Everything about tires for LR4/ LR3 with 18" wheels

[Bartek Bachorski]

285/60/18 is my tire size of choice, after much consideration given to 265/65 as well. Thanks for the review of both Cooper and Nitto TGs.
I still wanted to know the difference between "P-metric 285/60R18 (Extra Load, 120S) and the 10-ply equivalent LT285/60R18 (123S)". They are the same size and brand, but some specs, which I am unfamiliar with, differ.

 

[danrhiggins]

I'm looking at 285/60R18 ZEON LTZ 120S XL BLK at Tread Depot - Umberto, is this the tire you were recommending?
Could you, or someone else, please explain the difference/terms used between these: "P-metric 285/60R18 (Extra Load, 120S) or the much heavier, 10-ply equivalent LT285/60R18 (123S)"?
Like most of us, I drive on paved concrete 95% of the time, but do want and need an option of going off road.
Also, shall I swap my original TPMS sensors onto my new 18 Compo wheels (given the function ok) or for some reason it makes more sense to buy new ones?

You can certainly move your TPMS to your Compos. I did that and it worked fine. I eventually picked up a second set because I keep the stock 19" wheels around with either the original Contis or a set of Nokian snow tires on them. So when I know I'm not going to be offroad for a couple of months or I'm going to do a longer road trip with no off road I'll throw on the 19" wheels and the Contis. Similarly, I don't really do any offroad in the winter so I'll put the 19" wheels on with the Nokians. I have a Discount Tire about a mile from my house that does the wheel swap for free if I don't want to mess with it myself.

Others disable TPMS with the Gap IIDTool (I believe) and just ignore TPMS altogether.

 

[danrhiggins]

285/60/18's are as big as you can go without modifying the ride height. I ran both the Nitto Terra G's and the Cooper Zeon LTZ's people have mentioned below. They are both great and look nearly identical. I found the Coopers a little softer and stickier on road, so stayed with those after the free ones we got for Great Divide 2007 wore out. Never had any sidewall issues with them despite some pretty sharp rock conditions (per Umberto's comment), but maybe that was just good spotting. They were also awesome in the snow. We went through several feet of fresh powder off road with no issues whatsoever - not sure what the "too wide" comment is about there. I don't think you can go wrong with either brand, but I wouldn't go bigger than that size myself. Just no need to. Hope that helps. Good luck!

A lot of people did the 265/65 route. I see now that Umberto and others have done the 285/60. I understand that the 285 will be wider. But what about vertical height? I think I remember hearing that the second number (60 or 65 or whatever) is a ratio of the width? Does that make the 285/60 nearly the same height as the 265/65? (I'm partly wondering "taller" tire offers that much benefit in ground clearance, approach/departure angles, etc. I have the 265/60/18s now and wondering if I should have gone with the 65s for more vertical lift.

 

[umbertob]

Yes, as someone else helpfully pointed out in an earlier post the height of a tire's sidewall is expressed in a percentage of the sectional width, so 265/65 and 285/60 aspect ratios of two 18" tires mean the two sidewalls are pretty much the same height at 172mm and 171mm, respectively. The 285 size will be 20 mm wider than the 265.

 

[Bartek Bachorski]

Does someone know the difference between these two?

General Grabber AT2
Tire Size: LT285/60R18
Service Description: 122Q
Sidewall: Black Wall
Load/Ply Rating: E-10 Ply
Tire Weight: 57 lbs

AND

Cooper Zeon LTZ
Tire Size: 285/60R18
Service Description: 120S
UTQG: 520 A B
Sidewall: Black Wall
Tire Weight: 49 lbs

I understand that load/ply rating tells you how much load/tire pressure can be put on vehicle (please correct me if I am wrong), but I don't know how to read it therefore I don't know which one is more desirable for my 2012 LR4. (122Q vs 120S) service description is another spec I don't know.
Cooper tire is obviously much lighter, does it have to do with the wall thickness?
About to order a set of five for my new Compo 18 wheels and can't decide...

 

[umbertob]

The Generals are Light Truck / LT rated, 10-ply E-load tires supposedly built on a stronger carcass to be able to take much higher inflation pressures - in general you can inflate LTs of this size up to 80 psi, if your vehicle requires it - and heavier loads (a 122 load index means 3307 lbs per tire.) The sidewall is therefore built stronger as well, and should be more resistant to scuffing, tears and cuts, the main reason why E-load tires are usually preferred by people going off-road regularly, they can take abuse a lot better than lesser load ratings. The penalty for all that extra strength is the tire's weight compared to regular or P-rated, aka passenger, tires of that same size, which you will notice at the gas station. LT tires are naturally stiffer, so ride quality, handling and often road noise all suffer a bit - again if you compare them to P-rated equivalents. And the pokey speed rating (Q in the case of the Generals) means you can't race them at high speeds on the highway like tires designed for passenger cars or lighter SUVs.

The Coopers are XL (extra load) rated, meaning they were designed to take the heavier load of SUVs and sports truck, as evidenced by their load index of 120, they are usually built stronger than equivalent SL (standard load) tires and therefore can carry more weight and higher air pressure. Land Rover recommends XL load tires for the LR4, since it is such a heavy vehicle. They are not 10-ply construction like E-load Light Truck tires. As such, they are heavier than SL but lighter than LT tires, so your gas mileage should not suffer as much, they should offer a softer and more compliant ride on the road than LTs, and they often have higher speed rating (the Coopers have an S rating, which is pretty much as good a speed rating as you are going to get in an aggressive, XL rated A/T.)

The consensus on the General Grabber AT2s is that they are terrific A/T tires that give BFGs a run for their money while being substantially cheaper, and really excel on the snow (where BFGs and Coopers are not that great.) I considered them as well even though snow is a non-issue for me.

 

[Bartek Bachorski]

It's probably going to be Coopers then, thanks for your thorough feedback. As for their looks, which I shamelessly admit matter to me quite a bit, I think they are just as aggressive and beefy as BFG/Terra Grapplers/General Grabbers.
And since I have a set of Blizzaks on my OEM 19 wheels for the winter, I don't have to worry about Coopers poor snow performance. I'll simply swap the wheels with tires on them as needed.
After June 7 I'll post the pix of my LR4 with silver Compomotive wheels and the tires I end up purchasing (most likely Coopers).
Thanks again for such great posts as well as feedback!

 

[umbertob]

You will be happy with the Coopers, I was/am a big fan of them. And yes, they are winners in the looks department too, with a very aggressive and unique tread. Nothing beats dedicated winter tires in the snow... Sounds like you made the right choice, looking forward to some photos.

 

[P_J_F]

Tomorrow I will finally be mounting my new 18" Compomotive's with some 265/65R18 BF Goodrich A/T KO2's.

I've had the Compo 18"s sitting in the garage staring at me everyday while waiting for the new KO2's to come out!

Anyone running 265/65R18 BF Goodrich A/T KO's, what PSI are you running? Or anyone with a comparable 10 ply / E load tire what PSI would you recommend?

Also - I know I'm going to have to air down my spare pretty low to try and fit it in, is it going to throw a TPMS error?

Thanks guys!

 

[jwest]

I use no less than 50 psi unless in true off roading (not just gravel roads) due to the added weight on my lr3. Anything less starts to feel too wallowing.