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Old 02-11-2017, 11:16 PM   #11
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I was in Fresno this week going over some plans with Brian. He stated that they are testing one Sprinter 4x4 with 35" dia. tires. I was surprised and double checked to make sure I hadn't misunderstood him. I didn't ask any more questions as we had a lot of other stuff to cover. I don't know if they were modifying wheel wells, doing a lift, or something else. I had thought they couldn't do either because they are a MB approved master upfitter, but obviously something has to give to get those size tires in there.

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Old 02-16-2017, 03:42 PM   #12
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I checked in with Brian again about the tires. He said the 4x4 Sprinter with the 35" dia. tires was modified by Van Compass who gave it additional lift so the wheel wells would have clearance. It sounded like they didn't modify the wheel wells.

Edit-here is a reply I received after an inquiry to Van Compass:

We are running 315/75/16 tires on our 4x4. We used components from our 2wd lift kit and some additional parts to lift the van 2". The rear tires fit without any fender modifications. The front fenders do require some slight trimming. We trimmed a little out of the lower portion of the front bumper and a small portion of the inner sheet metal at the rear of the front fender. The mudflaps were removed. The wider tires also require a 9/16" wheel spacer to clear the front strut. We sourced the wheel spacer from Agile off road. So far the van seems to be doing fine. No warning lights, still has plenty of power and no vibrations.
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Old 11-03-2017, 08:55 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by BajaSportsmobile View Post
Lt265/75r16 and 265/70r17 KO2s are the same diameter and the biggest tire that will fit without modifications.
Can somebody please teach me:

Will the the 265/75R16 or 265/70R17 fit in the stock spare tire cage?

Does everybody just accept that the speedo and mpg-estimates are simply going to be uncalibrated?

I have the stock steel wheels. Fugly but already on there; and I could always paint them black (which might help). Is there a functional advantage of going with the "Method Standard 301 17" (or equivalent) or is this only a looks issue? It appears the width of the 17" wheel is bigger but I don't know enough to know if that's important.

Oh, one more question. Does anybody worry about space for chains? Or do we just assume the 4x4 system works well enough in all conditions?

Thanks
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Old 11-04-2017, 06:25 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pritikin View Post
Can somebody please teach me:

Will the the 265/75R16 or 265/70R17 fit in the stock spare tire cage?

Does everybody just accept that the speedo and mpg-estimates are simply going to be uncalibrated?

Oh, one more question. Does anybody worry about space for chains? Or do we just assume the 4x4 system works well enough in all conditions?

Thanks
My 265/70/17 spare fits in the cage, albeit very tight.

Your speedo will be slow 1-3mph.

Chains, mud, and snow build-up are legit concerns. Although I like the look of a larger tire, I'm not willing to give up that clearance for appearance sake.
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Old 11-04-2017, 06:47 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Pritikin View Post
Will the the 265/75R16 or 265/70R17 fit in the stock spare tire cage?
Yes, however the cage can be modified to fit a 275/70R17. See Backcountryguy's build thread, several posts on p. 3 concerning this. Agile Offload is modifying the cage for him.

I plan to go with 295s and will mount the spare on the rear passenger door (no carrier) This size requires lift. Agile and Van Compass both offer lifts with suspension upgrades.
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Old 11-05-2017, 09:33 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by JFlo View Post
My 265/70/17 spare fits in the cage, albeit very tight.

Your speedo will be slow 1-3mph.

Chains, mud, and snow build-up are legit concerns. Although I like the look of a larger tire, I'm not willing to give up that clearance for appearance sake.
Thanks Jflo.

Your response about chain, mud and snow build-up isn't clear to me. Are you indicating that your current "265/70/17" still provides clearance for these things?
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Old 11-05-2017, 09:43 AM   #17
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I haven't seen a clear response on this:

What is the concern/thinking behind a 265/75R16 on the stock rims. This is a 10.4" width tire on a 6.5" rim. Is this a problem? If, just for example, I look at the specs for a BGGoodrich All-terrain T/A KO2 (pretty much chosen at random) I see a Rim Width Range of 7"-8".

I haven't seen this discussed much and I'm ignorant. But it seems this is the primary reason to switch to the Method wheels... to get a width in that range?

Thanks for helping a fellow out.
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Old 11-07-2017, 11:52 PM   #18
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The 265/75/16 KO2 will fit in the spare location with a little air let out on my 2016 4x4.

The Mercedes dealer installed theses KO tires on my stock alloy wheels when I purchased it, so they obviously didn’t have an issue with the tire/wheel width.


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Old 11-08-2017, 05:53 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Pritikin View Post
Thanks Jflo.

Your response about chain, mud and snow build-up isn't clear to me. Are you indicating that your current "265/70/17" still provides clearance for these things?
I feel there is sufficient clearance for chains, mud and snow build-up with a 265/70/17 wheel/tire combo. I've had mine pretty well loaded up with snow and muck with no issues.

I do not feel that way about a 285/70/17 combo unless the vehicle is lifted. 285's typically require some modification of the mud flaps and clearances are extremely tight. In my mind any build up of snow or mud would be a problem. Just my opinion....
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Old 11-08-2017, 06:37 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by JFlo View Post
I feel there is sufficient clearance for chains, mud and snow build-up with a 265/70/17 wheel/tire combo. I've had mine pretty well loaded up with snow and muck with no issues.

I do not feel that way about a 285/70/17 combo unless the vehicle is lifted. 285's typically require some modification of the mud flaps and clearances are extremely tight. In my mind any build up of snow or mud would be a problem. Just my opinion....
I am in complete agreement with JFlo above. I live in CA now, but I was raised in Iowa and living with snow and mud for any period of time will quickly show you how it will build up in the wheel wells over a short amount of time.

Here are the numbers for the BFG KO2's, you can draw your own conclusions.

BFG KO2 265/70/17: Measured distance (on my van) from sidewall of tire to side of stock strut = 0.36".

BFG KO2 285/70/17 width = 11.2"
BFG KO2 265/70/17 width = 10.4"

11.2" - 10.4" = 0.8"
0.8" / 2 = 0.4"

0.4" is greater than 0.36". Not by much and the plastic cover on the strut will no doubt move aside and/or rub a bit, but there is no clearance for build up of snow/mud and the math says it WILL rub as things move around. (Note: The 285/70/17 is what Snowy runs and he has said that he is happy with it.)

Wheel spacers or custom Roam wheels will add enough clearance to allow this combination to fit. Van Compass just posted pictures on their Instgram account of a 4x4 Sprinter with 285/75/16's with their 2" lift kit and 14mm Agile spacers and it is a really nice look.

It is interesting that nobody ever talks about running BFG KO2 275/70/17's. They are 10.8" wide and the math says they will just barely fit.

And FYI, the Sprinter manual says chains only go on the rear and NOT the front, thus chain clearance is not a consideration when talking about the front.

Again, I am with JFlo. If I decide to go to a larger tire it will be with a lift and spacers. In the meantime, the combination of the BFG KO2 265/70/17's and the full Van Compass skid plate package is working just fine.
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