Pajero 17 to 16 Inch downgrade advisable?

[sri ganesh]

I have bridgestones ht on my pajero and about 18 months old. I drive with 13 psi and at 12 in Liwa. Have had a pop out once. So need to move off road tyres and am planning on this however my tyres are still good and am trying to push with them for now.

It has occured to me at the time of changing it would also make sense to change wheels. Currently have 17inch stock rims. 

Need advise if moving to 16 inch rims and 265 would be better and if B there are any disadvantages ? Would i be able to find stock offset rims easily?

[Frederic]

1 hour ago, sri ganesh said:

I have bridgestones ht on my pajero and about 18 months old. I drive with 13 psi and at 12 in Liwa. Have had a pop out once. So need to move off road tyres and am planning on this however my tyres are still good and am trying to push with them for now.

It has occured to me at the time of changing it would also make sense to change wheels. Currently have 17inch stock rims. 

Need advise if moving to 16 inch rims and 265 would be better and if B there are any disadvantages ? Would i be able to find stock offset rims easily?

@Yousef Alimadadi did something similar.

[Gaurav]

Your main culprit of pop-out must be Bridgestone dueler HT tires very similar to Dunlop Grandtrek HT in sand. Both are borderline OK in sand, but more prone to pop-out.

Changing to proper off-road AT tire will make a big difference.

Now changing from 17 to 16 is advisable but not big of an issue. If you can do that easily, it's worth an upgrade to have marginal extra rubber for better flotation. If its too much hassle or expensive, then leave it at 17 Inch.

[Frederic]

Below website lets you simulate the different tyre sizes and rim sizes. I have included an example below:

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

 

[Srikumar]

My experience on Bridgestone Dueler has been significantly better than Dunlop, but yes I agree they are also prone to popping out. But a lot depends on your drive style as well.

Since you are driving the 3.5 Pajero you can downsize from 17 inch to 16 inch rims, which might open up more options. Also, please note that when you are moving to AT tyres, there will be significant weight addition over your existing HT tyres. If less power is something that is already bothering you, then give it another thought before doing the switch from HT to AT. If you have decided to move to AT , then Yokohama Geolandar AT is one of the best in the market as its probably the lightest and best priced. 

If you have the budget, and you intend to drive purely on sand then you can look at the Michelin LTX which would provide you with a lightweight tyre that doesnt affect your power, but also extremely good for the sand. 

[Srikumar]

1 hour ago, sri ganesh said:

Need advise if moving to 16 inch rims and 265 would be better and if B there are any disadvantages ? Would i be able to find stock offset rims easily?

You can check in the scrap market or other option is if you are lucky to find some other Pajero owner who is willing to swap their 16 inch for an upgraded 17 inch. Both ways your tyre width would remain at 265

[sri ganesh]

1 hour ago, Gaurav said:

Your main culprit of pop-out must be Bridgestone dueler HT tires very similar to Dunlop Grandtrek HT in sand. Both are borderline OK in sand, but more prone to pop-out.

Changing to proper off-road AT tire will make a big difference.

Now changing from 17 to 16 is advisable but not big of an issue. If you can do that easily, it's worth an upgrade to have marginal extra rubber for better flotation. If its too much hassle or expensive, then leave it at 17 Inch.

Thank you @Gaurav  , yes I always keep it at 13 and am apprehensie to go to 10 or even 12 fearing a pop-out. For the rims, will look out if i find a good deal then will consider the 16".

 

1 hour ago, Frederic said:

Below website lets you simulate the different tyre sizes and rim sizes. I have included an example below:

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

 

 

Thank you @Frederic will use this in case to scout for the 16" rim and tyre

 

1 hour ago, Srikumar said:

 If less power is something that is already bothering you, then give it another thought before doing the switch from HT to AT. If you have decided to move to AT , then Yokohama Geolandar AT is one of the best in the market as its probably the lightest and best priced. 

If you have the budget, and you intend to drive purely on sand then you can look at the Michelin LTX which would provide you with a lightweight tyre that doesnt affect your power, but also extremely good for the sand. 

@Srikumar Thank you! for the inputs, I have not been in situations where power seemed to have been an issue in the 3.5 other than climbing the Moreeb and Faya dunes (believe have not graduated to that level yet  ) and it does not bother me either, while I have been in many situations where soft sand has caused refusals and stucks  and I wish I had better traction in those situations. I am willing to trade power for traction so, I would need to choose AT I suppose so that it allows me to deflate to lower pressures and since I also intend to drive in places that present surfaces other than sand - may be loose gravels and stones in Wadis the higher profile tires that 16" rims would allow may be a tad bit helpful, that's my understanding so far researching on the this forum and the web, hence this question to the experts!

Again, thank you so much all for the suggestions and insights! super helpful!

[sri ganesh]

1 hour ago, Srikumar said:

You can check in the scrap market or other option is if you are lucky to find some other Pajero owner who is willing to swap their 16 inch for an upgraded 17 inch. Both ways your tyre width would remain at 265

I have a friend in my closer circles who has a pajero 3.5 as well and he did not know about the tire size he has on his pajero and I found that has 16" rim on them, I don't see why he would not trade it with me  its purely a commute car an d he has no intentions to  go in the sand in his car so  "I will make him an offer he cannot refuse"  

[sri ganesh]

Seems the Bridgestone and G015 weigh about the same, but these sites may not have the exact numbers