Thread: 18" tyres for D4 and RRS

Having been asked by quite a few people to comment on suitable tyres to go with the new 18" rims I'm supplying, I thought it relevant to start a new thread on it. This is for D4 and 2010 (onwards) RRS vehicles. It does not necessarily apply to D3 or earlier RRS models.

Note that what follows is all my personal opinion and experience. I'm sure many people will disagree with me!

I think the ideal size is 265/60R18. It is legal in most states, doesn't rub, fits in the spare wheel well and is more common than many other sizes (being fitted to the new Prado helps). There's a reasonable selection of HT and AT tyres in this size. 255/60R18 is also popular, but I prefer the slightly larger tyre.

A 285/60R18 is illegal in many states, will rub at full lock and I doubt you could fit the tyre into the spare wheel well AND fit the D4 tow hitch (plus it's illegal on an RRS). 265/65R18 will rub at full articulation and is also illegal in many states.

If however, you really want an MT, then your only size choice seems to be 275/65R18, a big tyre that will be illegal in most states and requires a fair amount of plastic cutting and bending of metal seams. I'm not a fan of running MT tyres full-time, although circumstance has forced me into that position a few times. They are by nature a fast-wearing, noisy and uncomfortable choice.

So, my choice was ........

I've been running 255/55R19 MTR's for the last 12000 km or so (because I couldn't source any 19" AT's in WA and need an off-road tyre for training). They are noisy, they drone in corners and at speed, and mask the dynamic handling that the new RRS and D4 should provide to the owner. The much larger 275/60R18 Maxxis I now have, are no better or worse, other than compromising the turning circle slightly (as they rub on the front body-mount rail at full lock). I wouldn't recommend either for day-to-day driving. But the Maxxis are there for when we do the extreme training days or heavy off-roading.

I also have 265/60R18 AT's for day-to-day driving (I chose Cooper ATR's - gasp, shock!). These allow me to do light to medium off-road stuff, touring and day-to-day driving. The car is quicker, uses 2 ~ 3 l/100 less fuel, quieter (_really_ quiet, I had forgotten how well the insulation works) and handles like a dream.

If you're willing to forgo the above advantages, want to run on mud tyres and don't mind the illegality of the size (or get an engineer's certificate), then yes, you can run the 275/65R18 MT's. Maxxis Bighorn, Hankook MT, Goodyear MTR, Cooper STT are all available. You'll need to trim the plastic at the front of the front wheel well, cut out about half the plastic in the rear wheel well (less in a D4) and bend back the metal seams (also in the rear wheel well). It will still rub at maximum articulation (not too badly though) and unless you have shortened HS rods or LLAMS fitted, it will rub at on-road height in sharp corners or hard acceleration (again, not so much in a D4). Not that you should be doing either of those with MT's on if you value their tread life! You'll get maybe 20 000 to 30 000 km of use, but they'll get very loud towards the end of their life.

If, on the other hand, you're happy with AT tyres, in the 265/60R18 you can get Yoko AT/S, Yoko GO12, Cooper ATR, Goodyear Silent Armor, Pirelli ATR, Hankook AT, Dunlop Rover AT or Michellin LTX. I think it's mainly personal choice and cost when deciding between these.

There's also some choice in 255/60R18, but they're possibly a little harder to get outside of the major cities. Pirelli ATR, Conti AT, GG AT2, Nokian AT are available, consensus seems to be that the Conti's are the strongest, but they're all reasonable tyres.

Note all of these are passenger construction (P), not light truck (LT). I don't subscribe to the view that you must have LT tyres to off-road with. There are pro's and con's to either, and strength is only one aspect. LT/AT tyres have a stronger sidewall, but LT tyres need greater pressure for the same load, run hotter and will affect handling.

I also take most tyre stories with a grain of salt - it's difficult to give weight to anecdotal evidence of tyre blowouts or destruction. You can never repeat the exact conditions with another tyre.

As I said at the beginning, I'm sure many people will disagree with me!

Cheers,

Gordon

Great summary. Couple of notes - tyre diameters do vary, even within the same apparent size eg 265/60/18, and it can be enough to make a difference when rubbing or fitting in the spare well. Muddies are often slightly larger diameter as they have deeper treads, one of the reasons handling is degraded.

Secondly the reason many people prefer LTs is strength. However, not all P class tyres are weak. Look for reinforced P or Xtra Load, in all-terrain or mud style and they're pretty strong. Not as strong as LT, but strong enough for many people. These tyres also need to be run at slightly higher pressure for the same reasons as LTs.

Also the construction (LT vs P) is separate to the tread pattern (mud, road, AT). You can find mud/P and road/LT.