Capability difference between 265/60R18 and 265/65R18 tires in LR4/D4

stuartr

New member
Hello all,
I am sure that tire questions are not the most exciting for many of you, but of course they are fairly important. I just recently got a Discovery 4 TDV6, and I am planning on adding 18" compomotive wheels to it. I live in Iceland, and my choice of wheels is perhaps not quite as large as it would be in the states, and the prices are much higher, so the stakes are a bit higher as well! After reading as much as I can find, it seems like the BFG AT K02's are highly recommended and they are available here, at least in the 265/65 size. I believe the 265/60 can be ordered.
I am a photographer and the D4 is both my daily driver and my access to the mountain roads and highlands. I often stay at a farm on the other end of the country...it is a nine hour drive, the last hour and a half being over single track gravel road. I head onto mountain roads on a regular basis, but I would not say that I push my luck. I generally travel alone and I am more interested in accessing beautiful areas rather than pushing the limits of the vehicles. My previous car was a Freelander 2 (LR2) with 17" wheels that got me quite far, but I had to stop at some of the bigger river crossings and muddier or snowier terrain.
My question is basically whether the extra inch of tire circumference is worth the tradeoffs, which I gather are the spare wheel not fitting easily in the tire holder, and rubbing on full lock. Does anyone have more advice on this matter? Does the extra inch make a big difference, or is it negligible unless you are a hardcore off roader? I will use the car off road on a regular basis, but not really to do anything super extreme...still, Iceland's mountain roads are probably more demanding than what many Lr4/D4 owners will generally tackle. At the same time, I use the car for commuting and daily driving as well and it is not convenient for me to be switching out wheels or tires on a regular basis, so the tires should be good on the streets too.

I also have an IID tool BT, so it is feasible that I could add a bit more height, but I would not like to add rods or lose my ability to use access mode, as I am not the tallest guy around and lots of heavy camera bags find their way into the back, so having the ability to lower it a bit is appreciated!
Attached is a photo of the stock car...I received it last Wednesday, and managed to go for a quick trip into the hills around town on Sunday...nothing too difficult, but still enough to lock the rear diff every once in awhile, so it is nice to know it works! It was clear, however, that the stock wheels and tires could probably be improved upon. Ok, thanks for any advice. I will add another photo or two to keep it from being too boring.

lr4-2.jpg july-2013-evening-2.jpghloduvellir-2.jpg
 

DiscoDavis

Explorer
Hi StuartR,

congrats on the D4, it will serve you well.

I run the 265 60 r18 size (toyo -AT2's, not that it matters). Someone can correct me if I am wrong but I believe between the two the 60 size has ~13% less sidewall? This was napkin math at a les schwab (tire shop) a few months back. I went with the 60 size only because I blew a tire out the night before in the middle of nowhere in Nevada, and pretty much needed to get a new set of tires that morning, so off I went. Despite what some might tell you my tires even with the 60 versus 65, do rub on the frame horns. I cut mine down a bit. They do not rub anywhere else.

>As far as fitting the spare with that tire size, both sizes do not fit unless deflated to something like ~5 psi, so its a moot point there.
>I would go for more sidewall, but I honestly have never had problems off road attributed to less sidewall and my D3 does about 500 miles a week of driving on the 60 size.
>You can just cut the frame horns down a few inches anyway, so that shouldn't really be an issue unless you really do not want to modify those pieces.
>I have wondered about putting just a tiny bit more strain on the drivetrain, weight/diameter of tires, and how that might affect fuel economy.
>with a +40mm lift, the 265 60 r18 size does look somewhat small on the vehicle, they look fine in normal height.

For now I am happy with 265 60 r18 but I chose that size when I didn't really have the luxury of waiting for tires to arrive, I went with what are most available, and I have enjoyed them. When I do get another set I will probably go with BFG AT K02's in 265 65 R18, and an E rating. This is what I would recommend. You should trim the frame horns down for sure though. Will you do fine with either size? Yes.
 

zelatore

Explorer
How do the 65's fair with no air in the suspension system?

I've followed an LR4/D4 down about 20 miles of mild trail/dirt road on 265/65 BFG KOs (not KO2) on the bumpstops. No problems; minimal rubbing. I consider the 265/65-18 the 'standard' go-to size for the LR3/4, though I've seen enough variance from one vehicle to the next to say you *may* have some rubbing.
 

jeepgc

Adventurer
Our first tour of Iceland was guided and the guide had an LR4 with standard size AT tyres.

He had 3 punctures during the 2 week tour, 1 during a river crossing.
 

Avslash

Observer
I ran 265/65R18 for years on my LR4. Very minimal rubbing just on the tip of the frame horns at full lock. Mobile on the bump-stops.

Spare would fit in standard location once aired down.

My recipe for a very driveable combo on an LR4 is 1.25" Motortech spacers, LR3 18" wheels of your choice, 265/65/R18's.

Going of above that size, IMO, is where you need to put on your thinking cap.
 

stuartr

New member
Ok, thank you all! I appreciate the help. I am not opposed to trimming a bit as long as it is not damaging the vehicle. In my limited run in the Discovery off road, it kind of felt like the suspension was working well, but the wheels were too hard. It is hard for me to describe, but it definitely felt like they could use more sidewall and less air. I did not try airing down though, as it was just a quick trip. Also, I am not used to the car yet, so still not sure exactly how it should feel, but as the anecdotal advice indicates, they are much better off with 18" wheels and larger tires.

As for 3 punctures in one tour...well that sounds more like bad luck or improper pressure than anything else. I have driven in the highlands for about seven years with the FL2 all on AT or winter tires, and not had one puncture out there. Granted, I am sticking to trails and things that the FL2 could handle, but even then, the terrain is not bad enough in most places to cause that much damage on standard AT tires. All the miles I have are on 17" wheels with what I guess are 235/65/R17 tires, many times at road pressures. I suppose it would also depend on where you are...if you are in an area with sharper lava rocks, you might be in trouble, but in general most of the terrain that I am in is gravel or dirt, with occasional rocks like in the photo I posted. Perhaps you found some nastier terrain!
 

jeepgc

Adventurer
Yeah, maybe, but the 19" inch tyres have a much smaller profile (sidewall), I can't remember, maybe. 50 or 55?

I thought it was relevant to mention, to emphasise the more sidewall you can fit, maybe the better.

Funnily enough, the other parties, myself and a defender were all running the exactly the same brand and model tyres, but we were on larger profiles and had no problems.

A wonderful and magical country you live in BTW, I hope to get there again sometime soon.
 

unseenone

Explorer
Ok, thank you all! I appreciate the help. I am not opposed to trimming a bit as long as it is not damaging the vehicle. In my limited run in the Discovery off road, it kind of felt like the suspension was working well, but the wheels were too hard. It is hard for me to describe, but it definitely felt like they could use more sidewall and less air. I did not try airing down though, as it was just a quick trip. Also, I am not used to the car yet, so still not sure exactly how it should feel, but as the anecdotal advice indicates, they are much better off with 18" wheels and larger tires.

As for 3 punctures in one tour...well that sounds more like bad luck or improper pressure than anything else. I have driven in the highlands for about seven years with the FL2 all on AT or winter tires, and not had one puncture out there. Granted, I am sticking to trails and things that the FL2 could handle, but even then, the terrain is not bad enough in most places to cause that much damage on standard AT tires. All the miles I have are on 17" wheels with what I guess are 235/65/R17 tires, many times at road pressures. I suppose it would also depend on where you are...if you are in an area with sharper lava rocks, you might be in trouble, but in general most of the terrain that I am in is gravel or dirt, with occasional rocks like in the photo I posted. Perhaps you found some nastier terrain!

Towing at all?
 

stuartr

New member
No, no towing. Sometimes my load is reasonably heavy with gear when I go on a longer trip, but mostly that would be on standard roads for that. Once I arrived, I would unpack most gear before going on the mountain roads. I generally do day trips in to photograph, so it is generally just me and the camera gear plus food and clothing etc.

As for the failure rate with the 19" tires, it could well be that the smaller sidewalls and greater weight of the vehicle could be at play. The stock 19" tires are 255/55/19. Based on all of this, it seems like the 265/65´s should be ok. That said, do any of you have pictures or descriptions of what needs to be done to trim the frame horns? I am not really much of a mechanic, and I am not familiar with exactly what you mean by it...I assume it is just plastic shielding in the wheel well, is that right? Or does the metal need to be trimmed as well?

And yes, I am very lucky to live here! It is a wonderful place to be.
 
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