Fitz’ 2016 Sprinter 4x4 RB 150S Build

[Christopher Thwaites]

Fitz. What is the Speedo error with these tires/wheels?
Chris

[FlaJoe]

...and will a Pedal Box correct the error?

[velo47]

Winter'll be here before you know it. Probably new chains are in order, too?

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by Christopher Thwaites

Fitz. What is the Speedo error with these tires/wheels?
Chris

The math says 8.20%. With the 265’s it was 3.93%.
I will verify with the GPS one of these days.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by FlaJoe

...and will a Pedal Box correct the error?

In a word, no. The Pedal Box changes the shift points, but has no effect on the speedometer read out.

The error is just something I will live with. I will put a label on the face of the speedometer to remind my wife that the speedometer reads low and I will correct accordingly when calculating mileage.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by velo47

Winter'll be here before you know it. Probably new chains are in order, too?

You know me too well, already on the to-do list. I have never used the ones I have, thus I will try exchanging them at the auto parts store where I bought them. If that doesn’t work I’ll be looking for someone local who needs a set!

[FlaJoe]

Fitz, thanks for the input. Can you also give us some feedback on the switch to the Falken tires????

[JFlo]

Love the look of the 285's. Did you also upsize your spare to match? I've read anecdotal reports of issues with the MB electronics when running a spare of a different (smaller) size, but nothing definitive. I plan to jump up to 275's once the flakes start falling and hoping to buy just 4 tires.

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by FlaJoe

Fitz, thanks for the input. Can you also give us some feedback on the switch to the Falken tires????

Why the Falkens? Everybody has their reasons for the tires they choose. Two posts for further reference on this topic are #597 on page 60 and #420 on page 42. As for my choice, for me at this time:

1. I wanted a Load Range E 285/70/17. This is a common size, thus this wasn't a strong reason. In this size the Falken is 11.6" wide, what my research told me was that this was the widest tire I could fit with my Method wheels. I wasn't sure they would fit until they were mounted, the picture of the strut dust cover in post #670 above show that they just clear with no extra room to spare.

2. I wanted a 285/70/17 with the Snowflake rating. This tends to reduce the selection quite a bit, tires I gave serious consideration to included Falken Wildpeak A/T3W, BFG T/A KO2, Goodyear Wrangler Dura Trac, General Grabber AT2, Hankook Dynapro AT-M and Nitto EXO Grappler AWT. Truth be told, I'm sure all would perform well, may we own Flint long enough to try a set of each!

3. While the BFG KO2's are popular and I liked them, I still had two flats in the three years and 42k miles I have been running them, see post #420 for pictures. I don't fault the KO2's for the bolt that caused flat #1, but I have since spoken to several people who have lost a KO2 to a sidewall failure like my flat #2. My research says that the Falkens have a thicker/stronger sidewall, that was a big consideration in my decision.

4. Our off road use case for the van most often finds us in the desert. An Overland Journal comparison that I read gave the Falkens high marks on dry rock with excellent adhesion characteristics, another big consideration in my decision.

5. Noise. AT tires like these are known to get noisy with age and the KO2's proved to be no exception. Quite frankly, I was tired of listening to them on the highway. Will the Falken's be any better? - Only time will tell. For now they are whisper quiet and I'm looking forward to our first long road trip with them.

Life has us quite busy right now (and for the immediate future), thus we can't break away and put the new tires through their paces. Something to look forward to...!

[Fitz]

Originally Posted by JFlo

Love the look of the 285's. Did you also upsize your spare to match? I've read anecdotal reports of issues with the MB electronics when running a spare of a different (smaller) size, but nothing definitive. I plan to jump up to 275's once the flakes start falling and hoping to buy just 4 tires.

Yes, I upsized the spare to match. I gave no consideration to doing anything else. These vans have more than enough electronics in them, I'd be afraid of what the ABS and etc. might do running one tire of a different size. I was uncomfortable enough coming back down from Coyote Flat without a spare, I definitely do not want to add another worry to that type of situation. The cost of a spare tire just isn't worth it to me.

My spare is mounted on the rear on an Aluminess tire swing and mounting a larger spare in that location was no issue. Agile offers a kit to modify the stock tire cage to allow mounting a larger spare in the stock location under the van, I suggest anyone thinking of larger tires include looking closely into this detail as part of the equation.

https://agileoffroad.com/product/agi...-kit-sprinter/