Thread: Off road on 20s

I think they will rub....a lot.


Tire Size Comparison
Specification Sidewall Radius Diameter Circumference Revs/km Difference
255/55-19 140mm 382mm 763mm 2397mm 417 0.0%
275/55-20 151mm 405mm 810mm 2546mm 393 6.2%
285/60-18 171mm 400mm 799mm 2511mm 398 4.7%

Mine (285/60-18) rub slightly at full lock and that's at 100mm lift.

Brett....

agreed, I'd stick with 50 series - 55 series will likely rub and speedo will be more than 6% out; so that means Cooper LTZ, Nitto Terra and a couple of others I recall.
cheers

[QUOTE=First LR;2141683]I was wondering if anyone has actually fit more aggressive AT tyres to their 20" rims on a SDV D4?

I am currently considering the following tyre choices (which all appear to be just legal) and would love to hear personal experiences(value/price, performance, noise, rubbing, mods needed etc..) from someone that has tried any of them:

Cooper LTZ 275/55/20
Cooper AT/3 275/55/20
Nitto Terra Grappler 275/55/20
Yoko Geolander AT/S 275/55/20
MT Baja STZ 275/55/20
Falken Wildpeak A/T 275/55/20
Pirelli Scorpion ATR 275/55/20

FYI, I have the GOE rods, but if I fit these tyres, I would like to know if I will need to have them permanently at lifted height or whether the standard height will work without rubbing.

I am also considering the GOE 18" rims, but I have read lots of threads on that, so i am just interested in peoples views on 20" offroad options./QUOTE]

Gordon suggests that 275 55 20 is right on the limit of what will fit on the car and mods will need to be done to allow clearance especially at the back where the rear aircon pipes are.
I'm going to fit Nitto Grapplers 265 50 20 ATs as my next street/sand/light off road tyres. As I have 245 70 17 MTs as well I expect they will be ok if I'm gentle.

I've taken my RRS offroad with 20" SUV tires so some experience here - have done very rough rutted tracks with large rocks, rock crawling, sand driving (though not a lot), mud, very steep ascents/descents and creek crossings.


My experience is yes the car and even my more road oriented tires will still handle 99% of the off roading you're going to do (I haven't found a situation they haven't handled, but they are a road oriented tire with close tread and large water dispersing channels in them - bad for mud!), but the ride will be harsher and my tires and rims have taken a pounding - the tires don't offer much protection for those big rims so expect gouging. The sidewalls of my first set of tires were badly damaged by rocks jutting out of ruts that I'd followed, have a 1" bubble on one of the rears from a huge pothole my girl hit. Two of my tires have badly chipped tread from a trip down the Brachina Gorge track.


The car itself handled all this with amazing ease, did not even break a sweat, but I personally would keep the 20's for on road work/light tracks, and buy the smallest rims possible for real off roading - if you had a 2.7 you could even fit the 17" sunnies available from Dynamic!

Originally Posted by AnD3rew

Did you see the Top Gear Africa episode when James May's Volvo with low profile tyres hit a pothole, not only did the tyre fail but the entire alloy rims cracked in half around the circumference.

The car is amazing enough that it will take you incredible places no matter what rubber you have on it, it will be less a question of off road ability and more a question of reliability.

Thanks, I have seen that episode, but with my limited experience, so far, I wouldnt compare LR to a volvo.

I am interested in real life expereinces of anyone that has tried any of these tyres (or others), before I purchase and provide my own feedback.

The 275/55R20 is a hair's breadth taller than the 265/70R17 (0.25cm). So height isn't really overly problematic - the usual mods to the rear wheel well liner and the front lip, and you shouldn't need rods full-time (but if you have rear A/C, you'll need to relocate the lines). The main rubbing will be from the width (275mm) on a std LR rim, with its +53mm offset. On full lock it will rub on the front chassis protrusion. How badly will really be dependent on the particular tyre, as each brand's "275" varies a little.

Cheers,

Gordon

Originally Posted by gghaggis

The 275/55R20 is a hair's breadth taller than the 265/70R17 (0.25cm). So height isn't really overly problematic - the usual mods to the rear wheel well liner and the front lip, and you shouldn't need rods full-time (but if you have rear A/C, you'll need to relocate the lines). The main rubbing will be from the width (275mm) on a std LR rim, with its +53mm offset. On full lock it will rub on the front chassis protrusion. How badly will really be dependent on the particular tyre, as each brand's "275" varies a little.

Cheers,

Gordon

I'm not really keen to perform any of the mods you describe for 275/65/18 or 285/60/18(on your site) and given I do have rear AC, I will probably need to look at smaller diameter.

Do you know if the lower profile 285/50/20, still rub or need any mods in rear ?

On standard LR rims, 265 is really the widest you can go, although 275 is ok with lower profiles (50 or less). 285/50R20 is very, very close to the upper control arms, although I have customers that have fitted them and (so far!) there haven't been any incidents.

Cheers,

Gordon