steel wheels and tyre sizes

[snowylebongo]

Hi folks,I want to stick with my steels,so heres the question. Can i run the 215s all round like you guys do when you go to alloys,i am putting a full size steel as a spare and i am going to put a 215 on it, if i had to put it on the front with 195s on , would this be a problem. Thanks for the input

[mikexgough]

quite a few run 215's all round........

many 4x4 specialists and tyre fitters will also recommend all 4 tyres changed at once if you have a 4wd version.

This illustrates Full time 4wd

And as it says "Full time 4WD: No wind up, no binding, no understeer, no skidding - always maximum pulling power"

E-Tyres on tyres for 4wd

Now interestingly......although the standard Bongo has different Front/Rear tyres the handbook clearly states for Snow/Winter Tyres "Warning Always use the same size, type and brand of tyres for all 4 wheels. Installing different size, type and brand may affect the steering system" which kind of makes more questions come forward......

[snowylebongo]

Thanks Mike, very helpful stuff indeed, sounds like my Bongo is a clever bit of kit,.If i am to understand all this correctly if my fronts wear away 1st then i could just replace them and that extra diff would cope with the wear difference to the back there by avoiding wind up,have i got that basically right?

[mister munkey]

Have a flick through THIS Snowy, plenty of info there.

[roofraisers]

You really shouldn't put worn tyres on the front axle of a 4WD Bongo and new tyres on the rear, because the rolling circumference of the wheels on the front axle will be different to the wheels on the rear axle. This will put stress on the Viscous Coupling (VC) as it copes with the difference, resulting in the VC slipping, which generates heat which in time will cause the VC to overheat and then fail.The larger the front/rear axle difference the quicker the VC will fail.

Ideally you need to keep all four wheels with the same rolling circumference or within 1% error (someone correct me if that last figure is wrong) The easiest way to do this is to replace all 4 tyres at the same time with the same size all round, so that tyre wear can be monitored & swapped front to rear if necessary.This can extend the tyres life (get more miles out of a full set before having to replace them all again) if you notice scrubbing or have to adjust the tracking for instance. If the alignment is set up correctly and with the correct tyre pressures you shouldn't see much wear difference between front and rear, maybe just a bit of scrubbing due to tight cornering.

There have been threads on here about front diffs. failing which has been attributed to incorrect tyre size compatibility. Here's one http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... front+diff

Nigel

[snowylebongo]

Thanks for all the info folks,it will be new tyres all round just to be on the safe ,i do not want to strain my precious bongo more than i have to! the poor thing has enough to do carrying all the gubbins we drag around with us as it is.

While i have the attention of the experienced, service intervals! i have been told so many things i am getting confused, does anyone have a definitive service shedule for a 98 2.5 diesel auto
thanks again for the info so far

[mister munkey]

The Book says oil change every 3,000 miles.

I, along with many others read that as relating to oil technology available 15 years ago.

I change mine, myself (15 minute job) every 5,000 with modern semi synthetic stuff. Oil & fuel filter swap every 10,000.



As a P.S. All 4 wheels the same is a safe bet for a longer life of hassle free Bongoing.

[chango]

hi
just bought my first bongo thats got alloys with tyre size 215/50 R 17. is it okay to have the same size wheels all round
cheers

[snowylebongo]

Thanks again for all the advice,how do chango, stick with this lot and their advice and i dont think we will go to far wrong!

[chango]

hi
its a great site but the only trouble is i cant drag myself away from it