LR4 questions from a noob

[Shredahead]

So I've had my 2011 LR4 for a week and a half. Learned a lot already on this forum about some mods that I'll get done here in the coming months. Pretty much have all of the controls of the vehicle figured out. Except the nav, not the most intuitive and a bit clunky IMHO.

Also have learned I have a less than desirable wheel size in the 19". Nothing agains the 19" except not much choice for an AT tire. The car came with brand new Pirelli Scorpion Verde's which I'll take off (if anyone is in need, they will be for sale). Fine road tire but I don't think they will cut it off road. I'm considering the GY Wrangler Duratrac and the Cooper Zeon LTZ. Both look solid although I still drive plenty of highway miles and the Wrangler looks mighty beefy, and I worry about the ride. Zeon looks like a great in between AT and All Season. So would love some feedback on these two tires from anyone with some experience.

Also looking for a half roof rack. Something that goes from the raised portion of the roof to the back of the truck. My LR4 does not have rails so don't know if there is something that mounts directly to the roof or would I first need to get some roof rails. I've seen some half racks/baskets on vehicles out there but don't see them on the Voyager racks or Baja Rack sites. Anyone know of a good option.

Would also like to find a good front brush guard. Have not found anything for the LR4, is there anyone that makes one? Thanks for all of the help

 

[RBA]

I had the Zeon and now have the Duratec's. The onroad performance characteristics differences are negligible. I did notice the Zeon's get a little louder as they wore. I've had the Duratec's for 5K miles, so still new and quiet. My offroad impression, is that the Duratec's will do a little better in soft mud but this past weekend I still managed to get stuck on a high pass which was a combination of snow and mud from the melting snow. Took a while to get out. I doubt the Zeon's would have made a difference.

If I had to do it again, I would probably buy the Zeon's. GDYR sidewalls are not considered that strong and the Duratec's have a lower speed rating. I didn't think much about speed ratings when I was shopping around, but I hit over (nevermind) mph on hwy 5 multiple times. So a little extra speed rating room would be appreciated.

 

[eljefe]

yeah the navigation sucks. most cars navigation are not up to par with using google maps on a mobile device.

as for tires I had the cooper LTZ's nothing but problems for me. they looked good but I could never get them balanced properly and they shook for me. I also got alot of screw/nails in them...not sure if this was a tire issue or from the streets i drive on. I went back to an all season tire for now and the lr4 drives like new. I want to go to oem 20's with the bfg ko2's. If I was to do it all over again I would go 18in compmotives with bfgk02's or 20's with bfg ko2. just not many 19' AT tires out there. good luck

 

[epiclr4]

Had the DuraTrac tires on my Jeep JKUR. Great hybrid AT/Mud tire. Could get somewhat noisy if they wear unevenly. I will say I am not sure how long they would last on the LR4 as its much heavier than the Jeep. You might only get 25-30k miles out of them. They also chunk somewhat easily if you are on real sharp rocky terrain.

Best option though if you are sticking with 19's.

 

[Hayseed_LR4]

Had the DuraTrac tires on my Jeep JKUR. Great hybrid AT/Mud tire. Could get somewhat noisy if they wear unevenly. I will say I am not sure how long they would last on the LR4 as its much heavier than the Jeep. You might only get 25-30k miles out of them. They also chunk somewhat easily if you are on real sharp rocky terrain.

Best option though if you are sticking with 19's.

Love the duratracs on our wrangler. They would probably be great performers in snow and mud but without the "LT" sidewalls in that size, they may be a little weaker int rocky areas. The load rating seems good for the LR4 but they will probably have a shortened life.

 

[Shredahead]

Still undecided on tires. There seems to be fans of both tires on the forum, pros and cons either way. Will keep my eye out for some Compomotive 18's and eventually go that route.

Got off road on a local old narrow gauge rail grade for a bit until hitting some snow drifts that turned me back. Found another issue. When putting the LR in crawl mode and going max height on the suspension, I found the compressor runs and does not shut off. But if I just go max height in standard mode it will got up to max height and shut off. Not feeling great about this. Could my compressor be getting ready to S*&$ the bed?

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[roverman]

For those interested, I was hesitant about using the 1.25 spacers, mainly because I thought it would look strange but also that they would loosen or cause other problems. They have been on with the LR3 18" rims since the fall with no problems. And it actually looks as good as better as it does stock. Great cheap 'fix' vs. $$$ for the compos.

 

[epiclr4]

For those interested, I was hesitant about using the 1.25 spacers, mainly because I thought it would look strange but also that they would loosen or cause other problems. They have been on with the LR3 18" rims since the fall with no problems. And it actually looks as good as better as it does stock. Great cheap 'fix' vs. $$$ for the compos.

I always liked the thought of going with the OEM 18's vs the Compo's because of the price factor. They are cheap to find comparatively to the Compo's and here on the East Cost there is always a rock looking to tear into a wheel. The black finish on them wouldn't last long.

Those compo's are too pretty and expensive to get scraped and gouged by a rock IMO.

 

[roverman]

I'm with you. I like the compos, but don't LOVE them. Plus I already had the extra wheels, so it was $200 vs $2000, a no brainer at that point. They have snow tires on them now, come spring I will have decide between BFG, Duratrac or ??? It's nice to have the problem of being able to choose!