I'm replacing the worn-out 245/75/16 Goodyears on my 96 Discovery with my favorite Cooper Discoverer in a 235/85/16 profile, and while I'm at it I want to swap the D1 alloy wheels for steel. Talked to the awesome folk at Rovers North today about rim with, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with running a 235/85 on either the 5.5" Camel Trophy style steelies or the 6.5" wide Wolf wheels and how the different rim widths may affect profile or ride characteristics.

Thanks!

 

Most manufacturers recommend a 6-7.5" rim width for that size tire and a few say 6-8".

 

Thanks- any issues running that tire on a slightly narrower rim (say the 5.5" camel trophy style)?

 

I can't really answer that one for you and I am not even sure what size was used on Camel trophy wheels. I think it was 7.00 or 7.5 x 16 XZL and were narrower than the 235/85. Hopefully someone else will be able to give you a better answer.

 

A 5.5" wide wheel won't hurt anything. I've seen & (unfortunately) had to put all kinds of wrong width tires on wrong width wheels. It's not optimal, though. The only thing to be aware of is that the center of the tread will wear out faster than the shoulder. 6" is pretty much the standard minimum width on road wheels these days. The 6.5" will probably look & perform the best out of any other width available. 235/85s on an 8" rim looks wrong & doesn't seat a bead as easily during mounting (or trail repairs). If you want the 5.5" camels, run a 215/85.