Disco II 16's vs 18's

[fkphoto]

To anyone with experience in this matter... i realize 16's seem to be the most common "off road" wheel size for the Disco II's. however I recently purchased a Disco II with 18's and was wondering if there is anything wrong with running the 18's as an off-road wheel. Yes i was planning on running a larger tire size than the stock 255/55 18 , i am considering 265/65 18's. Any imput on the mater would be appreciated.
Fk

 

[datrupr]

I think, and I could be wrong, the reason why 16's are much more popular is two or three fold. A 16" wheel with say a 33" tire vs. an 18"/33" is going to give you a much taller sidewall. A tire with a 16" wheel is going to be much easier to locate in other less developed parts of the world as they are more common in other parts of the world. And I could be wrong, but I think a tire with 18" wheel diameter is going to be a bit more exspensive. And as good off road tires are already spendy this could play in as a factor for some people as well. But I think 1 and 2 and the more important deciding factors. But again, I could be wrong. It's been know to happen from time to time.

 

[fkphoto]

I think, and I could be wrong, the reason why 16's are much more popular is two or three fold. A 16" wheel with say a 33" tire vs. an 18"/33" is going to give you a much taller sidewall. A tire with a 16" wheel is going to be much easier to locate in other less developed parts of the world as they are more common in other parts of the world. And I could be wrong, but I think a tire with 18" wheel diameter is going to be a bit more exspensive. And as good off road tires are already spendy this could play in as a factor for some people as well. But I think 1 and 2 and the more important deciding factors. But again, I could be wrong. It's been know to happen from time to time.

Thanks for the imput. i did consider the sidewall height thing, but at the same time i keep seeing the new rovers from the factory coming out with larger rims & lower profile tires, also showing the demo videos of how capable they are off-road. so it has me wondering, how tall of a sidewall is tall enough... i can see where protecting the rim is an important factor. personally i've always run smaller rims and tall sidewalls, but i know i've never even come close to damaging my rims. does land rover know some thing about wheel size that most of us don't know? and thanks again for your imput.

 

[Z O O R O P A]

I've done some off roading with the 18s. Cooper once produced an excellent inexpensive 18inch tire for the D2 but they no longer offer it. The mpg of an 18inch off road tire may suffer a bit depending on the tire but the noise will be substantial. I would not bet on many new 18s being developed either. They are expensive because of the size, a pain in the *** to get off the rim, and many stores do not like to carry them because they don't sell that well - or that is what I was told by my tire store.

you will have a much larger selection of 16inch tires to choose from.

I'd buy a set of 16s with off road tires and keep the 18s with street tires or AT

It doesn't take but a few minutes to change wheel sets and it is kind of fun. Nor do you need a lot of tools. Besides you won't rub the rim if you hithte curb lol

The new Rovers you see with low profile tires I would contribute to the auto industry marketing competition. The amount of owners who use their trucks off road are few. Taking low profile tires off road poses an expensive proposition but yes you can do it

good luck, love to see your rig too!

 

[kellymoe]

Do a little searching on Craigslist and ebay and I am sure you can find someone taking off their 16" in exchange for 18" or 20-22" You may even find someone willing to do a swap.

I would go with the 16"

 

[Redline]

x3

Sidewalls do much of the work off-highway when aired down.

...snip

I would go with the 16"

 

[fkphoto]

thanks for the imput everyone
Fk

 

[Christophe Noel]

Look around for 16s. They're pretty easy to come by for very little dough. They do make a pretty significant improvement off road.

 

[fkphoto]

x3

Sidewalls do much of the work off-highway when aired down.

what psi do you generally like to air down to?

 

[UK4X4]

I have a set of 4 16" disco 2 aluminum wheels with no damage complete with good tires, larger than standard...just not sure what they are

they are in bakersfield CA $ 200 for the set plus shipping with or without the tires ie it will cost you less for shipping but cost me to pull them off

PM me and their yours

 

[LC/LR4Life]

To anyone with experience in this matter... i realize 16's seem to be the most common "off road" wheel size for the Disco II's. however I recently purchased a Disco II with 18's and was wondering if there is anything wrong with running the 18's as an off-road wheel. Yes i was planning on running a larger tire size than the stock 255/55 18 , i am considering 265/65 18's. Any imput on the mater would be appreciated.
Fk

My wifes DII had 18s on it when we got it. However when looking around for a REAL off road tire, we couldn't find anything for the 18 but basically street tires. We swapped to the 16" wheel which has plenty of tires available for it.

 

[Antichrist]

Thanks for the imput. i did consider the sidewall height thing, but at the same time i keep seeing the new rovers from the factory coming out with larger rims & lower profile tires

That's because 99% of Land Rovers sold by LRNA aren't used off-road, or at least where sidewall height is going to matter. They are trying to appeal to the people who're into 2" sidewalls and spinners. You know it's all about looks, if it were really about performance people wouldn't be buying Land Rovers.
Tire for tire a lower sidewall is going to give you a rougher ride. Not to mention you can't air down as much, if at all, as others have said.

 

[Redline]

Usually between 20-15-psi. depends on lots of other things. I'm sure there are threads solely about airing down.

what psi do you generally like to air down to?

 

[Redline]

If these bolt-up buy them. $200.00 for wheels and tires is a good deal.

I have a set of 4 16" disco 2 aluminum wheels with no damage complete with good tires, larger than standard...just not sure what they are

they are in bakersfield CA $ 200 for the set plus shipping with or without the tires ie it will cost you less for shipping but cost me to pull them off

PM me and their yours

 

[sboada]

Will these fit an 04 DII?