Found another 19" tire for our LR4's

Just saw that Nokian came out with an SUV summer performance tire.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tires/suv-4x4-tyres/summer-tires

I may give these a try next summer. I like the Cooper Zeons for beach driving because they steer in sand really well. But when new, they tend to dig into the sand more than float on top of it. A few times I had a hard time getting started after being parked because they really dig-in if spinning. And the Nokian has a reinforced sidewall, so there is less chance of sidewall damage if I actually have to air-down. The Cooper sidewalls seem to damage easily.

Just be aware that these are summer tires which are completely useless on snow or ice. If you need an all-season tire, get the Nokian WRG3. I run Nokian Hakkapeliitta winter tires on both our LR4's which are fantastic at braking and turning our heavy vehicles on snow and ice.

Hey Paul, which Hakka? R2 SUV?

Yes, the Hakka R2 SUV. Much better in slush and rain than the original Hakka R SUV they used to make. They did great through the 11 feet of snow we had last winter in the Boston area.

PaulLR3 said:

Yes, the Hakka R2 SUV. Much better in slush and rain than the original Hakka R SUV they used to make. They did great through the 11 feet of snow we had last winter in the Boston area.

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I put the Hakkapeliitta R2 in a runflat on my 5 series wagon last winter and found it to be quite awesome. Having it on a heavy vehicle only helps these tires perform even better.

On the Audi I used the Nokian WRG2 and while it's technically an "all weather", it was fantastic when new during the worst winter in the PNW for many years. Winter 2008/2009. Of course Quattro + 4.2 V8 and 6 spd makes it even more fun

Next on the LR3 I plan to try this which should make the heavy LR3/4 virtually unstoppable :
http://www.nokiantires.com/winter-tires/nokian-hakkapeliitta-lt2/false/

Could work for those of you with 18" wheels and frame mods being that the smallest size is 32". Kind of an ideal tire though for these heavier builds some of us have.

PaulLR3 said:

Just saw that Nokian came out with an SUV summer performance tire.

http://www.nokiantires.com/tires/suv-4x4-tyres/summer-tires

I may give these a try next summer. .

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Interesting. You really want to put that on a Land Rover? Maybe consider the Michelin M/S2 if you want a non-AT style tread. The LT versions are actually perfectly suited to all forest road and light "trail" use too, in addition to sand and light snow. Lot's of sizes available.

The dry and wet highway handling on the M/S 2 is great but it can also take you through a lot of fun off pavement stuff with much more durability and load range compared to the Nokian summer tire.

Disregard if the main issue was the 19" size.

jwest said:

Interesting. You really want to put that on a Land Rover? Disregard if the main issue was the 19" size.

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You're right jwest, I'm probably overreacting and these Nokian summer tires may not have any bite off-road. Almost all of my off-road use is in sand on a nearby beach. I just need less bite than an AT tire. Michelin Latitude looks like a good choice in 19".

Hey Paul, check out the slightly larger 255/60x19 and the Premier version looks great too:
http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/255/60/19.html

Well, maybe never mind on the 255/60x19 as most of those seem to be lower load rating than the stock sized 255/55x19.

The Premier does look good though, I'd say better than the Latitude Tour being that the Premier has more of their newer tech like how the channels widen during wear to retain better rain traction. It also has a 50% higher wear rating and 60k warranty vs 55k for the Latitude.

Go for it!


Oh, but I forgot the Nokian WRG3. I have had two sets of the WRG2 on the Audi S4 Avant and they've been awesome. I wouldn't hesitate suggesting the WRG3 SUV : http://www.nokiantires.com/all-weather-tires/nokian-wrg3-suv/

So true, I had a set of WRG2's on an allroad and it was awesome in winter, just as good as Nokian's dedicated winter tires. Maybe I'll go with the WRG3 once I wear out a set of winter tires. A neighbor with an LR4 was about to buy another set of Conti's from the dealer but thankfully I talked to them first and they are very happy with a set of WRG3's.

nokian tires are incredible- the WRs are all you need year round unless ur doing some serious off-roading on ice. For an awd car the WR is truly amazing and holds up well even during 90 degree summers up here in the northeast. for a rear wheel drive car i wld go nokian hakkapeliitta....

paul im confused - do you use WRs in the summer and hakkas in the winter? why not keep the WRs on for the winter?

rickyn f355 said:

nokian tires are incredible- the WRs are all you need year round unless ur doing some serious off-roading on ice. For an awd car the WR is truly amazing and holds up well even during 90 degree summers up here in the northeast. for a rear wheel drive car i wld go nokian hakkapeliitta....

paul im confused - do you use WRs in the summer and hakkas in the winter? why not keep the WRs on for the winter?

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Because the Hakkapeliitta is considerably better in winter. If you have room for two sets, the best thing is to have an all season on for summer and winter specific tires on 2nd wheels for winter.