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Larger tires on DS?

66K views 59 replies 28 participants last post by  fossl 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of getting some new tires for my DS and was wondering what is the largest that would still fit on my 18" rims (currently 235/60R18). Whilst the opening is huge, I noticed there's not that much space between the tire and the front shock on the inside, but can probably add another 1" in height and width. Has anybody tried 255/55R18, 245/60/R18 or even 255/60R18?

Will also be great to get some feedback on all terrain tires in those sizes - maybe the BFG KO2's?
 
#4 ·
I ended up going for a 245/60R18 and it fits perfect, slightly bigger than the 235's. Chickened out from doing the BFG KO2's and rather went with the Michelin Defender LTX. Had those on my LR3 and Evoque and they do pretty well off-road as well as in rain and snow and last forever (say somebody that spend 99% driving in town back and forth to the office every day - and wish he was doing more off-road!).

I seriously doubt you can go bigger than this without a lift kit, there's literally only 1/2' space between the front tire and the coils spring.
 
#6 · (Edited)
LR of Seattle had a Disco Sport on 265/60/R18 Wranglers a while ago. It looks like it just manages to fit without rubbing but I didn’t have the chance to check it out before it was purchased. Seeing as it was a new car sold by a large dealer, the tires should’ve fit without any issues in order for them to sell it to their customers. View attachment 6928 View attachment 6930 View attachment 6932
 
#7 ·
Great timing for this post cartrucks! I have been doing a little research on this for a few weeks now.
DS looks fantastic with 265/60/R18 tires.
*I wonder if they had to use spacers? (Probably not...)
*With this tire size is there enough room for cable chains if needed. (I always carry them in the winter however have only needed then twice in 10 years on my LR3).
*Would snow / mud get stuck into wheel well openings with the space much tighter.

The stock tire on the 20" wheel with 245/45/20 the total height is 28.5"
For the 20" wheel you can put on 275/45/20 the total height is 30"
Or for the 20" wheel you can put on 265/50/20 the total height is 30.5"
I see that most DS owners with 18" wheels are going with 255/55/R18 - the total tire height is 29"
The photos show the 265/60/R18 This will have a total tire height of 30.5" So I think this may be the max height for the DS and still have everything work.

It would be great to hear from someone that has fitted a 30.5" tire and know if there are any issues or concerns on the DS. I just purchased a set of 18" wheels on Craigslist and will put either the 255s or 265s on next week. I feel like the 255 is a safe bet, however these photos have me thinking more about the 265s.
Here is another photo -
 

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#54 ·
Great timing for this post cartrucks! I have been doing a little research on this for a few weeks now.
DS looks fantastic with 265/60/R18 tires.
*I wonder if they had to use spacers? (Probably not...)
*With this tire size is there enough room for cable chains if needed. (I always carry them in the winter however have only needed then twice in 10 years on my LR3).
*Would snow / mud get stuck into wheel well openings with the space much tighter.

The stock tire on the 20" wheel with 245/45/20 the total height is 28.5"
For the 20" wheel you can put on 275/45/20 the total height is 30"
Or for the 20" wheel you can put on 265/50/20 the total height is 30.5"
I see that most DS owners with 18" wheels are going with 255/55/R18 - the total tire height is 29"
The photos show the 265/60/R18 This will have a total tire height of 30.5" So I think this may be the max height for the DS and still have everything work.

It would be great to hear from someone that has fitted a 30.5" tire and know if there are any issues or concerns on the DS. I just purchased a set of 18" wheels on Craigslist and will put either the 255s or 265s on next week. I feel like the 255 is a safe bet, however these photos have me thinking more about the 265s.
Here is another photo -
Love this! I am actually looking to do the same thing. I am going to add an Eibach Pro Lift Kit (30mm = ~1.5" lift), additionally, I am adding 25mm (1") spacers. My hopes would be to get 265/65/18 on my 2018 Disco Sport. I love the look in the picture you attached with the 265/60/18. The 265/60R18 = 30.5x10.4R18 . The 265/65R18 = 31.6x10.4R18.
I think the lift and spacers will create plenty of space, but I'm not sure about the bottom of the coil spring on the front end. It seems like the only piece that concerns me about if they will fit.

Beyond the fit, does anyone know what sort of side-effects this could have on other components? Will this hurt engine performance? And I dont mean MPG. Clearly, that will be reduced, but I'm more concerned about all the electronics or other components. I dont want to do something that will ultimately result in bigger damage down the road.

Last question. If the larger tires throw off the speedometer, does anyone know if you can recalibrate that so it is accurate again?

Thank you all for the help.
 
#8 ·
All, I just put a set of 255/65/R17 on our 2017 DS. Working with the installer (Discount Tire) the max recommended outer diameter they could guarantee no rubbing was 30.12in. I don't know if this is recommended by Discount or by LR. I had in mind going with the 245/70R17 which give 30.5in outer diameter. I chose the Falkens instead of the BFGs because of the cost (50USD a corner + full size spare) and I read that the K02s are noisier than the Falkens.

By the way, my list of size calculations and available tires is below as is a picture of the installed tires.

I have not experienced any rubbing or contact in the last two weeks I've had them. The have a bit more road noise and a slight decrease in economy.

Keeping in mind you can probably get away with the 30.5in out diameter without a lift or spacers but you'll also decrease the usable travel and space in the wheel well for chains. (Though I'm not sure where you're going where you would need AT tires + chains.)
@Rob Bell to answer your question 17 or 18 there are a lot of good reasons to go with the smaller rim diameter to increase the amount of sidewall especially in situations where you might air down the tires, such as on sand. Larger sidewalls also give greater protection against pinching on hard obstacles. I live in SoCal so sand and rocks were my main concern.

With regards to width you actually gain more contact patch in a air down tire with greater diameter than by going a few cm wider. A wider tire also increases rolling resistance and will decrease economy all other things being equal. However, there is also the look, if you like that. IMO I like the tall narrow cookie cutter look.

You would also have to factor in the expense of getting a 17in rim. I went with the new Boxer from Black Rhino. Personally I think it looks the business.

Next time I need tires I will likely get a 2in lift and put taller tires on. Will you please let me know if you have any questions?

Best,
PH
 

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#10 ·
The Disco Sport looks really nice with that combo of rims and tires (and that roof rack as well) @ph001c

I was considering purchasing a set of 265/60/R18 Cooper AT3 4S but I've been putting it off. Seeing as it is less than 0.4in taller than the tires you have on, could you send post a couple pictures of the front wheels at full lock? I am most concerned about rubbing while turning as the space in the front wheel well decreases considerably when the wheels aren't straight. I've bought 10mm and 30mm wheel spacers to test fit, but I've heard that tire centers refuse fitting wheels on cars with aftermarket spacers so I would like to make sure the tires can fit without any modifications. Thanks!
 
#12 ·
@BrianC thanks!
@cartrucks I really liked the Cooper AT3 and have read good reviews. I will get a couple of pictures this weekend at full lock and post them as you requested. My gut sense is that they will probably fit without rubbing at full lock without spacers as long as the suspension is not loaded/compressed. Cool avatar pic, by the way.
 
#14 ·
@cartrucks

Following are the pictures you requested. This is the fronts (of course) at full lock. I tried to get a tape measure in there to give you an idea of the gap. Because of the awkward angle it looks on the tape to be MORE space than is actually there. For example at the front of the well at full lock it appears to be 1 1/4in (31mm) it's actually more like 1in (25mm).

The story is the same at the rear of the well which appears to be about 1in (25mm) but is more like 3/4in (19mm). By the way, that exposed screw (just below the tape) is more flush with the wheel well than it appears in the picture although it does have some prominence.

No problem to the top of the wheel at the front or rear tires.

Given that my tires calculated diameter is 30.1in you could probably get away with it without rubbing if the car was not loaded and the suspension was not compressed. It would be tight. I personally wouldn't do it unless I was also going to raise the suspension.
 

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#55 ·
Hows the space on that coil spring? It looks like it's getting tight in there. I know it's not rubbing, but it looks close. I believe you went with 30.1 or 30.5 diameter tires. Say you went with a 265/65/18, which comes in at 265/65R18 = 31.6x10.4R18, do you think that extra 1"+ makes it hit that?
 
#15 ·
All,

Had the DS out for some light off-roading around Lake Arrowhead CA area last weekend. Conditions were mixed, some sand, some water some mud. Disco and tires did well for the most part. I used the mud/ruts program or sand program for most terrain. Also I found using sport mode with paddle shift was very helpful. Hill descent kicked on in a few cases and a really cool digital inclinometer showed up on the digital dash.

Following are some pictures. I also posted some video on youtube. Link below.





On my first attempt at the larger uphill climb you can see the front right spin in air which tells me it wasn't transferring torque to the tires with traction. I know we don't have locking differentials but with the program engaged I would have thought I still would have been able to climb it in that circumstance.

By the way, my buddies Armada (on 20in street tires) was not able to make it up either the smaller or the larger incline.

Does anyone have detailed info on the AWD system? Who is the supplier? (Is it Haldex?) How does it work exactly?
 

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#23 ·
You should save sand mode for beach driving. It allows the wheels to spin a lot more.
On that attempted climb, if you were in mud & ruts, you just needed to keep the throttle on for another half second and it would have braked that spinning wheel. It feels a clumsy method if you’ve had diff lockers before but you get used to how it works, and it’s what LR teaches you for when you have diagonally opposite wheels in the air.

My setup is just like yours, **** thing goes everywhere it can physically clear no troubles!
 
#16 ·
@ph001c Thanks for the pictures; they're very helpful.

To my knowledge, the DS uses Haldex Gen 5. Some say that it's worse than the Gen 4 system (Found in pre-facelift Evoques and LR2s) due to a lack of an accumulator for the clutch pack. It's supposedly less responsive and less capable, only better due to its lightness and compactness for better integration for manufacturers. It seems as like that might be true; I'm assuming you had traction control off? TC might help somewhat with the braking of individual wheels.

I haven't encountered many cross-axle situations in my DS yet so I can't give an opinion on it. However, when compared to the AWD systems of the likes of the Honda Passport, LR's TR seems woefully inferior:
[ame]https://youtu.be/D5joCUGu18Q?t=540[/ame]
 
#19 ·
I ended up getting the 265/60-18 tires. Changed out the 20" wheels I had for 18" then purchased the AT tires. I have to say its a much better ride than the 20" was giving, however the gas milage did go down about 5% or so. Huge difference in the traction in snow, and off road, and many kudos on the new utilitarian look of the Discovery.

No doubt this is the max size tire. I get a very slight tire rub full lock to the right on a U turn however not the left for some reason. Tire is close to the strut however does not touch it even off road because the strut moves at the same time. Anyway here are some before and after photos.
 

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#25 ·
@outbackgeo

Thanks for the reply. Do you know of any technical documentation on the terrain system, what each setting does specifically? Being an engineer this would help me immensely when I apply it to driving. The owners manual information is sparse, to put it mildly. There's some general info out there about the Haldex but my understanding is that the performance is largely up to the software tuning specific to the mfg. LR engineers may have decided on different tuning than VW, for example.

For example, an earlier post mentioned that you should have terrain selected and the TCS turned off. To me, if you turned on a terrain setting it should automatically disengage TCS. But then, what do I know?

Did you take the LR driving course or did you just learn from experience about the diagonally opposite wheels?


Thanks in advance.
 
#26 ·
I haven’t seen any technical information, but I got told the basics on the course they give you when you buy the car. I don’t think they would share their specs in any detail anyway. I did find this document:

https://www.landrover.co.uk/explore...nology/technology-guide-terrain-response.html

It covers the basic ethos but to be honest you can feel what’s going on in the 3 modes that I have, plus if you look at the 4x4i screen it will tell you what the centre diff is doing.

My unofficial summary would be:

Sand - high power (lower gearing higher revving), fast throttle, TC dialled back to 20%, centre diff locked. The cross axle slip allows you to maintain momentum even if the car is drifting (I turn of DSC too, but they aren’t allowed) which prevents you from sinking in.

M&R - high torque, slow throttle response, delayed TC (this spin before TC brakes the wheel is to clear mud from your tread and to dig in a little to find a firmer base - opposite to beach driving), this mode feels clumsy at first but when you get used to it you learn to hold your throttle position and allow the wheel to spin then brake and drive the wheel with traction.

G/G/S - ignore gravel (unless you’ve gravelled your driveway with ball bearings) especially if you have AT tyres, this is for slow progress on very low traction surfaces like snow or a wet grassy field. High gearing, low torque, slow throttle, fast TC.

I could be slightly off with this summary so apply your own logic but it largely reflects how you would tackle things in normal 4WD. I know what you mean about needing to understand how it works in order to apply it correctly. Try tackling the same feature in the different modes a few times.

For the kind of stuff you were driving in those videos I would use M&R or probably general driving mode as it wasn’t actually that slippery. For firm/shallow sand I would also just use general. For rocky terrain where you may **** a wheel or 2, I would use M&R or general depending on how uneven the surface is.
 
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#28 ·
Hello all,

I wrote on a different thread but I found this one now and seems more appropriate.

I was in doubt about what higher wall tires I could install now thanks to your experience I am definitely going for 265/60R18 on my stock set lf rims. They should fit the rims isn’t? Stock tires are 235/60R18.

Also going for spacers and lift if I find a tech willing to install the springs around here.

Finally I need to decide between 6mm aluminum sump guard or a much cheaper 3mm steel? I would very much appreciate inputs in this regards.

Car is still extremely capable without any modification but I already hit the sump guard it’s definitely seating too low.

Some pics from last day off-roading.
 

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#29 ·
Hi all, sorry to revive an old thread but how many of you guys are running the 265/60/18 all terrain tyres without any issues?

I am looking to change my standard 235/60/18 road tyres to a set of 255/60/18 all terrain tyres for everyday use.

Does anyone think I will run into any issues with this size tyre? I will not be getting any lift etc done to the DS.

Thanks in advance!
 
#32 · (Edited)
Glad I ran across this thread. Looks like we may turn our 2015 DS into a little overlander. We have an 03 Discovery 2 HSE7 but I don’t feel it’s reliable enough to kit out and risk it, so it will go into grocery getter/soccer mom duty and the DS might make more sense to kit out for some light to moderate over landing. I’m leaning towards 275/45r20 with the 30mm Eibach lift springs...if they still make them? I haven’t checked in a few years. Anyone have the lift springs on their DS?

edit quick search found that the Eibach springs are still available..
 
#34 ·
The lift kit works great off road and when the car is loaded up. When mine was done there was bit more noise from them in tight manoeuvres and stopping/starting but that has subsequently quietened down. Also, the place I got them done broke my brake pad wear sensors. The main downsides are that the car sits higher in the travel so when running light you may feel it top out more often. The handling is still good but you'll definitely feel the less refined ride on the road as i guess it can't be quite as supple with less negative travel available. Off road the lift puts you nicely in the range of other 4WD's which is a huge benefit in rutted areas so you clear instead of scraping or dragging. If you're overlanding I'm guessing the car will be loaded up so it's probably a wise investment as you lose a lot of clearance well before GVM on stock springs.
 
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