Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Morning,
I have recently bought a 2005 GLS 3.2 LWB , which has 17 inch rims fitted to it. Is there any advantage or disadvantage of changing to 16 inch rims? I am going to drive it up to Tanzania next year and know the availability of 16 in tyres is better up in Africa.
I also want to go wider on the tyres, I see from reading the forum that you cannot go taller as it affects the gearing, but is there any reason nor to go wider? The only reason for this is cosmetic, as to me it looks like the wheels are way back in the arches and I would like to fill them a bit. the alternative is spacers I guess, but I'm worried about the strength and durability of them off-road.
Any help would be appreciated!

if you go 16" instead of 17" but keep the diameter the same your sidewall is in essence longer which makes for a more comfortable ride.

Lower sidewalls are more sporty.

The difference in performance between 16" and 17" is not that great on 4x4 (it's different if you go to the ridiculous low profiles ) so the deciding factors are price, looks, availability and which one can give you a wider tread.

Both these pajeros have 15" rims with the same values but the tyre width and diameter is different

Hi

What I'm writing is all based on hearsay, not personal experience

The 16" is more common so if you have a problem, help will be more readily awailable.

The wider your tyre, the lower your fuel efficiency.
The wider your tyre, the longer the tyre will last.

Last point I heard from a tyre dealer, but I'm a bit sceptical.

Regards,

the smaller the contact area with the road the less fuel you will use - hence pumping tyres hard for economy

More contact area = more grip so there is a trade off.

Tyre life depends on work being done.

Don't depend on finding tyres elsewhere. Take what you need. Even it's just tyres that can be fitted to the rim by a backyard oke.

Darrell wrote:Morning,
I have recently bought a 2005 GLS 3.2 LWB , which has 17 inch rims fitted to it. Is there any advantage or disadvantage of changing to 16 inch rims? I am going to drive it up to Tanzania next year and know the availability of 16 in tyres is better up in Africa.
I also want to go wider on the tyres, I see from reading the forum that you cannot go taller as it affects the gearing, but is there any reason nor to go wider? The only reason for this is cosmetic, as to me it looks like the wheels are way back in the arches and I would like to fill them a bit. the alternative is spacers I guess, but I'm worried about the strength and durability of them off-road.
Any help would be appreciated!

Be aware that at some stage in the Gen3 life the brake calipers were also made bigger. This will then effectively mean that you will NOT be able to go the 16inch rims as the calipers will catch. I have not confirmed this first hand, but have seen it first hand that the 16inch Mitsu rim, or even after market 16 inch steel rim will not fit a 2008 Gen 4 GLX Pajero. So start checking that out first.

CATS

Hi Darrell

Swambo and I did the Tanzania Ngorogoro thing a few years back - on our own - and didn't even had a flat. You should be fine with the 17" tyres, but just in case take an extra spare with you. There are big car dealerships in Dar Es Salaam is you need work done, else just about every village seemed to have a handyman/mechanic with a welder and a few spanners who can do running repairs.