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mobyone
Member Since: 23 Dec 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 394
  
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| 19" or 18" for all round use?? |
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Dilemma,
there's been more discussion on this topic than I've had hot dinners.... but I couldn't find the answer to my dilemma.
I don't do much off road at all but I expect 5-10% of the time may be off the bitumen and more as the kids get older.
Should I keep with my 19" HSE wheels and just replace the OE Wranglers with same? I really wanted something a little more A/T than the Wranglers currently as these are due for replacement soon.
Or is there more choice in A/T tyres in the 18" OE wheel??? as I will consider a 2nd set if that's more cost effective.
Any advice on what is available in tyre choices in Aus would be welcome.... 
Thanks
Moby What's the point.... it all comes out in the wash anyway!
85 Range Rover
01 Disco Series II
05 D3 V6SE, Bonatti Grey, 19"alloys
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 31st May 2008 12:38 am |
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heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
 
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I think you will find there is a bigger range of 18 " tyres available - but I'm not sure if the cost of new rims will make it worthwhile . In SA one rim now costs R 9000 
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| 31st May 2008 4:00 am |
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hernan1304
Member Since: 28 Feb 2008
Location: Dubai
Posts: 490
  
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I struggle with the same question.
Don't know what kind of offroading you're doing... I've found the OE wranglers to be quite good aired-down in sand and I haven't gotten a puncture yet in gravel.
People here swear by MTRs (which is the only MT available in the 255/55-19 size), and I'm sure they'd be great in mud and rocks, but we don't really have too much of that in the UAE. The penalties would be ride noise and grip on-road, as well as more "digging" in the sand, which combined with the stiff sidewalls would probably make them a worse sand tire than the wranglers (and therefore bad for me).
So, stuck at square one. Do you know if there are any ATs that will fit the 19" wheels?
EDIT: just saw a post about the new Pirelli Scorpion ATR in the 19" size. Nice!
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| 3rd Jun 2008 4:56 am |
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AJS4X4
Member Since: 30 Mar 2008
Location: Surrey
Posts: 3224
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Having been out to the UAE Desert Challenge four times now, it still amazes me how well the race cars with there aggressive tyres find the grip but I suppose with all that power they make light work of it.
Totally agree with the fact that for a D3 the MT/R would be nthing like as good as the Wrangler HP or the Scorpion in the sand, at least you can drop the pressures down to between 6-10psi to get you out of the soft stuff and then when on something a little harder raise the pressures.
Last year I saw a big yankee pick-up truck compleatly bury itself in the powder, he jumped out dropped the pressures to almost zero, got back in and it drove itself out, once on harder ground raised them to 12psi and off he went, he was one of the local sheiks I think.
Looking foward to coming out for the challenge again this year, hopefully scrutineering the bikes and quads.
All the best with your tyre choices.
Andy www.ajstyres.co.uk
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| 3rd Jun 2008 6:16 am |
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hernan1304
Member Since: 28 Feb 2008
Location: Dubai
Posts: 490
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Thanks Andy - the question now will be whether the Scorpions would be much of an improvement over the wranglers in the sand...
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| 3rd Jun 2008 6:20 am |
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AJS4X4
Member Since: 30 Mar 2008
Location: Surrey
Posts: 3224
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My choice would be the Wrangler HP AW over the Scorpion.
Andy www.ajstyres.co.uk
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| 3rd Jun 2008 6:57 am |
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mobyone
Member Since: 23 Dec 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 394
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Thanks for the comments Andy & Hernan. I think the Wranglers will have to do until something better comes along!!  What's the point.... it all comes out in the wash anyway!
85 Range Rover
01 Disco Series II
05 D3 V6SE, Bonatti Grey, 19"alloys
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| 5th Jun 2008 11:57 am |
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brocky
Member Since: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Abu Dhabi
Posts: 11
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I have just installed Pirelli Scorpion Zero 275/55R19 tyres and so far they are great. Very smooth and quiet on the road. Sidewalls are fairly soft so the ride is very compliant. BTW they only just clear the Upper Control Arm - less than 10mm clearance.
I got rid of the OEM Goodyear Wranglers after 44K km due to noise and vibration from uneven wear. I found the 255/55R19 Wranglers too narrow in very hot sand down at Liwa. I had to run them at 10 psi to get enough floation with a bit of gear in the car. At this pressure and with the low profile there is almost nothing left of the sidewall. Also, the difference between running at 15 psi and 10 psi was dramatic. Things improved if I was the only one in the car and there was no gear in the back because in general I felt that the tyres were right on the limit of handling the vehicle weight. With the tyres at road pressure they would sink on level soft beach sand even when holding a slow steady pace. I was able to drive other 4x4's I have had on the beach without deflating tyres; GMC Yukon, Landcruiser, Cayenne Turbo, Jeep Grand Cherokee. All had enough floation for the weight of the vehicle. Obviously in the dunes it was necessary to deflate tyres to handle the gradients and the very soft sections. Overall, I was not impressed with the Wranglers.
The Scorpions have 20 mm extra width and I pick up ~11 mm of sidewall. I expect that they will be significantly better in the sand.
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| 6th Jun 2008 8:06 am |
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hernan1304
Member Since: 28 Feb 2008
Location: Dubai
Posts: 490
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Hi brocky - I'm running a set of Pirelli Scorpion Zeros in the 19" size on a Range Rover HSE (I have it as a loaner while my car is getting fixed).
I tried them at road pressure on the beach the other day and they felt about the same as the wranglers. Make sure you rotate regularly. This Range Rover has 26,000km on it and the tyres are making a lot of noise, probably from uneven wear.
I think in the end there just is no magical tyre solution for our Landies, too many camber and alignment issues with the car itself.
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| 6th Jun 2008 3:17 pm |
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brocky
Member Since: 17 Oct 2006
Location: Abu Dhabi
Posts: 11
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I forgot to mention I had a 2004 RR HSE with Pirelli Scorpions. They were 255/55R19's and it was OK on the beach too. Maybe it is a bit lighter in the back end than the LR3. I am looking forward to seeing whether the extra width of the 275's makes a difference. I am sure you are right about the camber and alignment issues. My LR3 was not right from the time it was delivered. I had the internals of the front differential replaced at about 40K as a result and the Wranglers were shot pretty early on. Wheels are properly aligned now and the vehicle corners and tracks better. The Pirelli Scorpions seem to improve handling as well.
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| 6th Jun 2008 8:51 pm |
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DingMark
Member Since: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Perth Oz or Erbil, Iraq
Posts: 388
  
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I've had 4 sliced sidewalls in 18 months on the standard Goodyears. Seems every time I'm in sand the sidewall finds a piece of limestone and a new tyre is in order. I ended up buying quite inexpensively on eBay a set of 9" wide x 19" wheels (check load rating) with Pirellis on them and put MTRs on the original (narrower) wheels. In about 1000 of beach or sharp-rocked track driving the MTRs have quite a few rub spots but each one of these rubs would have ruined the standard Goodyears. You may find that new wheels with dedicated tyres prolonges the road tyre life so long it's worth it (maybe find someone local to share the MTRs with). Jim Dowell - D4 HSE TDi, 12,000 hydraulic winch & hidden winch mount, MTRs, TyreDog, Traxide 2 x aux battery system, fixed air compressor, Dolium roof rack, MitchHitch.
RIP 2005 D3 HSE V8 5 seater gold (stolen and torched)
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| 7th Jun 2008 2:07 pm |
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hernan1304
Member Since: 28 Feb 2008
Location: Dubai
Posts: 490
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Hey DingMark, the problem with the MTRs is that most of the offroad driving in the UAE consists of deep sand (there's some rocks/gravel but you have to go looking for it, as opposed to the dunes which are everywhere). The MTRs afaik aren't good for the sand because they dig in and have very stiff sidewalls which doesn't let them bulge much when aired down. What's your experience been like?
I'm nowhere near done with the stock wranglers, but when the day comes I plan to replace them with the new Pirelli Scorpion ATRs in 255/55-19.
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| 9th Jun 2008 4:18 am |
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DingMark
Member Since: 14 Sep 2007
Location: Perth Oz or Erbil, Iraq
Posts: 388
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Herman,
You've implied that sand isn't necessarily the same everywhere and I wholeheartedly agree. I spent 3 yrs in Doha and drove the dunes there and the sand behaves completely differently to the beach-type sand we get around my part of Oz. I find that on the beach and near-beach sands here, I end up deflating the MTRs down to about 13psi with no sidewall problems. Traction was about the same as the regular Goodyears at 17psi. Just about everytime I've driven sand with the regular Goodyears, pressures below 20 psi usually resulted in buldging sidewalls getting cut on coral (not a problem for you but a $500 problem for me each time). My experience on wet beach sand is less extensive, but wet sand easily liquifies and the world just drops away below the tyres of a heavy D3. Bit like driving on wet cement. The extra dig of the MTRs helps in this situation but I suspect width and footprint are the key ingredients for you. My recollection from Qatar is that starting in late-May through mid-October anything rubber on sand just melts and the sand is so fluffy that the only thing that easily drove the dunes was a short-wheel base Defender with balloon tyres.
My wife and daughters keep pestering me to get moved back to the Gulf - currently they're lobbying for Abu Dhabi (something about their being in the arts and the huge arts centre being created there). If they heard that the LR dealer was excellent the pressure on me would be unbearable (and being based in the UAE means real weekend driving trips are feasible). Who knows, maybe in a few years we may join up.
Cheers, Jim Dowell - D4 HSE TDi, 12,000 hydraulic winch & hidden winch mount, MTRs, TyreDog, Traxide 2 x aux battery system, fixed air compressor, Dolium roof rack, MitchHitch.
RIP 2005 D3 HSE V8 5 seater gold (stolen and torched)
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| 9th Jun 2008 6:15 am |
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