Test of 18" Wheels on a 3.0L D4

I'd read that there can be issues with the LR Wheel Cap fitting, or should I say, staying on the 18" wheels....so I was prepared for a few mods.

I also ordered 5 spares from the UK, just to be sure, as I'd heard of folks losing theirs.

I have a MY10 SE with 19" wheels and the caps that came with these wheels were so loose on the Compomotive wheels, you would lose all of them before you got to the end of the street. I wouldn't have been comfortable trying tape or other such work a-rounds.

However, I wasn't overly bothered as I bought the wheels for every other reason than the LR caps.

Then the eBay jobs turned up....they were listed as D3/4 RRS with no particular alignment to a wheel model number. Had to smack them hard to get them in.....tight as a fishes bottom!!! Tighter than the original cap on the original wheel. Very happy :D

Hi Kev,

The new wheels and rubber look great on your D4. Personally I reckon spending the few extra dollars Gordon asks for the rods is money well spent and cheap insurance if things get sticky. You will curse yourself one day if you need them and don't have them.

I have both Gordon's rods fitted in the standard position as a manual back up and Llams. The best and most versatile mod that I reckon you can fit to one of these vehicles is the Llams kit.

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Originally Posted by garrycol

What are you going to do if the car suspension has a hissy and goes down to the bump stops - with those size tyres I doubt it will get down to the bump stops and the tyres will be jammed in the wheel wells and you will drive no where.

Maybe you have also bought one of Gordon's new inflation kits to get around the issue.

Yes - as said - Pics please.

Garry

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Garry,

I have been down to the bump stops ..... The car still drives and tyres do not rub any more. But if the track was lumpy you would be in trouble even with the smaller tyres as the car would scrap its belly.

Definitely need the emergency air up kit for all D4's, especially his new improved kit.

Brett.....

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Originally Posted by TerryO

Hi Kev,

The new wheels and rubber look great on your D4. Personally I reckon spending the few extra dollars Gordon asks for the rods is money well spent and cheap insurance if things get sticky. You will curse yourself one day if you need them and don't have them.

I have both Gordon's rods fitted in the standard position as a manual back up and Llams. The best and most versatile mod that I reckon you can fit to one of these vehicles is the Llams kit.

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Thanks Terry,

Yes I think I might just go down the rods track. I see there is a new three position system.

You say you have yours on all the time in the standard position....so is that just like having the OEM rods on and then they are always there ready to adjust when/if you need them?

I'd prefer to have something I can fit and leave on...and only adjust when going off-road.

Cheers,

Kev.

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Originally Posted by discotwinturbo

I have been down to the bump stops

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How did you get it to go down to the bump stops? I am thinking of getting bigger tyres and it is a test I want to pass before I proceed.

Cheers

Garry

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Originally Posted by garrycol

How did you get it to go down to the bump stops? I am thinking of getting bigger tyres and it is a test I want to pass before I proceed.

Cheers

Garry

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It was a suspension fault. I had the D4 on LLAMS plus 50 plus offroad for a climb, then must have got a fault due to some weird angles. I got over the top of the climb and suspension fault came up. Drove a little way and a guy behind me in a deefer said I was sitting on the ground (I was not concentrating). Could not raise it, as it stated that pump needed to cool.....but pump had not been going for some time.....pump was cold too.
Anyway, hopped out, and it was almost on the ground with the tyres well and truly up in the wheel arches.....I wished I got a pic as she was super low...lower than LLAMS -20 (and emergency low) and access height which I have tested before with no rubbing. I could not get my head under to look...it looked as though it was touching the ground but made no sounds. I drove it for about 100 metres with no rubbing and then had a rocky track climb. I managed to get it back up to LLAMS plus 30 only. If it did not raise I would have completed a hard reset as there was no way I could have got it up without some severe under body damage.

Brett......

I have a 2010 D4 with about 132,000km and Gordon's wheels with 285 60 R18 Bridgestone D697 LT's on them. When I had them fitted the tyre fitter wouldn't continue due to the tyres rubbing on the chassis at the rear of the front wheels. I told him it was OK and he reluctantly finished fitting them.

We have just completed 10,000km through rough tracks in an around Central Australia towing a 1500kg camper trailer. We had plenty of full up and down travel of the suspension and I can confirm what Gordon (GOE) now states on his web site, that the tyres just contact the chassis behind the front wheels when going backwards only and that the rear tyres just contact a seam in the wheel arch. I didn't know about the latter till I got back and there has been some rubbing on the plastic liner in the rear, which now has a hole at the offending location. No damage to anything else or the tyres so the rubbing is very minor and much less than what I get on my GQ Patrol with 33's.

Raising or lowering of the suspension has no effect on the rubbing of the tyres and in fact the front rubs with the wheels nearly straight while reversing on a flat bitumen road. The only way you know is because of the noise of the tread rubbing past the chassis extension immediately behind the front wheels. This is the location that was worrying the tyre fitters also. When in forwards gears, there is a significant gap at this point and no rubbing at all in any sort of extreme conditions, of which my car has been in plenty.

The bigger tyres mean that my speedo, which was optimistic, is now exact at all speeds. However, the odo, which was exact with factory tyres, is now reading lower than it should due to the larger radius tyres.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobD

I have a 2010 D4 with about 132,000km and Gordon's wheels with 285 60 R18 Bridgestone D697 LT's on them. When I had them fitted the tyre fitter wouldn't continue due to the tyres rubbing on the chassis at the rear of the front wheels. I told him it was OK and he reluctantly finished fitting them.

We have just completed 10,000km through rough tracks in an around Central Australia towing a 1500kg camper trailer. We had plenty of full up and down travel of the suspension and I can confirm what Gordon (GOE) now states on his web site, that the tyres just contact the chassis behind the front wheels when going backwards only and that the rear tyres just contact a seam in the wheel arch. I didn't know about the latter till I got back and there has been some rubbing on the plastic liner in the rear, which now has a hole at the offending location. No damage to anything else or the tyres so the rubbing is very minor and much less than what I get on my GQ Patrol with 33's.

Raising or lowering of the suspension has no effect on the rubbing of the tyres and in fact the front rubs with the wheels nearly straight while reversing on a flat bitumen road. The only way you know is because of the noise of the tread rubbing past the chassis extension immediately behind the front wheels. This is the location that was worrying the tyre fitters also. When in forwards gears, there is a significant gap at this point and no rubbing at all in any sort of extreme conditions, of which my car has been in plenty.

The bigger tyres mean that my speedo, which was optimistic, is now exact at all speeds. However, the odo, which was exact with factory tyres, is now reading lower than it should due to the larger radius tyres.

Bob

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Thanks Bob,

I thought the LTZ was the only tyre available in the 285 size, for this wheel.

Interesting....

Anyway, I'll have to get under mine and have a look see as I haven't been aware of any rubbing except on that particular type of situation that my driveway creates .... angles and reverse. It's not steep by any measure but just gets the wrong combo.

It's always the front LHS and mine just collects the screw holding the wheel arch liner on ..... but I forgot to mention .... this is with the wheels facing to the right and it rubs on the outside, not inside.

It definitely does not rub with the suspension at off-road height.

Anyway, as has been stated, any rubbing is minor.

And jeez, how close are the back of the brake callipers to the inside of the wheel.... and that's not a criticism...it's a very precise fit due to the stupid LR design and lack of foresight.

Cheers,

Kev.

Or how close the top arm ball joint is to the tyre!

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Originally Posted by Celtoid

Thanks Bob,

I thought the LTZ was the only tyre available in the 285 size, for this wheel.

Kev.

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Kev, I wrecked one of the tyres at Litchfield National Park at Darwin when a chainsaw adjuster screw driver got flicked up and tore a 20mm hole in the tread of the rear tyre. I managed to get a Dunlop 285 60 R18 tyre to replace it, which was one of only five tyres in that size in Darwin.

Surprisingly, this is a very nice AT tyre which has very similar tread to the D697's. Side by side on the Kaymar rear wheel carrier it is difficult to tell the difference at first glance, so obviously that is a good choice as well. They are the same load rating as the Bridgestones but not LT rating.

Bob