LR3 Tire Analysis

[w6000]

Got a silver LR3 SE Loaded. Love the car with only a few minor problems. One coment I will make about the difference between the SE and the HSE is that there is no option for good off road tires. At least with the HSE you could get a pair of Wrangler MTR's from europe, but with the SE you can only have the Goodyear or the Pirelli. Neither of these tires are good off road(they are not even good in the snow). The closest thing I could find for a better tire was Michilin Cross Train or Toyo that come in 275 55 r18. These tires have almost exactly the same spec as the OEM Goodyears, in terms of revs, diam, and sidewall size.
So I got to thinking, Why would Land Rover put different tires on the HSE vs the SE. I mean it would surely cost them more to calibrate the cars differently than the cost of the wheels. Not to mention having to carry different parts and tires in inventory. But I found out the the 19 inch vs the 18 inch have exactly the same specs except one sidewall is 1/2 inch taller. That means that there is no calibration needed. It seems as if Land Rover in order to save a few dollars in rim sizes stuck SE owners with no option except to buy 17 inch or 19 inch rims for off road tires.

 

[askewed]

This may seem odd to you...

Your post reminded me of what my father-in-law told me when I asked him why he got a GPS in his new Denali. See, he is NOT a gadget guy at all. He does not know how to use it and further will NEVER take the time to find out how to.

So what did he say when I asked him "why'd you get the GPS when you know you'll never use it?"

His answer... "I wanted to have everything the vehicle had to offer, just in case."

I wondered to myself "in case of what?"

Now I know...

 

[tzucc]

don't you also have the option of Michelin Synchrones for the 18" wheel, don't you? Reviews show they're pretty good snow tires.

 

[w6000]

Dear tzucc the Michelin Synchrones are 255 55 18, not 275 55 18.

 

[tzucc]

I thought there were also a Michelin size that would OD out to 30". I'll check again. My notes show that a Pirelli Scorpion 255/60/18, 112H, XL, was available. I would do the math, but I think that comes out to right about 30" OD.

 

[w6000]

There is. It is Mich X train 275 55 18

 

[craigf15]

I recently purchased a loaded LR3 SE in February. Living in Denver and having a condo in Steamboat Springs, I too was concerned about the OEM tires on the truck after reading about issues on a variety of BB's and their rating on www.tirerack.com amoung others. I replaced mine with the Yokohama Geolandar H/TS GO52 size 265 /60HR18. They did great in the snow, look good on the vehicle and though a little wider then the original Goodyears, did not require any speedometer recalibration. Though they are not "true" off road tires, they are self cleaning for light mud and snow and are quiet and ride well.

I kept the OEM tires as well and will probably use them for summer driving and for long highway trips.

 

[tzucc]

craigf15, did you try taking the OEM goodyear HP's out for a spin the Colorado snowy highways?
I was just wondering what you thought of the HP's ability in snow and other offroad situations. I did take mine offroad into snow/light mud, and I seemed to not be slipping/sliding too much.

 

[w6000]

Craig,
Did your Land Rover dealer put the new tires on for you, how much did they charge?

 

[craigf15]

I drove on the original Goodyear’s for about 250 miles which included a little light snow on the roads. They were OK but I did notice some slippage even at slower speeds that I did not remember on my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Michelin Cross T’s. This is why I began looking into replacement tires. I had the same issue with the OEM’s tires that came on the Jeep and replaced them early in the life of that truck. I was very happy with decision to move to the Michelin’s so I looked again at www.tirerack.com to see what other drivers thought. Since there are few tire size alternatives, I spoke with my local guy at “Discount Tire” (I have purchased several sets of tires from them over the years and been very happy) about tire alternatives and their on road/off road capabilities. He recommended the Yokohama’s over the Michelin Cross T’s due to the closer size match, self cleaning outer tread and the solid inner tread (it is a 3 tread design) which would give the tire better on road tracking and fuel economy. Note that I am very much a layperson when it comes to tires but when comparing the two it made sense at the time. They matched the “tirerack” pricing, gave me a lifetime replacement warrantee and will rotate and balance them for free during the lifetime of the tires. Total price for tires, mount and balance, life time full replacement warrantee and life time balance and rotate with taxes (8.35%) was about $170- 175 per tire. Since the LR 3 is a heavy truck and my wife and I enjoy moderate off road work and wilderness camping, I like to rotate and rebalance the tires every 6,000 miles or so. This alone is usually $30-40 per time, so it was worth about $200+ over the life of the LR 3 as I usually trade my vehicles every 3-3 1/2 years. The tire rotation was a habit I got into with my 3 prior Jeeps and it really extends the life ot the tires. So far I am happy again with the Yoko’s as my fuel economy seems to be 15+ in city and 18/20 on the highway and during my recent trip to Steamboat, it handled the fresh and hard pack snow as well as I remembered or better then the Jeep.