Never knew tires actually had this much impact on the ride quality
- Thread starter manoftaste
- Start date
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Premier LTX is very good in the rain, probably because of the wide channels in the tire that move water quickly.
Every tire is a trade-off. I ditched the factory spec passenger rated tires and went 18" and load range E. Trails would have eaten 20" tires alive and passenger tires would squirm with the heavy LR4 towing a camper trailer. In addition came down a moderate grade road when it had rained for days and the top was really soft. The stock tires provided little directional control. That was not fun. Tires were changed in under 2 weeks.
I have the Premier LTX on mine. Not sure how old they are as they were on my LR4 when I bought it, but I've had it for about 16 months and most of two winters. And, as you said, the tread depth is really shallow on them even when new.
They do adequately in the snow. Longitudinal traction is such that I don't notice any slipping when accelerating or much braking loss. Latitudinally, this past winter I noticed slight drifting as I would turn corners--not much, but enough to notice--however that could be attributable to me having the LR4 in snow mode, which may lock up the center differential and make some tires lose traction around corners.
ProTonez
Member
Hi I'm a total noob here so im not sure if I just ask a question or what. So i'll ask.
I have a 2016 LR4 HSE with 20" rims and currently have on the stock Pirelli Scorpion Zero's 255/50R20 and after not even 20K miles I am right down to the wear bar.
With that being said I have decided I want a beefier off road look and wanted to know the most width I can have without any rubbing and having to get a lift kit. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
BTW...I was looking at the Nitto terra Grappler G2's 285/50R20 but heard I would get rubbing from the guy at Tirerack.com
I have a 2016 LR4 HSE with 20" rims and currently have on the stock Pirelli Scorpion Zero's 255/50R20 and after not even 20K miles I am right down to the wear bar.
With that being said I have decided I want a beefier off road look and wanted to know the most width I can have without any rubbing and having to get a lift kit. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
BTW...I was looking at the Nitto terra Grappler G2's 285/50R20 but heard I would get rubbing from the guy at Tirerack.com
Not only will you rub but running a 285 in the same aspect ratio and rim size will effectively gear up your vehicle which means it will be slower accelerating form a dead stop etc. A 285 vs a 255 in a 50 R20 will add over an inch of tire height. Your speedometer will be over 4% off. Other than that no problems.
You may be able to find a slightly beefier tire in stock size but to really complete the look you need to drop to 18" wheels and spacers or invest in a wheel sold by compmotive. Hope your wallet is fat. lol.
ProTonez
Member
Thanks for the response! Looks like I found the right guy! Should have been on here before I bought it, but thats not how it ever goes. What if I go down to a 45 so I get 285/45 will that help? Should I get a lift kit? That would be cheaper than new rims no? What can I do with what I have?
Sorry for all the questions. Like I said i'm a noob!
Sorry for all the questions. Like I said i'm a noob!
Some vehicles come with good/great tires from the factory. Others, not so much. Our Ford Explorer LTD AWD had absolutely terrible Hankook tires on it from the factory. The change to Michelin Premier LTX was so nice!
Taking the time to look at TireRack.com will provide so much good information. I never completely trust the tire shop guys, especially at the dealership. Less of a concern as you go upscale, but still valid to a point. I always trust TireRack, and have yet to be disappointed. I only wish their business model had some way for me to pay them for the information they provide. I learn so much but have yet to buy tires from them because the local shop takes care of me.
Taking the time to look at TireRack.com will provide so much good information. I never completely trust the tire shop guys, especially at the dealership. Less of a concern as you go upscale, but still valid to a point. I always trust TireRack, and have yet to be disappointed. I only wish their business model had some way for me to pay them for the information they provide. I learn so much but have yet to buy tires from them because the local shop takes care of me.
OK for my pavement oriented rides I am a Michelin slappy. The LR4 is currently on the discontinued Latitude Tour HP (V rated). Third summer on them and they will be finished. They started with a relatively shallow tread depth but have been wearing evenly. It appears to me the Premier LTX took over from these. On my truck I have always run Michelin M/S (Now the Michelin Defender M/S). My question is since both the Premier LTX and the Defender M/S are offered in 255/50-20. Which one??
Found a blog on that exact thing:
http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/hunte...-michelin-ltx-premier:-which-is-right-for-you
Found a blog on that exact thing:
http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/hunte...-michelin-ltx-premier:-which-is-right-for-you
jwest
Full Access Member
Hi Paul. First, sorry for bashing so much on the Disco5 you might consider. I'm just personally upset it isn't my dream machine .... yeah, it's this week's 'problem' for overly fortunate 1st world people!
Anyway, about your LTX 19 vs 20 'feel'. I'd expect the 19 to be a softer ride but also less lateral stability - something the lr3/4 doesn't need to be made worse due to it's weight. However, I find my 32" on 18" wheel Michelin M/S-2 to be incredibly stable and smooth and precise. This is probably due to them being E load range and aired up appropriately for the vehicle weight. I use about 5-56 psi depending on set-up that ranges from 7000-8000+ lbs.
Here's something else to really not forget regarding how stable a vehicle feels on certain tires. Regardless of the sidewall, you can still induce a feeling of sway/wallowing/drift by using a tire that is too wide for the wheel. It seems obvious and it also seemed to me like you'd really have to go way past the correct width but I had a direct experience on my BMW. It's factory wheels are 18"x8 with 245/40 tire. I wanted to upsize the diameter just a bit to gain a little ground clearance for snow and gravel roads to trail heads.
It also has the added bonus of 'filling the fender gap' concentrically rather than how people lower the car - which in my opinion, can look silly with a squished top fender edge but still wide gap around the sides. I think my equal gap fill all the way around looks way cooler
This also gains me ride quality sidewall, etc.So, on to the issue noticed. I first tried a 255/40-18 which pushes the limit on the 'recommended' rim width range while still being inside the range. Went for a drive and the first interstate on ramp curve it just felt like it was going to swish out from underneath me. Very bad feeling. After several back n forth swerves to get a sense of it, confirmed the tires were allowing the body weight to shift too much into the tire.
After switching to a 245/45-18, it entirely went away! These were 2 different tire brands but the shape was also very evident visually with the new one section being flush with the rim lip and contact patch narrower. The 255 was visually wider like you see jeeps running but part of that was due to the design of that tire as much as the proportions of the 255/40 vs 245/45.
Those tires are since worn out and my next winter set is now the Nokian R2 in run flat which is very stable while having the best overall winter/slush grip and still high speed stability.
The Michelin MS2 I use are fantastic at 90 mph curvy roads, etc but the E load range and proper high psi makes a big difference too.
