Overland Journal Project Land Rover Discovery 4 (LR4)

[Scott Brady]

Well, our 33" tire quest is making progress with the 18" LR3 wheels fitting and now the 33X10.5" tires arriving


While I am really glad to have the clearance the 33" diameter provides, it is far more important to have the smaller wheel and taller sidewall for technical terrain. Nearly all trail attributes improve over the 19s and 20s, including deformation, flotation, puncture resistance, etc. We have started testing the Falken ATs because of their sidewall strength. It is difficult to find an 18" all terrain that has a tough sidewall. We will see how they hold up!

 

[Mack73]

33's Damn man that is a lot of tire and a lot of work to get them to fit

I don't even think a 33 would clear the later LR3's with a redesigned front body mount (rear of front wheel well). I rub on it with my little old 31.6 BFG AT's. I hope they redesigned it for the LR4.

 

[jhawk]

I'm running the same tire in 265/65/18. I've had my LR3 up in Crown King running various trails in the snow, mud, and ice and the tire's performance is outstanding. I do wish the looked a bit tougher though.

Jim

 

[Big D]

You'll love these tires!

 

[Rovertrader]

I went with the same size, 265/70-18, but Michelins, and feel it the perfect size as Scott eluded to many pages back. Gearing is a tad off, but certainly tolerable, and very minimal rubbing anywhere, though each tire manufacturer will vary slightly.

Scott- can't recall- are you running or going to run spacers as the track is slightly narrowed with the lift?

 

[Scott Brady]

Scott- can't recall- are you running or going to run spacers as the track is slightly narrowed with the lift?

I am pretty settled on running spacers and have ordered a set. They add 30mm per side. Overall, I believe the spacers will address several issues and make it even easier to install the 18" wheels. Everything should be mounted up by the end of the week and I will post pictures.

 

[Dendy Jarrett]

Perhaps there is more wheel well room on an LR4 ... but I am not sure.
I can state for fact: I am running 265/65 18's BF GoodRich ALL Terrains. The truck has 30K miles on it. There is evidence that this tire was even too large in some extreme instances of offroading ... as there are places where the tires have rubbed through the inner fender (all the way through) when the tires were at extreme tilt.

I can't imagine running something an inch larger in diameter.

Just my two pence.
Dendy

 

[nwoods]

Okay guys, we've all cautioned Scott regarding tire size, but he started this thread stating he had some new ideas. Lets just see what he does, and hope that its an effective game changer for all LR3/4/RRS owners.

Scott, did you see my post about moving the sensor wire that was visable in one of your recent photos?

Also, do you have rear air? The chiller lines run directly underneath the wheelwell liner on rear passenger side (at 3:00 o'clock to 12:00 if you are facing the wheel). If you DON'T have rear air conditioning, things are a little easier. Have you seen the thread on LRRForums about how to address the body panel joint fin? You can add about 1" more clearance to the rear wells by removing the plastic liners, and grinding off the molding fin.

Regards,

NW

 

[proper4wd]

What about adding an extended height bump stop. This is pretty standard practice on any other vehicle you would add a significantly larger tire to while keeping mostly stock suspension components.

 

[perkj]

Well, our 33" tire quest is making progress with the 18" LR3 wheels fitting and now the 33X10.5" tires arriving
View attachment 147896

Scott,
Curious why did you choose a 33" AT vs a MT?

 

[ZG]

Scott,
Curious why did you choose a 33" AT vs a MT?

I believe he mentioned before it was due to the traction control system in the LR4 not necessitating mud terrains.

 

[Scott Brady]

Scott,
Curious why did you choose a 33" AT vs a MT?

The vehicle is primarily used in the desert southwest. In addition, a narrower all-terrain really helps with fitment, particularly if the shoulders and sidewall has minimal features and lugs. The 265 width is critical to it all working.

 

[umbertob]

If you are considering Tactical 4x4 rock sliders - or RS sliders, which appear to be very similar in design - protecting air tank and air supply unit and have a recent model year LR4, be aware that a little over a year ago Land Rover started fitting a new EAS compressor (by AMK) resting on a different design bracket than earlier model years (a Hitachi unit.) Many 2012s and all 2013s should come with this new compressor and bracket. The bracket hangs lower than the old one inside its cover, and will get in the way of the sliders without modifications - barely, but it will. T44 is fabricating a modified bracket to lift the compressor out of the way and allow their sliders to fit without issues when this new compressor is fitted. Took some photos of the AMK's OEM bracket and the "template" of the modified one the guys at T44 are working on.

 

[perkj]

Any ETA when they expect to have the bracket available? Outlook on cost? I assume this could be used to get the new compressor to fit with the RS sliders as well...??

 

[umbertob]

Well, the sliders for my 2013 should be ready for install in 2-3 weeks, so I imagine they'll have the new bracket in stock at that time. No idea what they'll charge for the bracket alone, sorry. Here is a shot of the T44 sliders (unfinished and w/o the optional nerf bar) they used to test fit on my car when fabricating the modified air pump bracket. By my recollection, the RS should be very similar.

Sorry about the large photos, by the way,. Can't seem to find a way to "shrink" them when linking them here from my dropbox account.