Everything about tires for LR4/ LR3 with 18" wheels

[jdlloyd]

Tire construction has improved a LOT the last 20 years. A new two ply AT4 sidewall is stronger and thicker than an old BFG three ply. But some things like “3 ply sidewall” stick around for marketing and customer demand.

Totally agree! Love the tire so far and I’m confident in it. Just want to clarify for those who may be interested in the tire since Falken advertises a 3-ply “on select sizes.” If that’s a must-have for you (I’m not convinced it should be), may want to look elsewhere.

 

[Abram]

Well, in the old days we really relied on the tripometer. GPS took over that responsibility.
You will be marginally off. Does it really matter??

Eh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, not really. As long as it's not doing something detrimental to the computers I'm content to leave it alone and just keep on driving.

FYI to all who may be curious, I just had a set of the AT4Ws in LT265/65R18 installed this past week. They fit great, and look terrific on my newly powder-coated steelies; wheeled them Saturday with zero issues, but did notice the slightest rub in my driveway in reverse, driver side wheel well at full lock.

Nice to know the AT4W fits well enough! I was strongly considering those but was concerned the slightly larger diameter was going to cause rubbing issues.

 

[tpat]

FYI to all who may be curious, I just had a set of the AT4Ws in LT265/65R18 installed this past week. They fit great, and look terrific on my newly powder-coated steelies; wheeled them Saturday with zero issues, but did notice the slightest rub in my driveway in reverse, driver side wheel well at full lock.

One note I didn’t realize about these tires when ordering is while they are LT and 10-ply tread, this size only comes in a 2-ply “HD” sidewall. FWIW I ran them at 17-18 lbs in loose gravel and rocks all afternoon with zero issues.

Also, I’m new here. Picked up my 2013 HSE in July (first LR for me) and couldn’t be happier with it. Pics below!

This looks great! Thanks for sharing. Can you test this out at bump stops? I'm curious how close this is to the wheel well pushed all the way down given that the diameter is 31.7". If you have the GAP tool, you can deflate the air from there. Also, were you able to fit this tire in the spare slot underneath?

 

[m_lars]

Hey guys, I read through most of this thread, but I'm still struggling to choose tires. I have an '06 LR3 with the 18" wheels. I don't want to stress the suspension with rods or SYA lift. I also want to maintain full articulation. I think that leaves me at 31" diameter or less for tire size. That brings me to pick 265/60R18 at 30.5" OD. However, I'm stuck on choice of load rating and tire weight.

Should I go with D or E tires? I imagine XL and C is too lightweight for this truck. I'm using this as my daily driver so I care about fuel economy, but I live in Utah and really want it to be capable on snow, ice, dirt trails, and rocky trails in Moab and the mountains. I don't plan on towing, but I do care about sidewall strength.

These are the tires I'm considering(all 265/60R18):
- Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT - E-rated - 57 lb - 119Q - 18.5/32" tread
- BFG KO3 - D-rated - 51 lb - 114S - 15/32" tread
- Toyo Open Country AT3 - E-rated - 50 lb - 119S - 16/32" tread

The Baja Boss seems like the most capable, and it is a touch bigger at 30.8" diameter plus it has more tread. I'm leaning towards that the most, but will I regret the extra 6-7 lb weight? The KO3 is the only D-rated one at this size, but it doesn't release until August this year. There is also the Cooper Discoverer Stronghold and Yokohama Geolander that are E-rated and 48lb, but the Toyo looks better on paper.

Any advice is appreciated!

Ive got an ‘06 LR3, live in Utah and can tell you what has worked very well for me. I’m on my second set of Cooper S/T Maxx tires in 265/70r18. I was going for max diameter without having to run the CYA kit. The only thing I don’t love about them is they are E rated, which is way overkill, but I run them at 50psi for normal driving and they are comfortable enough. They have been amazing on rocks after destroying several Goodyear DuraTrac sidewalls on the rocks in the Wasatch Back. I put 75k on my first set with a 5 tire rotation. I did mod the rear heater line in the passenger rear wheel well and flattened the pinch seam in both wheel wells. I can still drive on the bump stops, but the well liners do rub. I run 30mm of lift via the GAP tool mostly because it looked like a low rider with the minimal fender gap at stick height. I get no rubbing in normal or off-road height. Once you get into that 30” plus range, the width has more an effect on rubbing than the height. A taller skinny tire will rub less on these than a shorter/wider tire. I personally find the BFG tires to be kind of overrated, though lots of people swear by them. I would not buy any tire that doesn’t specifically mention a puncture resistant sidewall for even semi serious off-roading in Utah. I wouldn’t get hung up on weight, unless you’re throwing it on the roof. If that’s the case I’ve let me direct you to a bumper mount spare tire carrier I’ve developed for about 1/3 the cost of the commercially available unit.

 

[tpat]

Ive got an ‘06 LR3, live in Utah and can tell you what has worked very well for me. I’m on my second set of Cooper S/T Maxx tires in 265/70r18. I was going for max diameter without having to run the CYA kit. The only thing I don’t love about them is they are E rated, which is way overkill, but I run them at 50psi for normal driving and they are comfortable enough. They have been amazing on rocks after destroying several Goodyear DuraTrac sidewalls on the rocks in the Wasatch Back. I put 75k on my first set with a 5 tire rotation. I did mod the rear heater line in the passenger rear wheel well and flattened the pinch seam in both wheel wells. I can still drive on the bump stops, but the well liners do rub. I run 30mm of lift via the GAP tool mostly because it looked like a low rider with the minimal fender gap at stick height. I get no rubbing in normal or off-road height. Once you get into that 30” plus range, the width has more an effect on rubbing than the height. A taller skinny tire will rub less on these than a shorter/wider tire. I personally find the BFG tires to be kind of overrated, though lots of people swear by them. I would not buy any tire that doesn’t specifically mention a puncture resistant sidewall for even semi serious off-roading in Utah. I wouldn’t get hung up on weight, unless you’re throwing it on the roof. If that’s the case I’ve let me direct you to a bumper mount spare tire carrier I’ve developed for about 1/3 the cost of the commercially available unit.

Oh hey it's you! I saw your post on KSL. I'd bite but I like the idea of keeping the wheel weight low to the ground. Do you know of a good way to make a swing out for traction boards and Jerry cans? I saw LR Time had one for traction boards but never could find how they did it.

Thanks for the sharing feedback on your tires. It's very difficult to find any information on side wall puncture resistance that isn't anecdotal. Perhaps I'll message Mickey Thompson and ask how much difference there is between their XL and E rated Baja Boss. That XL seems like a good candidate if sidewall strength is good enough for rock crawling.

 

[jdlloyd]

This looks great! Thanks for sharing. Can you test this out at bump stops? I'm curious how close this is to the wheel well pushed all the way down given that the diameter is 31.7". If you have the GAP tool, you can deflate the air from there. Also, were you able to fit this tire in the spare slot underneath?

It does fit in spare slot, albeit with a bit of shoving and almost completely deflated (10 lbs or less). Just received my GAP tool and will test it at bumps sometime this coming week.

 

[Abram]

Oh wow I'm surprised you were able to fit it underneath with the heat shield in place. I had to remove mine to fit the KO2 which by the numbers is slightly smaller (also fully deflated).

 

[tpat]

I pulled the trigger on the E rated at4w last week. I had a last second invite for a Moab trip, so I got those and installed along with some proud rhino rock sliders. I only really went through fins and things, but it did marvelous there, the sliders didn't even touch anything.

I'm waiting to get a compressor before stuffing the spare under. I did check the room in access height and i can still fit my whole hand between the fender and the tire. I do have an 06 lr3 where the frame horn is pushed back further than the wheel wheel, so no potential rub there.

 

[powershift]

Rock sliders are for serious 4x4 trails. I've sent mine up dry river banks in the desert w/out them expecting to bottom out (and did) and that is probably my limits, at least for now lol. Moab type trails where sliders are needed is not where I like to go anyway since its more about the destination than the journey. All the best spots are the hardest to get to.

 

[scapistron]

Put my LR4 back in it's native state, on jack stands in the driveway. I really want to run 18" steel wheels, but don't love the idea of spacers. thought I saw somewhere that the LR3 front brake caliper bracket (SEH500013) is a direct fit, so for $100 I ordered one. It does indeed fit.

I've since ordered LR3 calipers from FCP Euro (179136, 7) for less than $100 each. A set of EBC rotors and pads for an LR3 are on their way too. If you need to replace your brakes anyways, it's about $400 to convert the brakes versus the $250 for spacers.

18s fit over the rear assembly no problem.