curb-optional
New Member
My biggest problem with my LR2 has been the tires - I've had several flats, plus a problem when the TMPS broke (they are rubber and broke down, which then let air out of the tire, which deflated, ruined the tire and would have stranded me had I not be close to home when it happened). LR2 has fixed high suspension and short wheel base, so tires last maybe 1/2 of what the tire markets at the outset. When I've asked about more rugged/durable tires - like I see on a Wrangler or Bronco - I'm told they won't fit. OK fine, the LR2 is too small for big durable tires. I want to avoid that problem with my likely new purchase later this year: the 2024 110 Defender. I can get 19 in. aluminum rims with their i6 engine. Can I get the Goodyear Kevlar tires on there? Or what about BF K02? I notice the 130 Outbound has an "advanced off road tire" option, but it doesn't say what tire it is!? Same for when you spec out the 110 online. Purpose: on family trips and activities, I often find space limited wherever we go. It's the enviable Wrangler or Suburban that goes up on the curb or parks on them. On some trips, I can and have parked - for days - my LR2 in a ditch, as torque is good to get it out. This is not so for all SUVs, so usually the one that can park in an odd spot wins the space. But given my street wise tires (on 18 in. rims), I've dared not challenge curbs. I don't want to think about it with my next LR. I have friends with cabins in the woods and my LR handles potholed dirt roads fine - even long ascents are fine. But for the next SUV, I want basically indestructible tires on there. I'm likely to go with the optional air suspension package, so it should have good enough room in the wheel arch for anything I hit. I live in New England, so the tires get not only snow and freezing temp for weeks, but salt from the roads and salt air from the beaches (I'm by the coast and beach home). The roads are terrible: potholes you can hide a football in. And every so often you end up going over a tree branch that's fallen in the roadway. If there's traffic on the opposite side of the street, it's up and over you go... When it rains, you often can't see how deep the pothole is - so in that case you can end up hitting a good size one at 30 mph. thanks for any suggestions or insights!
