Thread: Mixing Tyre Types on different axles

It won't be doing the centre diff any favours.

If they are on the same axle it isn't so bad as long as they are the same size, width and aspect ratio.
There will always be slight differences between brands and wear between tires.

ON the Subaru Forester, which is a permanent all-wheel-drive, the following is stated in the owners manual: "You must install four tires that are of the same size, circumference, construction, manufacturer, brand (tread pattern), degree of wear, speed symbol and load index. Mixing tires of different types, sizes or degrees of wear can result in damage to the vehicle’s power train. "

I believe this should be the case with the Land Rovers to preserve the differentials from excessive heat build-up.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

It won't be doing the centre diff any favours.

I thought thats what a centre diff is for.
It would not be working any harder than a front or rear diff when changing lanes or going around corners etc as long as its not locked.
When its locked and boggy its OK too. When locked on tarmac then its a problem.

Originally Posted by 123rover50

I thought thats what a centre diff is for.
It would not be working any harder than a front or rear diff when changing lanes or going around corners etc as long as its not locked.
When its locked and boggy its OK too. When locked on tarmac then its a problem.

It would be favouring the end with the lowest gearing, almost constantly.

As Dave Ashcroft says, the centre diff is the weak point of the LT230. It will, of course, be compensating most of the time, but apparently it does not like constantly "favouring one end".

That said, plenty of people change tyres at one end of the car at a time. Usually though they merely replace them like for like, size wise.

Originally Posted by DiscoStu17

D3 has come back from the crash repairer with two new rear tyres. Now they have replaced the rear ones with ATs.
I know that this is a definite problem with all wheel drive cars, such as Subaru, Nissan etc. I’m not sure whether it’s such an issue with the Discovery 3.
anyone have any experience in this?

I guess the easiest thing to do is the 'dad' thing and with your son take the vehicle back to the shop and insist on matching road tyres. Or get the front changed to the same ATs. Depends on what your son likes doing with the car I guess. You want uniform performance.

Given the on road performance capacity of the D3/4 (when they run) ATs may not be up to the same standard of road tyres.

Your current mix may not be a good look aesthetically, and not what you would have wanted given choice.

What did the insurance company specify? What is the garage's reasoning?

Do you still have the owners manual to clarify things, maybe check your motor vehicle registry for the rules on tyres, before approaching the garage.

With new vs worn there will be differentiation beyond 'the norm' but not excessive. The differentiation will be within an engineered tolerance, you would think.

Off the cuff, there may be a need for exact diameters in some cases where heat is not desirable. Some smaller all wheel drive vehicles don't use a conventional diff, but rather a void filled with a fluid that changes viscosity depending on temperature, but the characteristic fades over time, goes solid(?) and breaks the box. Freelander 1 springs to mind, but I could be wrong. So when you read about this or that four wheel drive requiring exacting diameter tyres you need to delve a bit deeper into the mechanics.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input.
I think I would feel more comfortable with him driving on 4x tyres the same, and if the front ones were a bit older, we might change them as well. But as luck would have it, we only put new Continentals on the front last year.
I’ll have a chat to the panel shop in the next couple of days and see what we can work out.
Cheers