Tire options for LR3 SE, 18" rims

[trm2]

I just replaced my stock Goodyears with 255/60VR18 Pirelli Scorpion Zero as I was having inside wear on three of the tires due to align issues. (Going in to get the 4 wheel align done)

These Pirelli Scorpions have about the same noise as the Goodyears. Though I like the ride a lot better. I've noticed that they do not get caught in the grooves on I-90 in WA as bad as the Goodyears did !

I can't wait until the align is done and see how the ride is on these new Scorpions. And also how they handle in the dirt, sand, & snow.

I have had the Pirellis for about 2 months. And, I have taken them on a mild off-road trip through Canada. I thought the tires were adequate off-road. And, I find them to be very quiet on highway (in fact, I think they are significantly quieter than the Goodyears).

 

[roverman]

I put on michelin cross terrain's yesterday, 275 55 18. 1/10 inch smaller than stock diameter. Though not particularly aggressive at all, they are more aggressive than the stock drag slicks it came with. Should be better in the snow at least. Man, how quiet! Makes the LR3 a whole new vehicle on the highway. Oh, and lasting 3-4 times longer than the crapyears seals the deal.

roverman

 

[combee1]

Since I was looking to stick with an All-Terrain tire as a replacement for the Goodyears I went with the Nittos, 285's. I had them put on Monday. One of the tires will need to be replaced because it couldn't be balanced adequately. I'll have the new one on Tuesday of this week. My impressions thus far:

I like the aggressive all-terrain tread. The truck looks tougher. Like it is equipped now as it should have been, to compliment the excellent off-road system. I've had it on the beach twice now, and these handle the sand better than the Goodyears (which were like slicks in the sand).

On the highway, IMO they are louder than the Goodyears and the A/T Revos I had on originally. I never thought the Goodyears were loud to begin with, until they started wearing unevenly. However, I expected the Nittos to be louder because of the aggressive tread. They are by no means, too loud, and still don't drown out the whistling noise I get from my LR roof rack system (anybody else have this problem?)

I also thought the Goodyears handled well in dry conditions. The Nittos are maybe a step down for responsiveness, but they provide more cushion. The A/T Revos seemed to allow the truck to roll more, and were much less responsive. The Nittos are the perfect compromise in my opinion, for an all-terrain tire. Again, I emphasize that I'm talking about All-Terrain tires here, not highway tires like the Pirelli's and the Michelin's.

The Nittos measure exactly 31.4 inches in diameter. I have had absolutely no rubbing issues with these tires. None. I also had the alignment fixed by my local dealer - at their cost. I'll save that for another post, but safe to say the rear camber was WAY out (even though it still fell within LR's acceptable range of -0.3 to -1.8!).

Overall, I'm very happy with the Nittos for an All-Terrain tire. If we didn't spend so much time on the beach, and on some trails in the mountains, and ski trips in the winter, I would have gone with the Bridgestone Dueller H/L Alenza's or the Michelin Cross Terrain's. I have read many good things about these tires.

 

[AdvRide]

Combee1, to answer your question I have had the rears rub at the top of their travel while going down a road with successive bumps shaped more like smooth waves and a full load of people. The momentum builds up enough after the first few waves that I would get a light scrape noise from the rear fender wells. Upon inspection sure enough I found the plastic wheel wells had marks on them. I had also read another owner had the same thing happen when he was loaded with gear and on a wavy dirt road. So it has been nothing bad. I guess my only concern when thinking of scenarios has been if I ever required putting chains on the tires. I don't know if there is enough clearance for that. For sure not on the fronts.

 

[nwoods]

Combee, I've been running with Nitto's for a while now. Yes, they are a bit louder than the Goodyear Wranglers, but not obtrusively loud IMHO. And yes, the truck does not ride quite as crisp or firm as the with the Goodyears, but they grip tenaciously, handle rain very well, and off road are excellent!

One warning, don't air them down overly much. I was on a fast sandy trail in Joshua Tree, aired down at 18 PSI, and my tires were rubbing on the upper A arms. On the second day out, on a seriously rocky trail, I ran them at about 25 PSI and they were fine, but the rocks did chew them up a bit. I've noticed some chunking out of the treads where the rocks got to them.

Trail Photo:

I recently ran through Last Chance Canyon which is also a very rocky trail, though the rocks are a bit more round due to water erosion. I aired down from my normal 40psi to about 32psi and I was real happy at that pressure. The tires wrapped around rocks just fine, handled the sand okay, and provided excellent traction all the way through.

Trail photos:

 

[combee1]

Sorry for the slow reply. Completely killer off-road pics. I'm jelly. It will be awhile before I'm off-road again (besides the beach).

I posted in another thread, but I'll ask the same question here: Are any of you who are running the Nittos having problems with balancing your tires? It just seems that no matter how many times I've taken these tires to be balanced (and have even had a couple replaced), I've always got a weird vibration (lateral runnout?) while driving, even at lower speeds. Has anybody else had similar issues?

Also, thanks for the advice on airing down. When I'm on the Outer Banks, I often air down for deep sand. I'll have to be careful. Do you run 40 PSI all around while on the pavement. I have mine at 40 in the rear, but 34 in the front. I wonder if this is contributing to my "balance" issues?

 

[Auburn92]

If the Nitto 285's fit, has anyone tried to BFG's 285's?

 

[Snapster]

Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo in size 275/65/18? Tirerack has them, They're only 32", versus 32.6" for the 265/70/18. So, should they fit? Anyone has them and they do fit? Thanks

 

[davez26]

Bfg 265/65 18 At

BFgoodrich is offering an 18" tire that will be compatible w/ LR3, The ever popular All-Terrain. Doing the math, the BFG is .3 inches taller than the 285/60 Nitto. The load range is definitely there, and I've always been in Love with BFGoodrich. I've tortured enough of their tires in the past to feel good about this tire. Tire specs @ www.bfgoodrichtires.com. My local dealer claims they are in the warehouses. When I scrape up enough to replace, I'm going after these.

 

[nwoods]

Has anyone tried the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo in size 275/65/18? Tirerack has them, They're only 32", versus 32.6" for the 265/70/18. So, should they fit? Anyone has them and they do fit? Thanks

I've not seen them on an LR3, but the Revo's are widely acclaimed is a great multi-purpose road tire that excells in rain conditions. Those dimensions are slightly shorter and narrower than the Nitto's, so should fit fine.