On-road Tire 12HT and H55 (1 Viewer)

[marshcat]

My '87 HJ61 arrives soon and needs tires! I am trying to decide which to buy. My '07 LX has 33" K02s and while they are a little noisy on the highway, I've generally been happy with them.

I've read all the tire threads I can find, and it sounds like 31s perform better on road for the 60 series, but 33s look better and fill out the wheel well. My 60 will be running a Dobinsons lift. For this reason I'm leaning 31s, either the K02 or something similar.

Anyone feel strongly that 33s are the better choice? I am stuck with the stock 15" wheels because they have a high offset due to the euro HJ61 fenders. 99% of my driving will be on-road. Picture are the current, mismatched 31s on the saggy stock suspension.

 

[kevin in okinawa]

pick up some affordable 16- or 17-inch wheels like Cragar Soft 8s or something similar that you can order with an appropriate amount of backspacing; 15-inch tires and becoming rarer and more expensive by the day. If you're going to add a small lift then going to 33s (KO2 or similar) is advisable and will look better for sure. The hj61 can handle pushing 33s down the road.

 

[BurntToast]

Couple nice options dropped recently also in the AT range, AT4W, KO3, etc

 

[zeeklafreek]

I concur on going with 33's if you're doing a 2" lift on it at least from an aesthetics viewpoint. Since I'm importing my 60 to Germany in the summer and want it to qualify as an "old timer", I'm leaving the suspension pretty much stock so am going with AT 31's (BFG 31X10.50R15 KO2s) coupled with an H55.

 

[drenmaster]

12H-T, H55, and 33s are the best option as long as you have 4.10 gears.

 

[marshcat]

12H-T, H55, and 33s are the best option as long as you have 4.10 gears.

Factory gearing was 3.73 on this one!

 

[drenmaster]

Factory gearing was 3.73 on this one!

Highway use will be better due to the lower RPMs, but 4.10s for off-road use seems to be a perfect match.

 

[zeeklafreek]

Factory gearing was 3.73 on this one!

I remember seeing a matrix floating on a thread here and I seem to remember 33s + stock 3.73 gearing was still in the 'optimal' zone.

 

[drenmaster]

I can only speak for the 4.10 crowd, but I have also only seen people change to 4.10s and not 3.73.

Either way you have an awesome rig with that setup.. More importantly do you have an after market exhaust on it? Gotta let that engine sing!

 

[marshcat]

I've seen some places that the euro offset wheels are 7" wide compared with the 6" wide wheels for US spec models. Is this true?

 

[60Works]

My HJ-61 OEM 15" wheels had a back spacing of 2 3/8". The only modern wheels you will likely find are custom steelies. You could run 1 1/2" wheel spacers. Not ideal but it worked for me for a couple of years until I swapped out to a FJ-80 rear axle and did the Tundra brake mod, which allowed new 17" wheels with 4 3/4" back spacing.

31" tires will look a bit small with a 2-3" lift.

33" tires with 3:70 gears is a bit tall but not horrible with the low revving 12H-T. I run true 33's with 3:70 and like it on the highway but hate it around town. Reverse absolutely sucks running that tall. The shift points with the H55-F are completely wrong. 4:11 will feel correct with the 33's but will have you ignoring the granny low 1st gear. It's like having a 4 speed again using 2-5.

 

[HemiAlex]

I think width and weight matters more than height.

I like no more than a 9-9.5" tire on a narrow wheel for a 60.

 

[zeeklafreek]

Having owned my 60 for 25 years and paying attention to everyone I've seen, my optic rule of thumb (all drivability/gearing considerations aside) is 31s look great on stock suspensions. 33s look great on 2" lifts. Personally, I don't like the look of thinner/steelies on 60s. They look great on 40s and 55s and vintage Range Rovers but somehow look out of place on 60s.

 

[marshcat]

My HJ-61 OEM 15" wheels had a back spacing of 2 3/8". The only modern wheels you will likely find are custom steelies. You could run 1 1/2" wheel spacers. Not ideal but it worked for me for a couple of years until I swapped out to a FJ-80 rear axle and did the Tundra brake mod, which allowed new 17" wheels with 4 3/4" back spacing.

31" tires will look a bit small with a 2-3" lift.

33" tires with 3:70 gears is a bit tall but not horrible with the low revving 12H-T. I run true 33's with 3:70 and like it on the highway but hate it around town. Reverse absolutely sucks running that tall. The shift points with the H55-F are completely wrong. 4:11 will feel correct with the 33's but will have you ignoring the granny low 1st gear. It's like having a 4 speed again using 2-5.

Is it true the BFG 33s are actually a bit smaller? So those might still be okay?

 

[Paul07]

I run 33s on my Hj 61 with 3:7 gears and 2" lift but i would like it a bit smaller and think about 32x11.5r15 tires.
any experince with that tire size?what do you think?

 

[zeeklafreek]

I run 33s on my Hj 61 with 3:7 gears and 2" lift but i would like it a bit smaller and think about 32x11.5r15 tires.
any experince with that tire size?what do you think?

View attachment 3578057

View attachment 3578058

View attachment 3578059

Hmm, just my opinion but I think the 33s look perfect matched with a 2" lift kit. You do have a bit of a stinkbug stance that actually makes the rear tires look a bit smaller than the front, but it's just optics.

 

[Paul07]

yes its stinkbucky because the OME heavy front leafs sacked a lot in a short time.
I think the 32s are not much smaller but not as wide wich makes it a bit more comfortable to ride

 

[BurntToast]

yes its stinkbucky because the OME heavy front leafs sacked a lot in a short time.
I think the 32s are not much smaller but not as wide wich makes it a bit more comfortable to ride

Look at some 33”x 10.5 pizza cutters

 

[Paul07]

to narrow and to expensive

 

[zeeklafreek]

to narrow and to expensive

I'm putting these 31s on my 60 since it doesn't have any lift kit. BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 | 31X10.50R15 109S C | Big O Tires - https://www.bigotires.com/tires/sku/bfgoodrich/all-terrain-t-a-ko2/31x10-50r15-109s-c/000000000001079752
Don't see a 10.5 in a 32".