...but it also has OEM 20 inch rims on it...which seems to not make a lot of sense to me.
...and the dealer said they would trade my rims out for the normal HSE rims & tires (well at least 4 of them since I have a 5th as a spare).
So, my question is...is it stupid to swap them out?
My concern is that the 20s are really not meant for offroad..I would worry about them, and they're a bit "fancy" for my taste.
I talked to a rim guy that said if they are willing to swap...
The "rim guy" doesn't know sht about the land rover wheel size dilemma - that's why he said that. He also doesn't know if you'd be giving away wheels with tires that are worth something and/or pressure sensors inside that are worth at least $100 each.
Next, the dealer would trade you for 5 and all sensors? How about the tires your "giving away" vs the tires that would come on the "HSE" wheels?
Which leads to the biggest irony in your post: why the hell would you want the even harder to source 19" tire size? You gain essentially nothing by going to 19", in fact it seriously reduces the tire choices. For example, there are so many 20" tires that are oversized that the 20" route will actually allow you to have more tire sidewall than the 19" simply because there are hardly any decnet 19" tires out there and almost none in an oversized spec.
19" is the very ugly duckling wheel size.
So, do NOT swap with the dealer. So "nice" of them to offer. They win, win, win because nobody wants 19" and they will upcharge the vehicle they put a 20" onto later. If you explained any of your reasoning, then shame on them for not saying "no, bad idea"
So, you have only a couple good directions here and none of them involve the 19":
1-sell your 20" yourself to fund the purchase of an 18". (more on that at the end)
2-keep your 20" specifically for winter snow tire (true winter compound) or for general all the time "daily driving" and add an 18" set for the big tires used on trips to places where they're needed.
2b-same as above but put a decent AT 20" for most of the time and get an 18" for most aggressive special trip tire.
3-get dealer to trade you for a factory 18" (which was never and HSE, 18's were on SE's in the "old" days) Make sure you get 5 and all 5 pressure sensors too. They should actually give you a parts department credit too because they are seriously getting the good end of the deal. Think up something worth several hundred $ in your favor.
Now, how do you make 18's work on an lr4. It's extensively covered so don't go on asking a lot after this post. Just go read about it but let me say you have two simple options: terrafirma spacers (about $400) to allow factory 18" and 31.5" tires (265/65x18) or the only aftermarket wheel known to date Compomotive 18". Search for those threads on where to buy/how, etc.
See, easy. You can even think on the 20's while sourcing the 18" plan and decide later if you could use a set of general all time regular tires which will prolong the use of expensive big AT tires.
If you care even for a moment about the looks of the vehicle, spacers behind the 20's would be so sweet and there are a few meaty tires that will actually give you a fairly durable set up too. 285/50-20 is what I'd look at first. It will fit fine without any modifications and depending on the tire shoulder, maybe not even need the spacer. Though really, those on spacers would look so tough you'll be embarrassed at how it makes you feel
