Wheels and Tires?

[msdavenport87]

Got a 2012 LR4 that had 19" OEM wheels and I replaced with 20 x 8.5" aftermarket wheels with 265/50/R20 Toyo Open Country A/T 3 tires. The offset is pretty close to fitting in the wheel well with very little overhang, however, there is some. At road height the front tires do lightly hit the frame rail on a full wheel lock and any non-level ground. At off-road height there is no rubbing at all. I have since installed Proud Rhino's lift arms which places the vehicle at approximately the off-road height by tricking the system into keeping the airbags filled. Pics to follow if I weren't so lazy.

So, on to the question; I want to drop down to 18" wheels due to the availability issues we're all cognizant of already. However, I need a suggestion of a simple, low-cost wheel that'll fit. I wish someone still made the steel "NATO wheels" that Atlantic British and others carried several years ago. The Terrafirma steelies are cool, but they require the use of spacers to clear the brake rotors, and in doing so void's being able to use Discount Tire's lifetime balancing and rotation service, as their lawyers forbid the use of spacers. Suggestions??

 

[ryanjl]

Lose the lift rods. They aren't doing you any favors.

Tuffant or New Defender steelies for steel wheels.

Compomotive, Evo Corse, or Tuffant for aluminum wheels. There are other aluminum wheels people have found that work. It's trial and error.

 

[msdavenport87]

What's wrong with the lift rods?

 

[ryanjl]

What's wrong with the lift rods?

Do a search for "lift rods."

 

[ftillier]

I was looking into the same thing, and was pleasantly surprised that the Toyo open country at3 come in 255/60R19. I'll be going with those, and the OEM wheels. My original plan was Tuffant steelies with bfg ko2, but I'm certain this will do the trick for me, at about half the cost.

 

[msdavenport87]

Lose the lift rods. They aren't doing you any favors.

Tuffant or New Defender steelies for steel wheels.

Compomotive, Evo Corse, or Tuffant for aluminum wheels. There are other aluminum wheels people have found that work. It's trial and error.

So, I did a quick forum search on lift rods and it seems the jury is still somewhat divided on that subject. I can see the validity of the bump stop spacers being added, and if I keep the lift rods, I will add those to prevent being stranded or worse at highway speeds.

As for the wheels, what appeals to me are the Tuff Ant steelies, especially since they don't require spacers ala, Terrafirm/Compomotive steelies. Evo Corse are pretty, but too rich for my budget. I don't know what "New Defender" steelies are, and can only assume you mean the steel wheels available for the 2021 Defender?

What do you run on your Landie?

 

[jlglr4]

The Tuffants seem to be a good wheel and have a pretty strong following. Company was very responsive when I was asking questions about them. I went with compos and BFG KO2s mainly because I couldn’t wait for the Tuffants to come back in stock at the time I needed them.

On the lift rods, not sure why anyone goes that route instead of just buying the GAP IID tool and adjusting the ride height. The tool is almost a must-have in my mind for repair/maintenance purposes (especially as these cars age), so you’re killing two birds with one stone. But, I haven‘t messed with the suspension settings, so maybe there’s some reason people still use the rods - not sure.

 

[CRYA]

Funny enough I went with a set of 4 compos in black and finally getting serious about off roading decided I needed a matching spare. Compos weren’t available and since it’s the spare, I saved a few hundred and bought one Tuffant steelie in the same spec as the compo. The US rep is super responsive. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy either Tuffant from them. Just depends on if “the container has arrived”. How many times have we heard that the past few years…

I think Alpha Equipt is the other wheel. Did I just see something pop up on Lucky 8s IG about carrying them?

 

[Jrkramer76]

What's wrong with the lift rods?

I like the life rods personally.

 

[Jrkramer76]

Lift rods…