recommended wheels / tyres for bongo... newbie question!!

littlewoods · Post by **littlewoods** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:32 pm

am sorry people but!! i have just bought my first bongo and it is still to be tested vosa then mot'd etc. ive had a delica for 12 months and its been fantastic and am hoping the bongo is as good. at this stage i have illegal tyres ie bald, the problem am having is that the front 195/70/r15 are coming up as van tyres at the retailers but the back are easier to get 215/65/r15 the load rating of the front are 92h and the rear 96h. are there any alternitives i can use on the front ie 195/65/r15. the other thing is that am thinking of getting rid of the wheels and tyres and getting some alloys can you give us your views on what you think are the best wheel sizes combination would be. ive been through the forum and there are all sorts of sizes people have put on,...... cheers thanks

Post by **francophile1947** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 12:59 pm

Welcome to the madhouse littlewoods.
Is your Bongo 2 or 4 wheel drive? It is essential to keep the rolling size of the tyres the same on all wheels if it is 4wd.

crazy uncle gray g · Post by **crazy uncle gray g** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:47 pm

Littlewoods, take a gander at these, they are all stockists, in and around Liverpool of Kumho tyres, which I am led to believe was the main tyre fitted in Japan. CHECK this with them, but the sizes you should have on a 4x4 Bongo are 195/70/r15 92s front & 215/65/r15 96s rear, I think

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/sl/vten.srf? ... =LIVERPOOL

Biddy · Post by **Biddy** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:54 pm

Is it only 4WD that need smaller tyres at the front folks ? I have no idea and have been going around on F + R the same size 215's We have a 95 2 WD

Thanks peeps..

Post by **francophile1947** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:05 pm

Hi Biddy
All Bongos should have 195/70 on front and 215/65 on rear, as per Mazda's instructions. However, loads of people use the same size all round, me included. It is something to do with understeer/oversteer but, unless you hurtle round corners, it doesn't seem to be a problem.

Biddy · Post by **Biddy** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:16 pm

Excellent John. THANKS, I shall make Dave read this to make sure he doesn't corner too fast. I did wonder as I read the manual and noticed diff' sizes but the tyre guy said OK. He did not know about the handling part ...
Dave is slightly handicapped in as much as his right foot seems heavier than his left

so maybe worth tinking about

trevd01 · Post by **trevd01** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 3:06 pm

At the top of the forum there is a section for Frequently Asked Questions.

In these FAQs is one on tyre sizes:

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... php?t=7895

There is also a Fact Sheet for members on this website

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/member ... factsheets

Biddy · Post by **Biddy** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:13 pm

I bow to thee Oh wise one trevd01 for I am still feeling my way around all the useful nooks and crannies held within this encyclopedic site.
Thanx for that....

Post by **francophile1947** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:16 pm

I feel sick!!

littlewoods · Post by **littlewoods** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:20 pm

sorry i forgot to mention its a 2WD....thanks

Post by **francophile1947** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 4:32 pm

Then the world is your oyster Littlewoods.
The main thing to remember is, if you get alloy wheels, you have to make sure that the circumference of any tyre/wheel combination remains very close to that of the original 215/65x15. Failure to do this will make your speedo inaccurate.
Have a look at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html - this does all the calculations for you.
Bear in mind that bigger wheels with lower profile tyres are more prone to damage from kerbs and potholes.

littlewoods · Post by **littlewoods** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 6:50 pm

thanks all !!! much appreciated ... no doubt i will be picking your brains in the near future so i can get this dec 97 bongo on the road.......

trevd01 · Post by **trevd01** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 7:59 pm

littlewoods wrote:thanks all !!! much appreciated ... no doubt i will be picking your brains in the near future so i can get this dec 97 bongo on the road.......

Dec '97... be needing an SVA test. Good luck!

madmile · Post by **madmile** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:02 pm

If its a true dec 97 then you wont be getting an SVA test as there is no model report. If its an ealier model then you will need a model report for and SVA.
If you go for an SVA it will pass with bald / cracked tyres so long as they are complient in size and specification with manufacturers recomendations.
So take for SVA with original crap tyres and then replace with whatever you like for the mot(now has to be legal).
If its a camper only registration, then even though it will need to be inspected by vosa, this is not an sva and sva rules do not apply. So you can take it as you like - assuming vosa agree its a camper they send you away to get it registered / mot'd etc.

David Edwards · Post by **David Edwards** » Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:06 pm

I use 215's all round and have since I bought mine nearly three years ago with no probs and at £39.00 per tyre fully inclusive I am not complaining.Oh and make sure they are balanced right or you will get the most awful bloody judder at around 65mph. Good luck, happy motoring.