Bigger wheels/tyres

Hi guys,

I own a 1992 4WD Super Custom LH107G and run standard wheels and tyres 205/70/R15.

I am looking at trying to get any extra ground clearance I can and wonder if anyone has tried running bigger wheels or tyres.

The biggest I can legally run here (Australia) is a 50mm increase, to say 225/75/R15.

I am interested to know if anyone has tried bigger tyres and if you experienced any negative consequences such as increased centre of gravity/rolling, stress on drive train parts, reduced torque, braking capacity and fuel economy, etc.

Thanks for any insights you might have. They are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Rowan.

Hello and welcome to the forum!

There are loads and loads of posts on here about different tyres and wheels. The forum isn’t brilliant to search, I find, but give it a go. It’s also worth doing a Google search and including the forum name in that search to be expansive but still within here, if that makes sense. Plus many owners include their vehicle details in various areas of the forum, whether in their details section or in their ‘show us yours’ post.

I think it also sort of depends on where you want the extra clearance. Bigger tyres will give you better under-axle clearance and raise the vehicle a bit, but it’ll reduce clearance in wheel arches etc. I think you’ve listed all the potential consequences in your post of generally increasing the unsprung mass but I also wonder where you’ll keep the spare? The max spare wheel size to fit under the fuel tank has been asked a few times on here but I don’t know what’ll fit.

Going from 205/70/R15 to 225/75/R15 will raise the hub centreline height by ~25mm based on the tiresize calculator, see:

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

It’s also a great site to plug away all sorts of options and I think it’ll also calculate speedo changes, too. Give it a go.

I’ve got 195/80/R15 Dynapro AT tyres so these are taller but a bit narrower than yours and I’m happy with them. I’ll soon need two new ones and would rather buy two than four.

Another thing to bear in mind is whether to replace the rims with something different / bigger. If you’re starting from scratch then this may open up or close down options, too, I suppose.

Something else to bear in mind is how much off-roading you do and so what sort of tyre do you want. Size here is just one factor.

Are you definitely keeping the rims or are you thinking of all options? If so, you might be better speaking to a good tyre shop as there are all sorts of things to bear in mind such as PCD and offset etc.

One last thing to consider is whether to also lift the suspension since in some respects the ground clearance on the Hiace isn’t too bad, but the overhangs (approach, departure etc) are limited and lifting the van hubs by 25mm won’t cure this. Actually nothing will but you can wind up the front torsion bars to lift there by ~50mm. You need to be careful about CVs and if your van has coil springs at the front a different approach is needed. If the back is on leaf springs you can fit longer rear shackles to give clearance too and change the coil springs if that’s what you have. Again, I’d imagine you are in the right place to seek advice from great local companies. Hiaces are really rare here but I expect still common in Oz.

I’ve not done suspension changes and it must change all sorts of performance and handling characteristics but these are your options. There are loads of YT videos over there and posts already here so do your searching, just bear in mind the more different the more odd and unpredictable the result!

Finally, the OEM wheel sizes for my van are here:

https://toyota.epc-data.com/regius_ace/lh119v/114894/chassis/4103/

Take a look there. Also, back up through the website options until you can select your exact van and type from the build plate options and you’ll see what’s what. It’s a fantastic site and when linked with the Amayama parts site it’s the best resource for parts and wider bits I’ve ever found.

Cheers

Thanks very much for all the info. And good point about the spare still fitting underneath (I hadn't thought of that).

I approached one local tyre place this morning and asked the manager whether he would consider changing to bigger tyres and he was adamant that it will only create more problems. His opinion was to stay stock, it was what the vehicle was designed for. If you want more clearance buy a different van!!!

I guess I will do some more research but leaning towards staying as is at the moment.

Thanks again !!!

“If you want more clearance buy a different van” - he clearly does not appreciate quality.

@Rowan, tyre change coming up for me, too.

I have an LH119V (or just LH119, there are at least four stamps with different numbers!). Also a 1992.

I’m running 225/75/R15s and they look and feel great. I’m about to post a request for help under 'grease monkey’ as my speedo and odo have gone, but I suspect that’s more to do with a dodgy engine and trans rebuild just before I bought it, than from the bigger tyres. I dunno, did anyone else find the larger tyres put added pressure on the odo/speedo system? (I am not sure yet if mine is cable or digital - will find out tomorrow when I get under it).

Let us know what you go with.

PS my 5th tyre does not fit under the van anymore. If anyone has a modification to allow the wider tyre, let me know. I’ve already stripped the nut holding on the spare wheel cage - was going to get rid of it for weight (temporarily, until I next go bush) as I carry a spare on the front.

Tyre change coming up.

Haha - yes suffice to say I didn't go out and buy a different van. I love my Super Hiace.

The local tyre dealer's advice on not messing with it though rang true with me so I left the wheels/tyres as stock 205/70.

Glad to see that you are not having any issues with running the bigger tyres (apart from the spare), and your LH119 looks great! Nice pic!