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Considering buying a set of Dunlop R7's to fit on my 3.5" steel S rims, but I was wondering whether a spare 165R10 will fit under a standard twin tank boot board.

A 165 tyre on a 3,5" rim, would be plain dangerous.

Vegard wrote:A 165 tyre on a 3,5" rim, would be plain dangerous.

+1 silly idea just as bad as streaching 145 tyre would be fine.

Vegard wrote:A 165 tyre on a 3,5" rim, would be plain dangerous.

Yes, so I have heard. But I also know of people who have used it like this for long distances without any issues on their 1071.

Am I being stupid or is this a 3.5" S rim?

A 145 tyre is 'designed' for a 4" rim, but can be fitted to rims from 3.5" to 5"

You shouldn't put a 165 type on a rim less than 4"

This is from the ETRTO book (European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation)

Ok, thanks guys

abri wrote:Am I being stupid or is this a 3.5" S rim?

That is a South African S rim, don't know if they are different

To answer the question ...probably not... I have tried several 165 tyres (diff brands) and they won't fit under the boot board when fitted to a 4.5" S rim. Well, technically, they do fit but the boot board won't sit in its brackets...and if you're not careful, you could damage the boot liner if you try too hard to shut the lid. The depth of the boot diminishes as you move upwards.

I just keep a 145 as a spare - not that I've ever used it...

And, I don't think using the narrower rim would make much difference.

Cheers, Ian

Hi Ian, thanks for answering the question If this was an exam the rest would have all failed

Have you used a 165 on a 3.5" rim? Opinion seems to be firmly against it apart from you and the guys who own the green 1071 S I have posted a pic of. They said "maybe ignorance is bliss, but they have never had problems, even when chucking it around a bit". Perhaps I should be on the safe side as my car is a slightly tuned 1275 S

I can't speak to the safety of a 165/70 on a 3.5" rim; however, I can speak to the handling...terrible.

And 1071 S is correct. 4.5" with 145/80 is the biggest to fit under the saloon boot board. Won't fit the Estates, though!

i ran 165 70 10 on 3.5 inch rivetted rims for ten years

saying that i dont drive like roger clark so i got away with it

".... Won't fit the Estates, though!"

I would agree with this... the real issue though is ...what does fit?

Although it looks fine I can only assume my wheel well is distorted in some way. I can't even get the lid to shut on a 5.00x10 (crossply) on a 3.5 inch rim????

Is there a trick?

Cheers, Ian