Wheels
- Holmz
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I found a place that does forged wheel barrels, and it looks like it is probably the only way to get a alloy rim which has the strength and fatigue properties to acheive a load rating that would survive an OKA.
Testing and legality issues are probably also an eventual concern, but I am not confident in cast rims. And there is hardly anything in 16" and 17" that looks strong enough.
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- Aussie Iron
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I believe they may do small runs if you can supply all the info they need. Mine are rated at 1800Kg.
Dan.
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- Paul
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98OK
A0
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- Holmz
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Paul wrote: Y what's wrong with the stinking hot , heavy 16 split and that dust U can't wash off U grind off Cheese Cutters Rock
Ok i am placing an order for cans of spinach.
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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Cheers,
Peter
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- Dean and Kaye Howells
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Spit rim tubed tyres may not be optimal for avoiding and repairing punctures but you CAN change a tyre easily in the bush. Try breaking the bead and removing a 19.5" tyre in the bush with a soft and sandy base to work on, it's bloody nearly impossible.
Standard Oka 19.5" rims and tyres are a rock solid combo with the exception of the horrible skinny 265/70R19.5's which are probably the worst tyres I have ever driven on and IMO to be avoided like the plague. To describe them as merely 'execrable' is to over rate them. Not even suitable for a childs swing IMO The 285/70R19.5 (35") is a better tyre but not as common now as it was. The more common 305/70R19.5 (37") is the pick of the crop here and is available in both block tread (drive) and highway pattern (steer) and IMO is probably the best combo touring and serious off road tyre rim combo we've had on the Oka. The trade off though is they're around 82 Kg each so are difficult to handle and also account for 1/2 tonne of your GVM.. A heavily laden/under powered/tired Oka may have difficulty holding 5th gear whilst cruising with this rim/tyre combo. When we changed to 315/75R16 (35") Hankook Dynapros on 16X8 Eagle alloy rims the improvement in handling/power/ride was amazing and was the 'lay down misere' best combo tyre/rim we had on the Perkins powered Oka. Also half the weight of the 305/70R19.5's on steel rims so for 6 wheels 1/4 tonne lighter.
For a standard unmodified Oka (if such a beast exists ) with 16" X 8" rims -6 is the optimal offset though in some cases 0 offset rims may fit but it's a tight squeeze so best to stick with -6. If rim width is increased to 9", ie 17" X 9" then -12 is necessary to give satisfactory clearance.
Steel mine spec rims (1600/1800 Kg) are available in 16" from Ian Jones. When coupled with 325/85R16 (38") Michelin XML's, also from Ian Jones, these make a very formidable and serious off road combination. Without doubt the best off road tyre/rim combo we've had on the Oka. Dynamic Wheels here in Vic have 17"X9", -12 offset, 1600 Kg rated mine spec steel rims but I've not used/seen these so can't vouch for them one way or another.
Finding load rated 16" alloy rims and tyres is a bit of a challenge these days but not so for 17" . Probably the most commonly available rated alloy rim would be the American Racing Baja AR172, available in black or polished finish they are rated at 1650 Kg and will set you back around $300AUD each including wheel nuts. As these are ex US supply/delivery is a bit 'unpredictable' at the moment.
There's an ever increasing range of 37X12.5R17's available though many are unsuitable for the Oka because of low load ratings. To be legal (from memory) a minimum 124 rating is required for a non bus LT Oka (GVM 5500 Kg) and 125 load rating for a LT Oka bus (GVM 6000 Kg).
Unfortunately most 37X12.5R17's are MT's or mud terrain tyres which while desirable for 'Muzza' and his LS1 powered Nissan Patrol to trash the bush with are hardly the best choice for a touring tyre. Fortunately there are some less aggressive alternatives out there. I've gone for Nankang (Taiwanese) Conqueror AT's which have a load rating of 129 (10 ply) which I consider to be the minimum I'm happy with. Several 10 ply tyres including Hankook Dynapro's are advertised by truckupersingles.com.au but I don't know about current cost and availability.
Deano
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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I have it on good authority that Maxxis will be releasing a 37X12.5R17 in AT configuration 124 ratting in the near future, so that will be another option, but the Nanking at 129 is attractive.
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Peter
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- Carl B
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Anyone used these?
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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Cheers,
Peter
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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I have 6 of these (with tyres) that are available for sale soon (I need light weight for the new project). I reckon the rims are rated to 2000kg.Steel mine spec rims (1600/1800 Kg) are available in 16" from Ian Jones. When coupled with 325/85R16 (38") Michelin XML's, also from Ian Jones, these make a very formidable and serious off road combination. Without doubt the best off road tyre/rim combo we've had on the Oka.
I measured the offset yesterday at zero, and the clearance is fine, so I reckon zero offset with 17"alloys and 12.5 x 37s will be fine. May loose a bit of steering lock.
Cheers,
Peter
Cheers, Peter.
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- Holmz
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On a lighty loaded OKA with Michelin XZL are 16x8" rims too wide?
Michelin says 6 or 6.5" wide is what they rated the tyres at, but as there are few options in rims that width, the question seems pertinent.
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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You also need to get the offset pretty close.
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Peter
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- Holmz
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Peter_n_Margaret wrote: I would not stray too far from Michelin's rim width suggestions.
You also need to get the offset pretty close.
Cheers,
Peter
I found offset=0-mm
And load rating of 3640 (1655 kg)
But only in alloy at 16x8" and a 2.4-mm lip.
There are no options for forged alloy that I have seen...
So it is slim Pickens,
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- Dean and Kaye Howells
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Deano
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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I have 4 x steelies ex an F250 that I use on a trailer with identical studs to the OKA. Only use them around town cos the tyres are about 20 years old and I have an extra 2 spares for the OKA that I use for trips.
You could have them if you were driving past
I had an F350 that had nice forged American Racing alloys on it. I sold some of them separately from the vehicle and got the steelies as a part payment for the trailer.
I badly bent one when I rolled the trailer on th GRR and it was successfully rerolled.
I reckon they were 8" though, so too wide for you.
Cheers,
Peter
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- Paul Scherek
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Cheers,
Paul
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- Peter_n_Margaret
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The chassis cracked and was welded 6 times on the one we had for 12 years and 150,000km.
The big downside is the lack of forward control, so the living area shrinks and can not be joined to the cab.
The weight is a big challenge for the OKA, but everything else has challenges too.
An Iveco would be a logical choice too, but fly-by-wire and lots of $$$$$.
Or a Mercedes G Waggon Professional has a GVM of 4495kg in a Toyota size vehicle. Similar problems.
Cheers,
Peter
Cheers, Peter.
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- Paul Scherek
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- Holmz
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- Dean and Kaye Howells
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Holmz wrote: I am giving up on the flash looking low quality alloys, and sticking with the splits for now.
Then why not get some functional quality alloys, or do you prefer the 'sub optimal' option of driving on poor quality split rims with thin tubes in a ribbed tyre case ? Very failure prone but does have the benefit of easy tube/tyre repair
As always optimal tyre/rim choice is dependent on what you want to do with it. For someone based in the Alice looking at touring and sand/dirt travel with a likelihood of staking tyre sidewalls I'd suggest 305/70R19.5's (35"s), pretty much the same rolling diameter as your Michelin 255/100R16's but a good 2" wider with immensely strong sidewalls to resist staking. Can be let down to sub 20 psi for sand work so as good or better 'floatation' as your Michelins, and they're tubeless so very easy to repair the odd puncture should get one. A good strong value for money option with serious off road capability
On the other hand there's nothing wrong with the American Racing AR 172's in 17" alloy. Will cost around AUD $4K or so for a set of six depending on tyre choice and half the weight of the 19.5's but not as tough as the 19.5's on steel rims.
There's a lot of crap out there about forged vs. cast vs. 'hybrid' alloys. IMO you'll be fine as long as you have a rated tyre/rim combo and aren't into off road racing (with a Perkins ha, ha .......) In a lifetime of off road travel in Australia I've come across a lot of vehicles that have "failed to proceed" but I've NEVER come across one with alloy rims failed due to road/track damage.
Deano
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