20inch wheel Offset required? 275/55R20 KO2's

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Steve T

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I am starting a project vehicle (2011 LR4 HSE Lux) and I would like to put a 20inch "Stormer" style wheel on it with 275/55R20 KO2s. I plan to use Gap iiD tool to adjust the suspension. need help with Offsets :dontknow:

my concerns are that the oem 19" wheel has a 53mm offset from what my research tells me. I am no garage ****** and this is my first project. starting small (LOL). eventually will modify it to do some light overland camping with the minions and the Wifey!

Before I purchase a wheel, I need to figure out from the options which offset will work?
Best case scenio - bolt em' right up! - but am open to the right mods.

I have found 20x9.5 et45, 20x9.5 et50, 20x8.5 et58 I can't to seem to find a set with the oem offset of 53mm (granted each wheel is designed differently - ie. deep etc..). will these others work without rubbing?? or modifications .

For all of the 18inch compo' advocates...they are not in my budget ... :(

20x9.5Stormer.jpg
 

avslash

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Compos are the best route. If you want tires on a budget, I suggest the following:

18 inch LR3 wheels.

1.25" spacers.

Mod frame horns, front driver's well wire routing, relocate heater lines in passenger wheel well.

A proven combo that works, will run only 500.00-600.00 plus tire cost.

JMHO, but the reasons why are posted here if you look around.

ETA: . Pound the body seam flanges in both rear wells flat.
 
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ryanjl

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If you plan on off-roading your project vehicle, I'd stay away from 20 inch wheels. You just can get enough rubber between them and the earth on an LR4 without doing substantial modifications, and even then you'd still be better off with 18" wheels.

The LR3 wheel is the cheapest way to do it, followed by the Tuffant steelies. After that, it's either Compomotives or Mudtechs.
 

Bryan Jones

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Why can't anyone just answer this man's question? If he wanted to know about 18's, he would've asked about them. Obviously he wants to go with 20's, so either give him some sort of answer, or don't reply
 

avslash

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I've he knows the risk/reward of it, then yes

To try and provide a real answer to our question, I would say that no one with a serious use LR3/4 has found 19 or 20 inch wheels to be the best solution for these trucks. For a variety of reasons, they are an evolutionary dead end for these Rovers.

When the factory did the around the world drive, what did they replace the stock 19 inch wheels with?
 

jwest

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I've he knows the risk/reward of it, then yes

Wrong. Being obsessed with 20" wheels for off-road use is like asking what umbrella is best for your cliff jump. It's literally devoid of logic. Put a street tire onto a street wheel and stay on gravel roads at worst.
 

Bryan Jones

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Why can't 20 inch wheels be used for off road use? Not enough sidewall? Get a strong enough tire and that will take that problem down
 

jwest

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For all of the 18inch compo' advocates...they are not in my budget ...

A. the reason you're finding different offsets is because they are replica wheels which are going to be ruined off-road as they are not usually made as strong or finished as durably. Thus, cheap, is in the end, also 'cheap'. Often in the long run, cheap becomes expensive.
B. you'll want the largest offset number (which is tightest stance) because they will rub into the frame horns if you use that tire diameter of 31.8 and 9.6" tread width. I had a 285/50-20 on my first lr3 but it was on genuine range rover sport supercharged "stormer" wheels.

Same look, but stronger build and the ideal offset. Though I don't recall that ET spec, you could dig it up on the internet. The 285 was wider but the overall diameter was not as big so no rubbing on all the turning and flex points. The almost rub spot was against the upper control arm right behind the tire. This will actually be the tightest when the vehicle is raised or the suspension is dropping the most. You can test this on a lift or at home by lifting the front end so that both tire dangle.

C. perfect tire for general forest roads, easier Moab type stuff yet while not being too bad even up to 100 mph on the highway at times if your psi is correct and higher than the door says for smaller street tires. That size is not E load but it is at least a D with max load at 65 psi so you could run at 48 no problem on a stock vehicle or even 50-52 if you start loading it up with rack, roof tent, bull bar, or sliders, or stock but 5-7 people (humans are heavy LOL ) A higher psi, if loaded up, will help with better vehicle stability while cornering, evasive maneuvers, and even long sweeping curves at 80 mph like you find in Idaho, MT, OR, CO, canyons, etc where speeds are still high.

D. That width is perfect for a range of no less than 8.5 and up to 9.5 wheel but I swear the genuine stormer was 9". My experience has been that when a wider section tire is stuffed on to a wheel too narrow, it handles like ****, seriously. As an example, for 8" wheel widths, a 285/60x18 is not as good handling feeling as a 265/65x18 and a 275/70x18 is much better than a 285/65x18. This is the same on cars. My BMW came stock with 245/40-18. I tried a 255/40 and it truly sucked, horrible in sweeping curves but a 245/45 is great even up to 155 mph. When you can see the splay out from the wheel too much, it's a sign the tire is not the ideal width relative to wheel width.

It's actually a very simple geometry explanation. The wider tread results in a trapeziod with wider side to the ground whereas the narrower or equal width tread results in a more square inflated shape (ignoring the sidewalls bulging out of course, just the 4 points in section are what matter). You can then imagine that the most stable tire proportions are where there is the slightest upside down trapeziod to almost square. When inflated it cannot shift as easily under side load.

In the special case of the LR3/4/RRS platform with it's funky control arm arrangements, weird frame "horns" behind the front tires, and goofy rear wheel well bulging areas to rub against, a wide tire tread and section becomes a huge PITA to fit if you care to retain actual wheel articulation and 100% of it's turning capability in lowered or raised modes.

E. lastly, that tire size you mention is kind of perfect IF you do the few physical modifications. If not, it will likely rub at those spots due to it's tread and section width which is about an inch wider than the standard "fits for sure with no mods" size of 265/65x18. While the 18 is only .3" smaller diameter, 31.5 vs 31.8, the issues comes from it's much wider tread and also the resulting wider offset which is required for a 9 or 9.5.

For a no-mods needed fit using your listed choices, would be on the 20x8.5 and ET 58 though with it that snug to the UCA, it'll be close, but the other two being wider wheels PLUS wider offset, will rub for sure. They'd look cool as **** though LOL.

To wrap this up for you, consider this, your "budget" may say the replica wheel is the 'right' choice. How long will you keep this vehicle and will you ever want the killer plush ride on even forest roads with no worries to go into the most rugged places on an 18" with even taller but narrower tire?

Nobody wants to buy beat up 20's that are meant to be pretty and have no dented lips. Plenty of people would be willing to buy used Compomotive wheels though. The compos are also engineered for more rugged use. A city example is that with an 18 and BFG ko2, you can parallel park via the pull in and curb drop method where you roll onto the curb with the right front wheel, then drop in. That's a sure way to **** up some **** 20's though....

Theft, your **** 20's are a target while dirty 18's are not.

The compos are designed for the very least amount of offset needed. They were literally built for the vehicle.

Don't forget you need to have 5 matching wheels and tires in event of a flat as you cannot use a different size spare.

Mudtech has a sweet and less commonly seen 18" too. Shipping isn't cheap but the wheels are about $300 each so honestly not expensive. You did buy a late model LR4 after all, budget was not a huge factor.
 

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