Everything about tires for LR4/ LR3 with 18" wheels

[danrhiggins]

To answer your earlier question, I have Compos on 285/60 sand tires.

Hey, Surfrider, I had my first taste of "sand" this past week. I was at the Great Sand Dunes NP and drove a bit up their "primitive 4WD trail". What a hoot! Nothing like what you drive but enough to get a taste. I only traveled about a mile and didn't air down as my wife was with me and not all that excited about the prospects of getting stuck. We would have been find as I have an XJack and Maxtrax. But she did not want to face a recovery. Oh well. Next time! ;-)

 

[Surfrider77]

Yea, getting buried in sand is no fun! Airing down is absolutely essential in soft sand though. Sand driving is all about "float' and riding on top of the sand. Airing down will increase your footprint dramatically. Fully inflated, the contact patch is quite small and has a far greater tendency to dig.

I keep thinking of buying a set of Maxtrax, but at $300 a pair it seems pretty steep! Honestly, the only two times I have ever got my LR stuck was when trying to get others unstuck.

 

[danrhiggins]

Yea, getting buried in sand is no fun! Airing down is absolutely essential in soft sand though. Sand driving is all about "float' and riding on top of the sand. Airing down will increase your footprint dramatically. Fully inflated, the contact patch is quite small and has a far greater tendency to dig.

I keep thinking of buying a set of Maxtrax, but at $300 a pair it seems pretty steep! Honestly, the only two times I have ever got my LR stuck was when trying to get others unstuck.

Yep. I had my compressor but the trail was closed for the winter after another half mile. So not worth the effort this time. Next time I'll air down and drive the full length.

As for the Maxtrax, I bought them after getting stuck in the snow last June - I figure if I have them I won't ever need them.

 

[maxx4wd]

OK I tried slogging through this entire thread and made it through roughly 90% of it...I know I read this somewhere but for our LR3's I finally decided to run a 275/65/18 Nitto Terra G2s but they come in both E load rating and XL load rating...I'm assuming the E load rating is a better choice for our vehicles - I know it's heavier per tire and all but my rig will see some decent time off-road and want to ensure the tires are up to task...

those running the nittos - what is your experience with them - what load ratings are you guys finding works well with our vehicles...thanks in advance

 

[umbertob]

I have the smaller LT285/60R18 Nitto Terra G2s. I also had a choice between XL and E load in that size, went with the LT/E version due to my frequent off-road trips that involve quite a bit of rock crawling (we are talking real sharp rocks here in SoCal...), so the extra plies of the sidewalls were worth the disadvantages of an E-load tire to me - namely, noisier and somewhat harsher ride, heavier, faster wear than the extra load P-rated version. The ride is just fine, noisier than a stock tire for sure but not obnoxiously so. I have had them for over a year, 30K+ miles and it looks like I might be able to squeeze another 20-30K miles out of them. They are great tires for my type of environment - I don't live in a place with harsh winter weather conditions and mud isn't much of an issue unless it rains - a rare occurrence in the southwest - so these Terra Grappler G2s are perfect for my needs and I highly recommend them. Haven't had a flat yet and I've taken them in pretty inhospitable places, from local mountains to Death Valley. Could be coincidence, but I had many of those with my earlier "tamer" choice (Yoko Geolandar AT/S.)

Because they are E-rated and my truck is quite heavy with permanently installed rock sliders, skid plates and so on, I keep them inflated at about 46F-50R (quite a bit above the Land Rover recommended pressure for P-rated tires), as I find that offers the best combination of handling and wear without introducing too much road noise and harsh ride over the broken pavement of our poorly maintained roads and highways. YMMV.

 

[maxx4wd]

Wow...thanks Umberto - I too live in socal so that was definately my concern as well - that and i'll probably end up pretty well loaded down with camp stuff and 3 kids in the back so figured the LT/E version was the way to go...love that you're ******* the tires and your still project to get 50K out of them...pretty much exactly what I was hoping for...I daily drive my truck but only like 10 miles so harshness and noise isn't really a concern...plus I'm totally used to that coming from sports cars so nothing can be done that I haven't lived with for years...

How do you like the smaller tires on it? since you're probably wheeling harder then I will for a while do you find you have any clearance issues or is the extra half inch just not worth the compromises...(I basically have the same truck you have just an '06 - without the cool bits - but will be adding them slowly - I do have a set of 2.5" lift rods and the RSW software - still not sure about running the rods or just upping the values in the software but guess rubbing issues will dictate that one).

 

[umbertob]

I have never felt like I could use an extra 1/2" of sidewall when off road, honestly. It's not like I run up and down the Rubicon every other day either, though. For me, picking the 285/60s was simply a matter of convenience and practicality. I don't have a roof rack or rear bumper mount to carry a full size spare around - nor do I much want to or, even worse, put this giant donut in the trunk - so the largest size I could realistically fit under the car (partially deflated) is a tire that's 31.5" in diameter or less, which kind of limited me to 285/60 or 265/65 over an 18" wheel. Also, I don't want to travel around with a permanent lift or modify my car in any way to fit larger tires - the LR4 is my daily driver, I use it for business and occasionally as a family hauler. I'll use my Llams when wheeling to lift myself another 3 or 5 cm, but normally I am at standard height, which is no problem with my size tires. No rubbing anywhere, except very, very slightly under extreme compression or at full steering lock.

On the road, I feel I gave very little away in terms of handling or comfort by staying under 32" in diameter with a relatively stiff compound and not overly aggressive tread like these LT Nittos. However I have never tried anything larger on my LR4 (or my former 2006 RRS), and I don't know how the car would do with a larger tire, so I'm afraid I can't be of much help in your decision. Good luck!

 

[Surfrider77]

Yea, my question for Maxx4wd was how do those 275/65 tires fit for you? That should be quite a bit of rubbing without permanent lift or modification and questionable fitment of a spare.

 

[maxx4wd]

Yea, my question for Maxx4wd was how do those 275/65 tires fit for you? That should be quite a bit of rubbing without permanent lift or modification and questionable fitment of a spare.

Sorry I didn't respond quicker...I just saw this reply...to answer your question - I have not purchased these tires yet but I know that my '06 doesn't have the 2" knob that the later models '08 and above do and I was planning on running 2.5" rhino rods full-time so just the normal rubbing in reverse is expected - maybe some full compression rubbing off road so might modify the inner fender linings (or just let them rub) and I'll have to relocate the wire loom on the drivers side...other than that I think the rubbing will be minimal for day to day use.

Not sure what I'm going to do about the spare tire though...probably just get a roof rack and mount it up top or a tire carrier...as from what I understand there is really no way to mount it on the bottom...

I'll post pics once I get it all hooked up if that's the route I end up going...

 

[jwest]

Yea, my question for Maxx4wd was how do those 275/65 tires fit for you? That should be quite a bit of rubbing without permanent lift or modification and questionable fitment of a spare.

Dude, "permanent" lift has never been needed, required, or helpful with any of the fitting issues on the 275/65x18.

Part of this is due to the fact that with the air suspension, there is no such thing as a "permanent" lift. Stuff that tire into the fender liner off road and the "lift" becomes 100% irrelevant.