Everything about tires for LR4/ LR3 with 18" wheels

[deddy]

Hi All.
There is a lot on this thread but I will put in my two pennies worth after two years with my LR4. And yes - I have NOT read every post, it goes on forever - but very valuable information

LR4, ALMOST EXCLUSIVLY ON ROAD and DESERT SAND DRIVING - WHEELS and TYRES CHOICES

For sand driving in a 2013 LR4 with no bodywork mods (wheel arches etc).
After extensive research, I find the following combination to be very good (arguably the best and most simple to fit and manage?)

1: Compomotive 18 inch rims with 32 inch tyres. 285/60R18 fit and just rub at certain suspension settings under high compression loads (rear only rubs, not the front). No rubbing under normal road driving with normal suspension setting (unless possibly a very heavy load and a large bump - I never had it though).

2: LLAMS suspension over-ride module. Quite easy to fit, and EXTREMELY easy to adjust as an when required, just turn a knob. Just don't fit it where your knee can knock it - or whenever your wife goes shopping the darn thing is on full suspension height whenever she comes back home...

Tyres, I happened to choose Dunlop Grandtrek AT22, which are fine for road and sand. (Or was it AT23.. hmm .. cant quite remember right now).. anyway they are fine. Strong, durable, even did some rocks and they were good afterwards).

 

[deddy]

Oh - and I forgot - the LR4 with the wider tyres looks REALLY cool

 

[Surfrider77]

Hi All.
There is a lot on this thread but I will put in my two pennies worth after two years with my LR4. And yes - I have NOT read every post, it goes on forever - but very valuable information

LR4, ALMOST EXCLUSIVLY ON ROAD and DESERT SAND DRIVING - WHEELS and TYRES CHOICES

For sand driving in a 2013 LR4 with no bodywork mods (wheel arches etc).
After extensive research, I find the following combination to be very good (arguably the best and most simple to fit and manage?)

1: Compomotive 18 inch rims with 32 inch tyres. 285/60R18 fit and just rub at certain suspension settings under high compression loads (rear only rubs, not the front). No rubbing under normal road driving with normal suspension setting (unless possibly a very heavy load and a large bump - I never had it though).

2: LLAMS suspension over-ride module. Quite easy to fit, and EXTREMELY easy to adjust as an when required, just turn a knob. Just don't fit it where your knee can knock it - or whenever your wife goes shopping the darn thing is on full suspension height whenever she comes back home...

Tyres, I happened to choose Dunlop Grandtrek AT22, which are fine for road and sand. (Or was it AT23.. hmm .. cant quite remember right now).. anyway they are fine. Strong, durable, even did some rocks and they were good afterwards).

Hi @deddy !

I agree with everything you have written. I see you are in the UAE. I am in Qatar and have had my truck for about 3.5 years now. I also ran 285/60 on 18" compos. My tire choice was Nitto Dune Grapplers, which are excellent on road and sand. Poor-average in mud and rainy roads, which isn't much issue here in the Middle East. The LLAMS is an excellent, if not pricy device. Another cheaper option is the GAP IID Tool.

Otherwise, its nice to hear about another LR4 being off in the desert sands! Enjoy!

**Note: I just swapped to BFG TA KO2 tires a couple weeks back due to irreparable damage to my Nittos. Unfortunately, Nitto do not seem to make Dune Grapplers in our size anymore. The local BFG dealer was out of 285/60 for me, so I went with the 265/65 option. It's not perfect, but better than a 4 month wait for them to order the 285s.

 

[deddy]

@Surfrider77

Hi, I really wanted the Dune Grapplers, I tried SOOOO hard to get a set and found no luck. They look SO cool!
And I knew the 285/60 were the right tyre size, after my research.

I'll tell you what happened, I was struggling to really find the right information and I came across a VERY informative posting on a forum... by some guy in Quatar with an LR4... driving Nitto Dune Grapplers 285/60 .... giving the rubbing advice, everything so to be honest I have a big thanks for you for that information ags ago. REALLY helped me!

Regarding the Llams, I know its pricey but I'm in and out of the desert like a yo yo and often on the trips I want to adjust suspension several times. So I looked at the IID, and decided to go Llams. When I haven't quite made it over a dune crest, just press the button and turn the knob for max extension... and engage "rock Crawl" mode... and hey presto, its like a magic trick, I'm out

By the way, is there any other benefits for the IID - I mean, is it worth me buying such a device for some other reasons?

 

[SHS14]

Ok so my Compo's should be shipping today and I also placed an order for BFG KO2's in 265/60R18. As minor as they may be, I didn't want to mess with any of the drawbacks of going +1" on the OD with the 265/65's. I don't wheel much and when I do its not very technical around here (Ohio). I also shouldn't get any grief from the dealership while under warranty. Check out the latest consumer reviews of the KO2's–encouraging. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO2#RatingsReviews

Also, while pondering what tire pressures to run on the road I figured I needed to crunch some numbers based on the specs. To figure what load LR is implying based on their recommended tire pressures I took the specs of my OEM Pirelli 255/50R20's, 2,271lbs @ 50psi, and found that equates to 1,635lbs @ 36psi (front), and 1,908lbs @ 42psi (rear). The BFG 265/60's are rated for 3,000lbs @ 80psi which equates to 44psi for 1,635lbs (front) and 51psi for 1,908lbs (rear). Fairly high pressures, but we can't forget that the LR recommended pressures are based on your LR4 being loaded to the full gross rating.

As a side note, the BFG 285/60R18's are rated for 2,910lbs @ 65psi, so you should be able to run the recommended pressures in that size. (36F/42R) I'm not sure why they are rated differently. Perhaps the wider footprint allows for the lower pressure? If there's a tire engineer reading this and my math is way off base then please interject.

How did you calculate the loads at the specified psi for the Pirelli and the KO2? Maybe I missed it other posts you wrote.


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[umbertob]

Good 'ole proportions they taught us in school... a:b=c:d

When we know the load at the maximum pressure of the OEM tires (2271 lbs @ 50 psi), we can use those numbers to calculate the load on front and rear wheels, based on Land Rover's recommended pressure (36 psi front and 42 rear for my 2013 LR4.)

2271 : 50 = c : 36 ("c" is 1635 lbs fronts)
2271 : 50 = c : 42 ("c" is 1908 lbs rears)

Now that we know those factory load numbers, we can calculate the equivalent inflation pressure of tires with different load ratings than the stock ones. To stay with the above example of the LT265/60R18 E-load BFG's (3000 lbs @ 80 psi max):

3000 : 80 = 1635 : d ("d" is 44 psi fronts)
3000 : 80 = 1908 : d ("d" is 51 psi rears)

 

[SHS14]

Thanks, I wouldn't have thought it was a linear relationship


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[umbertob]

Yeah, I don't think it is as simple as that myself, honestly. My LT285/60R18 Nitto Terra G2 tires (3308 @ 80 psi) feel "squishy" at 40F and 46R, even when I am not fully loaded (although I do carry rock sliders and other heavy underbody armor with me at all times), which is what you get if you do the above math. After some experimenting, I now inflate mine to 44 psi front and 52 rear, and they "feel" just right to me. When someone inquired with BFG about the proper pressure of their LT265/65R18 T/A KO2s on a LR4 application, BFG's own Customer Care responded they should be inflated at 47F, 55R to meet equivalent OEM specs of 36F, 42R. I think the additional plies of Light Truck tires compared to passenger tires, and the fact those LT tires can take significantly more PSI for max load, conspire to throw a wrench in simple calculations / proportions. Best to ask the experts (the manufacturer of your tires would be a good place to start) and let them figure it out.

 

[SHS14]

I tried looking up KO2 or even the stock 4x4 Contact tech info in the Load and Inflation tables, but they are not available without emailing customer service. I'll do just that and even provide the stock load ratings.


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[TLB]

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.

Hi Umberto,

It it time for me to start looking for new tires.
I have had my BFG TA KO ( 1st generation) for 34,000 miles (city , highway and heavy off-road use)
Lots of rock climbing and trails with sharp rocks and boulders. ( my skid plates and rock sliders were put to work multiple times. )
The tread depth is still fine but I am missing chunks of tread, and balancing the tires becomes slowly an issue. I have some cuts in sidewalls but never got a puncture.
My natural choice would be to go with a new BFG TA KO2 265/65/18 since it is E rated. There is 285/60/18 D rated TA KO2 but considering my environment I am not sure if this would be a good choice. ( I would like wider tire appearance for sure). Now, would you recommend a tire you run Nitto Terra G2 over BFG TA KO2? Why did you go with G2 and not with TA KO2 ?
Just for a look 285 would be nice but how the sidewalls strength compare on Nitto and BFG ? Even being located in Phoenix Arizona my LR4 still sees some snow or freezing temp. when we go up north. what do you think?