expectthebest said:
I'm curious what it is about the LR3 that eats tires so quickly. Why would it do so more than other AWD 4x4's.
A combination of things. In no particular order:
First is that the Goodyears it comes with are exactly that, GoodForOneYear. They completely suck and it's embarrassing that LR continues to fit them to this day.
Second, it's a heavy vehicle, and always in 4wd, and it has a very tight turning radius compared to the beam axeled disco's. I don't know if the differentials keep the wheels turning the right speeds on tight turns or not, but I suspect there is a wear factor with those fantastic turning radius's
Third, the factory camber setting up to (and possibly including - I'm not sure), 2007 model year were off by quite a bit. Or at least, if not "off", what they were set to was negative camber for stability or perhaps better contact patch in Off Road (raised) mode. Not sure, but you can see this yourself, just follow behind one. Possible even worse than the BMW X5's.
Fourth, there is a TSB out that indicates some models are experiencing bushing wear somewhere in the linkage that is causing excessive camber issues. There's lots of differing opinions about this, and Land Rover itself is choosing the head in the sand approach to resolving it, which is extremely odd because they have been VERY proactive in fixing all the other little nits and fiddles. I don't know what the true story on this is. I've had LR technicians tell me different things, and there are different reports all over the web. In my own experience, they said bushings and no tire replacement credit at all after 12,000 miles, and only pro-rated to a max of 50% prior to 12,000 miles. This is after they said my alignment was normal and they all do that.
I now get my alignment done every 4 to 6 months independently, and they find a need to adjust it every time. However, I off road mine a lot, have taller springs, bigger tires, etc... Could all be a factor. Not sure.
