original tyres

[HangTen]

I realise (from extensive searching) that the subject of tyre sizes crops up fairly frequently, but I cannot find answers to my questions, which are:

1. Were Bongos supplied from new, in Japan, with different sized tyres front and rear? My new import has 195/70 R15 92H on the front and 215/65 R15 96S on the rear (all Bridgestones). Although the difference in diameter is only 6.5mm - less than 1% (according to my tyre size calculator), this strikes me as odd, especially as it's a 4WD model, I would have thought it preferable to have the same tyres all round?

2. The alloy wheels that my Bongo came with are stamped 15x61/2 JJ and 690kg - if this is the load rating of the wheel, then it equates to a tyre loading code of 95, which is below the minimum that everyone seems to recommend - i.e. 96 or 710kg .... are the wheels underrated for the vehicle? And are they likely to have been an after-market fit by a previous Japanese owner or could they be original (the centre caps are branded "Asiss")?

I guess what I really need to know is, am I safe driving it around on the current tyres until the tread wears to the point that they need replacing or should I be thinking about replacement ASAP and are the wheels safe for the long term?

[wonkanoby]

yeah 4wd do tend to come with 2 sizes

most change to all the same

wheels are a hard one to call

[francophile1947]

Those are the standard size tyres for some Bongos, so no problem driving around on them. Most people with alloys fit the same size tyre all round when replacing them (usually 215/65x15 and 96 load rating).
Re the wheels, I'd guess most RX7/8, Ford Probe and 626 wheels are no stronger than that and people drive around on them with no problems.

[HangTen]

That's set my mind at rest - the current tyres look to have a couple of thousand miles tread left; so replacement can wait a little while - many thanks, guys

[missfixit70]

Have a look at the factsheet on tyres, may be worth checking the age of your tyres too, it's not just about the tread left on them, anything over 7 years old I'd be concerned about.

[HangTen]

Have a look at the factsheet on tyres, may be worth checking the age of your tyres too, it's not just about the tread left on them, anything over 7 years old I'd be concerned about.

Factsheet ... doh ... of course - I should have looked there first

Just read it and very informative - thanks for the pointer, Kirsty.

As for the age of the tyres - well, I guess I'm going to have to go crawling around with a torch to find the date code to confirm it, although as the vehicle is 10 years old with 60k miles on the clock, I doubt very much that they're the original tyres and unless the replacements had been sitting on the shelf for an awful long time before being fitted, I would have thought it unlikely they'd be more than 7 years old.