No offense to past or present members of the ADF (thanks for your service legends!), but how did Australia ever wage war / keep the peace with their Perenties rolling on these tubed cheese cutters? I know masochists exist because they will sing the praises of the Michelin xzl & steely combo fitted to stock perenties. I personally did not enjoy blowing 4 tubes on the way up the Old telegraph track and swapped them as soon as I could.
So what are people swapping them out for, how do they look and what is the verdict on wheel & tire choice for your Perentie? Read on…
A word on tire sizing
Why do they make it so complicated? Im not going to attempt to explain it, you can check out this article. also found -this site- useful for a visual representation of different tire sizes.
What is wheel offset?
The distance of the wheel flange mating surface (where it faces the axle hub) to the centreline of the wheel. To put it simply, a higher offset number takes the wheel closer in to the body – think of the old school series look with a cheese cutter well under the guard. A negative offset sends the tire outboard - think monster truck with the tires extending (possibly illegally) outside the line of the flares.
The Downside to upsizing:
Scrub radius, braking efficiency, stress on wheel bearings, king pins, steering components, driveline, axle housing. Strong-arm steering! These become more important the bigger and wider you decide to go, and there is a tradeoff in off road ability with on-road compliance and longevity. My goal here is to relay my experience and that of others with their individual setups. Also to give you some images of complete setups to help you decide which way you might want to go.
Upside?
Increased top speed with stock gearing, greater surface area for off road work and aesthetics.
An all too common experience for cheese cutter owners. This particular explosion occuring at highway speeds at 2am. Good times.
THE OG
The stock Perentie rim is a 16” steel wheel, 6” wide with a +33 offset. They are generally fitted with an inner tube which can be serious point of weakness, particularly off road while running low pressures. Sand, dirt and water gets in through the bead where it wears a hole in the delicate rubber of the inner leading to a flat tire. Purists might tell you this setup is brilliant, arguing the narrow tire gives a nice long footprint when pressures are reduced. My personal experience is a series of frustrating blowouts… Tire technology has moved on since 1988 and the first thing I do when I acquire a new project truck is jettison them.
The stock Perentie rim & tire sits well inside the guard at +33 offset.
265/75 R16
Plentiful and cheap, made by many manufacturers this is a common choice in either A/T or M/T.
Kuhmo All terrain on a discovery 1 steel wheel (+30 offset)
IMHO these are a nice ‘classic’ look. No issues with scrubbing and good on road compliance. A great option for the NA motor and if you lack power steering.
The same size tire in a Mud terain, but this time with a -22 offset steel wheel. Looks epic. The owner reports no scrubbing.
Note the -22 offset sending the tred well outboard of the standard flares. This looks great, but is a potential roadworthy issue.
285/75/r16
-25 offset rims
The -25 offset rim sends the tire far outside the stock flares and could lead to roadworthy issues. The owner reports no srubbing issues and excellent all round performance.
My tire of choice: 255/85/R16 (ideally Zero offset)
255/85 r16 BFG MT’s on ‘flipped’ discovery 1 steel wheels. the stock D1 wheels are modified by cutting out the centres and moving them inboard to create whatever offset is desired, in this case a perfect zero offset.
Filling the guards nicely!
What if I want to go BIG
Taking your tire setup above 33” may require engineering certification so check the rules in your state. The above mentioned issues with bigger tyres apply here and can become extreme in the realm of 35 & 37 inches.
35” x 10.5 r15 with a -25 offset. Aggressive Simex Mud Terrain. This setup requires cutting of the stock flares and adjustment of the steering lock limit to prevent excessive scrubbing.
The Extreme…
37” tire on 17” rim with negative 30 offset. Tough!
The neg 30 offset means the tire is not only wide of the stock flare, but also the custom bar work.
While it looks pretty epic, and would take some stopping off road, the owner doesn’t recommend this setup. It required chopping of the rear tub, beating out the front splash guard, and rubs heavily on the exhaust and radius arms. Incredibly it was driven for a while without power steering!
This is by no means an exhustive list of options and is intended as a guide and an inspiration. Get in touch if youd like us to add any feedback or have handy advice for fellow Perentie owners. Cheers!