New tires on my LR4

[Blue]

I currently have 285/60/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers on 18" Compomotive wheels my 2013 LR4. They are 31.46" diameter and they rub on the front frame horns but only occasionally on full lock, in reverse, etc....the rubbing doesn't affect drivability or off roading. I've also dropped to the bump stops and they don't rub. These tires are all-terrains and they are OK but not great off road. I want to get something more aggressive.

I'm looking at the Nitto Ridge Grapplers in my same size but I'm also considering 265/65/18 and 275/65/18. I wanted to go full mud-terrains but the options are really limited in the sizes that will fit these tiny wheel wells. I also do a lot of highway miles so I'm willing to compromise a bit and go with an AT-MT hybrid like the Ridge Grappler. Specs for all three sizes are below. All tires are 10-ply load range E1, that's all I've ever run on my Rovers. My biggest concern is potential rubbing in the wheel wells if my air suspension completely shits the bed while off road. I'm also conscious of tire weight and would prefer to add less weight. The other day I saw an LR4 with 265/65/18 BFG ATs on Compomotive wheels at my local independent shop and they looked great.

What would DiscoWeb do (WWDD)?




Terra Grappler

Ridge Grappler

 

[ERover82]

285/60R18 will have the bulge that protects the wheel and affords some extra floatation, but it'll cost you in weight, MPG, handling, and some rubbing.

265/65R18 is the more sensible choice for overlanding and DD use.

It depends on what you want to actually do with the vehicle.

 

[Blue]

It's my daily driver and I off road/camp frequently. I live in the desert so sand, gravel, and hard rock comprise the usual terrain. Some mud but not much, but enough to not want to get stuck in it, which is why I don't run BFG ATs anymore. Nothing too crazy off road but I like to go wherever I want to go, I don't shy away from difficult trails. I've been stuck twice in deep sand & gravel with these Nitto Terra Grapplers - same places I never got stuck with my old D2 and 33" mud terrains.

 

[Howski]

I think 265/65/18 or even 255/70/18 would be your best bets for a narrower option if you do have rubbing. Have a friend running Defender steelies with 255’s and has been pleased with the fit, even at stock height

 

[ERover82]

I think 265/65/18 or even 255/70/18 would be your best bets for a narrower option if you do have rubbing. Have a friend running Defender steelies with 255’s and has been pleased with the fit, even at stock height

I have 255/70R18 and wouldn't recommend them. There's only one expensive choice with questionable sidewall durability. They have no bulge so don't protect the wheel and look odd. Also, if you end up on bump stops, it's not going anywhere.

 

[p m]

Love it when somebody posts some comparison while his mind has already been made up.

 

[Howski]

I have 255/70R18 and wouldn't recommend them. There's only one expensive choice with questionable sidewall durability.

What tire are you running? Another buddy has 255/70 KO2’s on his D5 and loves them. Admittedly the factory issued Goodyears in the 255/70 suck

 

[Blue]

I have 255/70R18 and wouldn't recommend them. There's only one expensive choice with questionable sidewall durability. They have no bulge so don't protect the wheel and look odd. Also, if you end up on bump stops, it's not going anywhere.

Tire choices in 255 suck, already looked into that!

 

[Blue]

Love it when somebody posts some comparison while his mind has already been made up.

Not necessarily. I'm between the same 285 or 265. Was leaning towards 285 before posting but now leaning towards 265.

Here's the 265/75/16 I saw at RoverTechs:



Compared to my current 285/60/18:



Compared to 285/60/18 Nitto Ridge Grapplers on my wheels on the previous owner's (Umberto's) truck:

 

[ERover82]

What tire are you running? Another buddy has 255/70 KO2’s on his D5 and loves them. Admittedly the factory issued Goodyears in the 255/70 suck

Didn't know the KO2s were available in that size. I have the Duratracs.

 

[p m]

Admit it Blue, you want to be cool with fat tire crowd

But if practicality is concerned, a narrower tire of the same diameter wins almost always.
There's plenty of mud and quicksand in Arizona, but if you're banking your crossing of Bill Williams river on 285s as opposed to 255s or 265s, it is not a good 50-k mile strategy.

 

[Blue]

My thought was that an extra inch of footprint width makes a difference on this heavy beast. But I’ll try the 265s.

 

[ERover82]

My thought was that an extra inch of footprint width makes a difference on this heavy beast. But I’ll try the 265s.

They are very heavy and if you're going for the lowest surface pressure possible without doing a strut lift then you'll need to go wider than taller.

 

[donniefitz2]

If you're looking for a good tire that's somewhere between an MT and AT, I recommend the Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX. I just put a set on my D2 and I really like them. They have the side lug and wall of a MT, but the center tread is more like an AT.

 

[Blue]

Yep, they are on my list. I went with the Nitto Ridge Grappler because the Coopers are a bit heavier and expensive. I really wish I could find the STT Pro in my size range. I'm also hoping to get a bit of a Nitto repeat buyer discount but if I can find a better price on the Coopers I might go with them. I ran two sets of the STT Pros on my 2004 and they were the best tire I've run.

265/65/18	Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx
Diam	Weight	Speed	Load Range	Ply	Load Index	Load lbs	T. Depth	Price	Five
31.81	57	100	E1	10	122	3417	19/32	$ 378.00	$ 1,890.00
0.35	3							$ 115.00	$ 575.00
compared to current Nittos

 

[Blue]

edit: the Cooper Discoverer STT Pro is available in 275/65/18 but at 32.28" diameter I'm worried that I'll rub the wheel wells if I drop to the bumps. Hell, maybe I should just go with it anyway. The weight isn't bad and neither is the price:

275/65/18	Cooper Discoverer STT Pro
Diam	Weight	Speed	Load Range	Ply	Load Index	Load lbs	T. Depth	Price	Five
32.28	56	100	E1	10	123	3417	19/32	$ 312.00	$ 1,560.00
0.82	2
compared to current Nittos

 

[donniefitz2]

Go balls out! Those are an awesome tire. I ran them for a year, but sold them off after I started road tripping the D2 to Colorado 8-10 times a summer. They were a bit big and really cut the power down on the mountain passes. I went to a 235/85 and then to these ST MAXX at 265/75 and they are a good compromise. When these wear out, I'll probably get the PRO's in 265/75. I really loved that tire. For what it's worth, I found that tire weight isn't nearly as important as diameter. I went form 44lbs per corner (235/85) to 54lbs per corner (265/75) and noticed no difference in acceleration, but breaking was noticeable.

 

[MM3846]

Tire choices in 255 suck, already looked into that!

You can get Ridge Grapplers in 255/80. I'm firmly placed in the narrow-tire gang. Don't forget about the difference between manufactures. A 265/65-18 BFG is going to be noticeably smaller than the same size Toyo or Nitto.

I really enjoy talking tires, but most of the differences between tires of the same spec that are important are unfortunately not easily available online. Like if you go to a 265/65-18 E, you need to bump up 4-5psi over stock to maintain adequate load rating on our trucks. That decreases ride quality. Tire weight is a big deal, but so is rolling resistance, and that isn't published and most manufacturers don't even tell you if you ask. And the roll resistance changes on the same tire depending on the load range, as the tread construction (and sometimes even the pattern!) is different. Same with on and off road performance. Some people could run a tire thats P or XL rated and love it, but hate it as E rated or vice versa... as the P/XL load range tires usually have high silica compounds in the tread than the E tires as it makes the tread softer.

These trucks are a lesson in compromise, start to finish. They work amazingly well within a close shave of the OEM spec. Once you start moving too far away, it gets dicey. Rubbing everywhere in the tiny fender wells , traction control aids getting all weird, air suspension stuff... don't get me started on lift rods and those strut lifts. Funky. I wish 74Weld made portals for the IRS Rovers, thats the only way to do it without fucking everything up. And cutting the frame horns makes me cringe a bit, I know all the Toyota guys do it too. But those are there to prevent tire intrusion to the passenger compartment and push the vehicle out of the way in a front-offset crash.

 

[Errant]

I've been happy with 265/65/18 BFG KO2's on mine.

 

[Errant]

But, I wonder when the new KO3's will be released? They are being advertised as being standard on a new Chevy truck.