For those of you thinking about the upcoming winter...

[gsxr]

I'm not Paul, and I don't have R3 snows, but I did buy a set of Hakka SUV R2 snows last fall (which means I'm almost entirely responsible for the R2 becoming obsolete a few months later, and subsequent debut of the R3. You're all welcome.)

Anyway, the R2 performed well in our low snow / high ice winter, and I didn't have any complaints. Then again most dedicated snow tires perform quite well when new. I do have a separate set of dedicated wheels with TPMS sensors to avoid re-mounting the tires twice annually. Works great, and then I can swap the wheels myself.

 

[jwest]

Just found the Nokian SUV R3 last night! Was curious about them for my wife's 08 RR, which is 255/55/19. She needs new tires and I was contemplating Winter tires for a change - not a lot of major snow issues here in SE PA, but when it does hit "just right" (heavy snow mid-day after everyone is at work) I always wish she had better tires than the Duratracs, which are not great snow tires.

I am torn on investing in different wheels for each set of tires versus removing them and remounting them later on the same wheels. Anyone not using dedicated wheels experience sidewall/bead "damage" from unmounting and mounting tires each winter?

Let us know your thoughts on the R3 soon if there are that few tires in stock!

I would totally do the R3 on a stock RR. I have the R2 on my 535xi bmw wagon and they've been very very very good in some nasty stuff here in the PNW ranging from 6" new snow, hard pack/ice, and the worst thing which is the 2-3" almost frozen slush that can pull your car around on the shoulders.

I also have a 2nd set of the WRG2 on an audi s4 wagon. Keep in mind to not only rotate tires around the car but on symmetric tires like the R2 you can have them flipped on the wheel every so often which really extends the wear life on cars with heavy rear camber like my wagons.

I mention this because even the lr3 has pretty noticeable inner edge wear on the rear tires, mostly noticed when towing more often.

As for winter wheel sets, absolutely for me. Wheels are cheap as well as no hassle when I want to switch I can do it myself in much less time than visiting a shop where I also have to worry what they'll screw up this time. It's a good time to note how your brakes are and wheel/hub bearings.

I have 5 sets of 5 for the lr3 so space is an important aspect LOL

 

[ktm525]

My LR4 has been much easier (in terms of even tread wear) than my old LR3.

 

[jwest]

My LR4 has been much easier (in terms of even tread wear) than my old LR3.

Maybe you have different tires or habits seeing as there is no difference in camber that i am aware of.

 

[PaulLR3]

I have 5 sets of 5 for the lr3 so space is an important aspect LOL

LOL - same here, 5 sets of 5 tires. With 2 LR4's I have MIchelin Defenders on 20" for spring/summer/fall roads, Nokian SUV R2's for winter and one set of badly worn Cooper Zeons for beach driving in July & August.

Easy to find good condition used wheels on ebay. Look for take-offs, not refurbished wheels as you never know how much welding is under the new paint.

 

[PaulLR3]

Just found the Nokian SUV R3 last night! Was curious about them for my wife's 08 RR, which is 255/55/19. She needs new tires and I was contemplating Winter tires for a change - not a lot of major snow issues here in SE PA, but when it does hit "just right" (heavy snow mid-day after everyone is at work) I always wish she had better tires than the Duratracs, which are not great snow tires.

I am torn on investing in different wheels for each set of tires versus removing them and remounting them later on the same wheels. Anyone not using dedicated wheels experience sidewall/bead "damage" from unmounting and mounting tires each winter?

Let us know your thoughts on the R3 soon if there are that few tires in stock!

I think it is just easier to have winter tires on a second set of wheels. You can put them on and take them off at home and tighten the lug nuts to the proper torque which nobody seems to do.

However, living in SE PA winter tires may be overkill. You could go with a Nokian WRG3 SUV which is an all weather tire that works great in winter and is just fine to use year round.

 

[TheWidup]

Ok - I have to ask as I am in the midwest we do get a fair amount of snow at times. Are you guys mounting winter tires with the expectation of using them offroad at some point or is it simply because the all season tires don't work well with the fluff on the roads? I've driven through a blizzard in a 2wd SUV with all seasons and survived quite well. This will be my first winter with the LR and just want to make sure I'm prepared for it.

 

[ktm525]

Maybe you have different tires or habits seeing as there is no difference in camber that i am aware of.

I drive about the same lol. The LR3 used to feather the inside edges despite many alignments geometry checks. Not sure why the LR4 tends to have more even wear but it does. I know the front geometry on the 4 was changed when they adopted the RRS front. That change was both good and bad: More responsive on the street but too quick for off road IMO.

 

[catman]

Ok - I have to ask as I am in the midwest we do get a fair amount of snow at times. Are you guys mounting winter tires with the expectation of using them offroad at some point or is it simply because the all season tires don't work well with the fluff on the roads? I've driven through a blizzard in a 2wd SUV with all seasons and survived quite well. This will be my first winter with the LR and just want to make sure I'm prepared for it.

In our area, snow often turns to slush and icy conditions in the early morning. We do not get as much nice fluffy snow as we do heavy wet snow.

I survived many years in small cars with all-season tires, but I had manual transmissions and enjoyed the challenge. Plus, "survive" is not the optimal word to use for the wife - I am looking to make her feel confident on the road! My wife has Wrangler Duratracs on her RR but they are not great in the slushy/icy stuff - but yes she has survived so far.

She needs new tires - hates the look of the WRG3 - she wants a beefy tire. So far the only 19" one she can live with visually is the Zeon LTZ, but I am not sure they will ultimately be much different than the DuraTracs. So, I was contemplatiing getting Winter tires, which would justify the non-beefy look for a while and then getting something for summer next Spring. I noticed there was an 18" accessory wheel from Land Rover for the 2006-2008 RR, but so far I have not found them at a reasonable price. I don't know if the 18" wheels from 2002-2005 will fit or not....Getting 18" wheels would open up more options for beefy tires for her.

 

[gsxr]

Ok - I have to ask as I am in the midwest we do get a fair amount of snow at times. Are you guys mounting winter tires with the expectation of using them offroad at some point or is it simply because the all season tires don't work well with the fluff on the roads? I've driven through a blizzard in a 2wd SUV with all seasons and survived quite well.

We do not get much snow in Boise area, but there is a lot of ice. All-seasons are not any better on ice than summer tires. Dedicated snow tires also use a different rubber compound that remains flexible at sub-freezing temperatures. I don't plan on going off-road with the snows

My justification is that a set of snow tires is far cheaper than bent sheet metal and increased insurance premiums. A set of snows generally will last us 4-6 winters, although depending on how many miles you rack up, you may experience shorter lifespan.

See attached PDF file for a good article about the difference between all-season tires and winter tires.