Thread: D4 Low Tyre Profiles

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

I know this is slightly off thread from the OP but I am interested in the ever ongoing chatter about the D4's wheel/tyre life.

Has the lower profile tyre given problems to any owners?

I currently run 8 ply tyres on my d2.- 245/70x16

I do not know what a puncture is....in several hundred thousand of bush kilometeres.

I carried a tech screw in one of my tyres for about 6 mths before I had it removed and internally vulcanised.

What I'm hoping to hear in response is real stories about the D4's tyres.....problems if any...how to rectify.....I don't care what brand really unless there is a brand problem.

Every year I do about 10-15,000km on the 4-5 notorious SA tracks so the tyres get punished.

Does anyone do this sort of mileage on these tracks in a D4 or am I going to be the first?

If this needs a separate thread I'm quite happy to move it rather than hijack the OP.

Dennis

What rim size do you plan to run?

Are you buying new or second hand 3.0l?
If so it will come with stock 19's.you will be able to fit after market 18s.
Finding a good LT,you may have to go oversize.

If you are buying second hand,a 2.7 and 17s is the only way to go.
My bfgs in 17's have had and absolute flogging,haven't changed one yet,nor did i on the D2 or the D2a.

They really need replacing but i am waiting for the KO2 to appear,looks like they won't be available in my size until late 2015.

not sure about new or 2nd hand yet......money.

hopefully theres no need to go aftermarket if the tyres can do their job.

the question remains and appears unanswered , are their any tyre problems on the D4?

arent d4 owners going bush in their vehicles?

Its not just the tyres that need to be considered as there have been several instances of bent 19" rims on both late D3s and D4s from outback use.

Graeme , do you think the bent rims are a result of the tyre choice or the rim size?

Can anyone who has bent 19" rims comment?

Has it happened when deflated?

I can't help thinking that if you've bent a rim you would also have major tyre damage.

Next question ....does anyone know what is the largest tyre can fit under a D4 on 19" rims?

I'm thinking the higher aspect ratio I can get, the better offroad capability and endurance.

I don't care too much about final drive and or speedo accuracy at this point of time.

Seen a Top Gear show where captain slow pushed a new RR competing against a bush truck/vehicle through the Canadian wilderness , he explained that he had standard out of the factory wheel and tyres , he went over all sorts of terrain imaginable but somehow did not suffer any wheel/tyre failure to which he was surprised . he also did not beat the bush truck .


IMHO I believe that if low profile tyres are driven with a certain amount of respect they will get you where ever you want to go , not had any problems with my 255 50 19 tyres or rims on my RRS over most types of surfaces , will go up to 255 55 19 when the current ones are done .
The only real problem may be tyre availability in remote areas ,but then again not insurmountable .

I went on a Range rover NSW club trip over Christmas and New year to Geehi Walls.
Over the week 2xD4s had 19 inch Goodyear Wranglers fail, one on a normal dirt road to Geehi Dam, and another on the Mt Pinnibar track which this year is gnarly. Both tyres were write offs, one completely destroyed and the other with a 25mm slit in the wall.
Last year one D4 lost a sidewall on the Mt Pinnibar track.

The owner of the failure last year has now bought Compomotive 18 inchers and Bridgestone D697s.

No D2,RRC etc had any problem.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by PhilipA

I went on a Range rover NSW club trip over Christmas and New year to Geehi Walls.
Over the week 2xD4s had 19 inch Goodyear Wranglers fail, one on a normal dirt road to Geehi Dam, and another on the Mt Pinnibar track which this year is gnarly. Both tyres were write offs, one completely destroyed and the other with a 25mm slit in the wall.
Last year one D4 lost a sidewall on the Mt Pinnibar track.

The owner of the failure last year has now bought Compomotive 18 inchers and Bridgestone D697s.

No D2,RRC etc had any problem.
Regards Philip A

Yet I went all over that area last week without a problem (and some of those tracks are in a very bad way at the moment). I do think the Wranglers aren't up to it, but there are better tyres out there.

I can only relate my own experiences, but in the nearly 2 years I have owned the D4 I have managed 5 High Country trips, one northern Flinders trip and one trip out around Innamincka way on 19"s and not had one tyre failure. Driven sensibly these tyres are fine on most outback roads. Heat seems to be the big killer either through overloading or underinflation.

Having said that, they are certainly not ideal and an 18" or 17" is a much better alternative. Although I have not had a problem the rims are more susceptible to damage and this is purely down to the sidewall height - they are much closer to the road and not as well protected.

If you want a D4 I wouldn't be put off by the tyre problems, they are not as bad as people make out. A 19" is obviously not going to be as good out there as your 245/70x16s. They will do the job but have a lower safety margin and need to be driven accordingly. However a set of 18"s or 17"s and decent tyres will be very reliable.

Cheers,
Jon

The tyres on the various reported bent rims were still inflated but could have been at low pressures after sand travel.

I had been on a couple of desert trips in my D2 fitted with LT225/75R16 that included some cross-country desert driving. I did not want to risk taking the 19" rims over such terrain or tracks such as the Pedirka PAR, considering the extent to which the D4's Pirelli ATR sidewalls reduced to nothing on the edges of small potholes on my driveway.