and what your objectives are.

I would need to get more details on your wheels to figure out if they can work with 31" tires. Need to know the width, and backspace.

Regards,

Gaurav

[GTO]

Thanks Gaurav. What size 31 inch tyres would be most suited to the Classic? Any recommended brands? Whats an indicative price?

From the lift options that you have outlined, which will be the most reliable and simplest to implement? My Jeep is has only two functions : city driving and offroading. I rarely take her out on the highway, and if I do, its only to get to the offroad terrain.

[iraghava]

GTO - You get 31x10.5-15 in Michelin & Yokohama. Not sure if Bridgestone still has them too.

[Alfa_Kilo]

@Red

How will adding extra leaves and spacers help lift a vehicle with the springs passing under the axle?

[GTO]

Whats the retail on those tyres, Irags? Are they readily available?

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks Gaurav. What size 31 inch tyres would be most suited to the Classic? Any recommended brands? Whats an indicative price?

From the lift options that you have outlined, which will be the most reliable and simplest to implement? My Jeep is has only two functions : city driving and offroading. I rarely take her out on the highway, and if I do, its only to get to the offroad terrain.

GTO,
What type of off-roading terrain do you intend to do? Is it a lot of heavy mud? Rocks? Or more of gravel trails?

All Terrain tires are good all around tires for trails and street use. Michelin has one as does BFGoodrich. The BFG all terrain is one of the best selling tires in the U.S.

If you plan to do a lot of mud and slush, seriously consider getting a mud terrain. These just work much better than the A/Ts. They are really good at mud ejection and tend not to get clogged up and totally slick with mud. Problem is that I am not aware of a regularly marketed mud terrain in India. They are available through individual importers that have a set or two.

When I initially put in 10R15 tires back in 1996, I simply added an extra leaf in each spring pack and had a suspension guy re-arch the springs that lifted the body up 2 inches. Along with this I repositioned the rear bump stops down 1 inch.

This off course made the suspension stiffer, but I liked the higher spring rate for rough terrain at a fast clip.

[RedMM340]

Originally Posted by Alfa_Kilo

@Red

How will adding extra leaves and spacers help lift a vehicle with the springs passing under the axle?

Yeah, you are right, those only give you lift with a SOA or spring over axle setup.

[GTO]

Appreciate the tips, RedMM340. I have sent your note to the Mahindra guys who are evaluating the best option for my Jeep.

Will keep you updated. Thanks!

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by GTO

Whats the retail on those tyres, Irags? Are they readily available?

Retail should be around 6.5-7k apiece give or take a few hundred here or there. And yeah, they're readily available at most dealers.