Well we have just been given a set of 285/75×16 Goodyear Wrangler MTR’s to fit to our second vehicle, a 93 Nissan GQ Patrol TI. These aren’t the brand new tyre that is due out some time in June, but the older one which we use successfully on our Prado.

Our new GQ has a 50mm lift and we weren’t sure if it was enough to get the bigger tyres under the guards.

After fitting and balancing, the wheels were put on, a quick trip around the block and no rubbing. This is great, no expensive suspension modifications required. We even got the car ramps out and placed them diagonally front to rear to really twist things and found just one spot, a front mud flap that rubbed so very slightly.

It was an easy fix as the metal bracket holding it on the inside just needed a slight twist and all was well. In the rear, the passenger side tyre when shoved up into the wheel well had less than a finger gap to the TI flair, but hey, there was a gap so all seems OK for our first trip out.

So if you’re wondering about 33″ tyres, the certainly 285/75×16 will fit with a 50mm lift. I doubt you will get 33×12.5×15 tyres working so well, that extra 25mm width will cause all sorts of rubbing.

See you out there!

Maintenance after Water-crossings So once you have successfully crossed to the other side and are on your way home, you don't need to give the water crossing a second thought, right? Wrong! Any crossing at axle depth or deeper necessitates a checking of the diff oil for water contamination. Having an extended diff breather is not a 100% guarantee of waterproofness and any crossing above your axles without extended diff breathers should mean a mandatory inspection. Checking your diffs for water contamination is very easy. Since water is heavier than oil, it will collect at the lowest point in the diff, right where the drain plug is located. After allowing time for your 4x4 to cool, just loosen the drain bolt and run a small amount (~20mls) of the diff oil into a glass. If you're unlucky enough to have water present, the diff oil should be drained. It is best to flush the diff several times to ensure all traces of water are removed. Milky colored oil also indicates water is present and should also be changed.