Snow Chains

backcountryLR4 · Feb 20, 2019

patski said:
A lot of negative feedback about using BMW X5 wheels($300 on San Jose CList) but I use them for my Blizzaks.

They are getting dinged a little(8 winters) curbs, etc are difficult to see in the weather we like to ski in.

OEM are still perfect.

View attachment 9144

Seems like a great solution for an LR3, but not many(and by that I mean any) wheels will work on an LR4 without modification. (except Compo's and like two pairs of steelies now)

Did I also mention I have 18 wheels/tires under my roof... I am already the male version of a crazy cat lady (but with tires instead of cats obviously). I could not get 4 more without seeking professional help and probably a new, bigger house.

(as for the negative feedback for the wheels, screw em. You can laugh at the haters when you pass them in a snowstorm. You could also just buy new Land Rover center caps online for like $10 too..)

jwest · Feb 20, 2019

Only 18? You're barely getting started.

Anyway, you won't be passing me in a snowstorm LOL ...note avatar 7" wide wheel. FYI, I paid less for a set of lr3 18's last year including shipping.

The bmw wheels are fine.

jwest · Feb 20, 2019

avslash said:
Ditto.

Can anyone tell if they make a model that fits a 275/65R18? You can only search their website by vehicle model, not tire size.

I would buy a set of those for the kit in case I ever needed them.

the 275/65 is too tall and too wide I bet. The reason the folks here are making RUDs work is that they're on a stock 19" size which is so much shorter it's down in the area of the UCA where there's plenty of clearance.

Cables might work but would probably knick the UCA on a 32" tire.

avslash · Feb 20, 2019

jwest said:
the 275/65 is too tall and too wide I bet. The reason the folks here are making RUDs work is that they're on a stock 19" size which is so much shorter it's down in the area of the UCA where there's plenty of clearance.

Cables might work but would probably knick the UCA on a 32" tire.

I suspect you are correct. It would be nice, though, for exactly the reason you state; UCA clearance.

I actually bought a set of cable chains for a Wrangler that I rented in case I needed to display them for Caltrans when I was in Tahoe skiing during the huge storm they had there a couple weeks ago.

They are labelled to fit 275/65R18 as well, which is why I went ahead and bought them. Back in Texas now, though, so test fitting hasn't been a priority. I have seen a snowflake here this year, but only one or two... If they fit, I will buy another set for the other end, as well.

Just another item to throw in the kit. Once you hit 8,000 pounds loaded, who cares at that point. If it fits, it travels.

mbw · Feb 20, 2019

backcountryLR4 said:
I have been torn whether to get winter tires on my OEM rims. The rims are absolutely mint and rough winters where I live would put an end to that.

My KO2s on my Compos do pretty good in the snow, but I honestly prefer driving my Infiniti G35xS with my winter wheels and blizzaks in the snow. The car is a worm stuck to the road in any depth of snow under 18 inches. (More than that and I'll be in the Rover, since not getting stuck or high-centered being the concern then). It is incredibly predictable, you can also steer with the throttle if needed(thanks to aftermarket beefy sway bars), it is truly "unbelievable" as my good friend who borrowed it the other weekend in a blizzard through a mountain pass remarked. I was always talking about how good it was (and that it was better than the rover in the snow) and no one believed me, including him as he freely admitted, until he drove it.

I'm sure Blizzaks or Nokians would be way better than my KO2s in the snow. The big difference in the Rover is stopping and turning. Being 6,000 lbs it will never be better than my Infiniti in that regard, but perhaps the unpredictability of never quite knowing when it might decide to let go would be diminished with snow tires.

That and I hate the look of the OEM 20s based on tire meat to wheel ratio... The black wheels look sick, but 20's on this truck look ridiculous. Maybe in a few years...

I don't think any all terrains really do that well in the snow with the heavy LR4. I didn't have any other use for my stock wheels so they get the blizzaks.

I agree though about G35x on blizzaks, which is why I still daily drive my 2006.

This photo is actually my summer setup with ultra high performance summer rubber. The chrome wheels would get destroyed in the winter. I run a set of black painted stock 17" on it with blizzaks. My wifes QX50 also runs two sets of wheels with blizzaks in the winter. 6 full sets of wheels and tires at my house!

allegro · Feb 20, 2019

Great thread for those of us dealing with the first proper winter in a while.

I'm running a new set of Hakka 9 SUVs (studded) in 255/55 on stock 19 in. wheels (I use 18 in. Compos the rest of the year). Last week we got nearly two feet of very wet snow in 24 hours, with the bottom 4-5 inches coming down as slush as the temps dropped. Then it started to rain the following day... incredibly deep, slushy, dense snow conditions with no plows in sight.

We're on a steep dirt road with a tight, uphill 180 degree turn that kills any momentum. These snow conditions put my rig right at the limit, giving me a good chance to explore terrain response modes as I made many attempts to get up my hill. In the end, I always made it up and I'm super impressed with uphill traction in conditions that left literally only one or two other vehicles able to get around in our unplowed area of town. Downhill turning and stopping in the deep slush are pretty dicey, at least for my set up... I'd love to experience the difference with the narrower Hakka LT that you have, @jwest. Might be time for a second set of 18s.

I'm ordering a set of RUD chains now with the hope another storm will give me a chance to compare the difference in uphill and turning/stopping performance when rolling with chains.

(photo from a previous storm - don't even notice the snow when driving through 10" of light stuff)

backcountryLR4 · Feb 21, 2019

mbw said:
I don't think any all terrains really do that well in the snow with the heavy LR4. I didn't have any other use for my stock wheels so they get the blizzaks.

I agree though about G35x on blizzaks, which is why I still daily drive my 2006. This photo is actually my summer setup with ultra high performance summer rubber. The chrome wheels would get destroyed in the winter. I run a set of black painted stock 17" on it with blizzaks. My wifes QX50 also runs two sets of wheels with blizzaks in the winter. 6 full sets of wheels and tires at my house!

Your G is a beaut... Still super clean. I had that same generation with an 04 but traded it in for an 08. I honestly never want to get rid of it.

6 full sets of wheels, you got me beat for sure!

I run some 18x9 enkei pro wheels(even have two valves stems to run nitrogen instead of compressed air, which I've never done) with super sticky summer rubber and run some grey 17x7 wheels from tire rack with my blizzaks.

Since we are posting pic of our other babies, I'll just leave these here:
(don't mean to high-jack)

avslash · Feb 21, 2019

Well, it is AWD....

backcountryLR4 · Feb 21, 2019

avslash said:
Well, it is AWD....

I’ll trade ya...

maxx4wd · Feb 22, 2019

Second the z-chain - cheap and you'll probably never need them. We go to Tahoe multiple times a year going up and over the I80 and throughout the Tahoe basin (both the north and the super snowy west side) we've never had to use chains with the rover but I always carry the z-chains with me just in case I get to a CHP checkpoint and they actually ask to see them. I've had them check multiple times but usually in the rover they just wave you on by. Like you we're from SoCal and don't get the pleasure of driving in the white stuff until we seek it out but with that said even with the snow driving skills a bit lacking the rover is stable and very rarely even puts a foot wrong (unless I'm really trying to have fun) - I would even let the wife drive it in snow and she hates driving in snow...lol

Snow Chains

backcountryLR4

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jwest

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avslash

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mbw

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allegro

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backcountryLR4

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avslash

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