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I Put All-Terrain Tires On My RRS and Love 'em...

90K views 123 replies 44 participants last post by  macky 
#1 ·
I did a bunch of homework on what's available for the 20 inch wheel in an All-Terrain tire and size wise it really comes down to a 275/55/20 if you are looking for an A/T that has the parameters I was looking for.

The owners of a LR dealership local to me put the 285/50/20's on their full size Range Rover but can't lower it without rubbing (wheel wells are same size as RRS). The 285's are the same circumference as the stock tire, but they're considerably wider. The width is apparently the problem.

I have read of other people going with the 285, but I was advised against it by several tire dealers who know the '14 RRS. Caveat Emptor...

The 275's are a little wider than stock, but just about an inch taller. Plenty of calculators on the webs if you want to see how they all size up. Bottom line: perfect fit. Fill the wheel well nicely, stay inside the body panels and no rub anywhere under any condition.

One note, the computer is adjusting to the tire size for mileage calcs et al, but the speedo is no doubt off a bit. I spoke with my dealer who said it cant be adjusted, but I also spoke with an independent who said "no problem." In any event, heard from guys that say they didn't even bother loading the new tire size. I'm going to GPS it and see how far off I am.

Ok, so which tire? I focused on a "true" all terrain tire that was as mild as possible in tread design, sacrificed as little as possible in on-road performance, and was as quiet as an A/T can be. I looked at everything.

I ended up with the Discount Tire aka Americas Tire Co. proprietary version of the Cooper Discover AT3. Based on hours of research, the AT3 is the best of the bunch. Of course everyone has their favorite, but the positive comments from reviewers and the boards were overwhelmingly positive over any other tire.

I chose the Discount Tire version called the ATP. You can only buy this version from them. The tire is identical to the AT3 except that it has its own distinctive tread pattern. The tread is similar to the Cooper LTZ, which appears to be popular with a lot of the Land Rover LR series guys. But, per Cooper, the AT3/ATP are the most advanced A/T tire they make now.

I spoke with Cooper Tires Corporation directly about the two versions and was told that the ATP runs a little quieter than the AT3. Other than that, no difference. From a looks perspective the ATP is a clear winner over the AT3 IMHO. Either way, both great tires.

Best part is that the 275/55/20 can be dropped at your door for about $150.00 per tire after rebates. Or, you can go to your local tire store and pay a little bit more. Either way, they are a lot of tire for the money. Consumer reports rates them over everything, for whatever that's worth.

I've put about 300 miles on the tires. They lose to the stock Michelin Latitudes at the limit which is to be expected and turn in isn't quite as sharp. I can feel that it's a stiffer tire and maybe a little heavier. All that being said the handling dynamics really haven't changed . Ride is very smooth and quiet. I don't miss the latitude Sports at all.

I was told to run the fronts at 30lbs and the rears at 40lbs. However, based on load limits between the AT3 and the Latitude you could lower the AT3 down to 26lbs and it still rated for more weight than the Michelin. No reason to run that low, though.

The tires really transform the look of this truck IMO. It looks like an SUV that means business. Frankly, LR should offer an A/T as an option.

I also had the tire dealer drop one of the new mounted tires into the spare tire carrier and it fits perfectly. Lid is flat.

I cant believe LR puts a frigging "spare" in any of their RRS's. Its a ****ty skinny tire on a steel wheel. They pack the compartment with Styrofoam so they can load a full sized tire in there if they want to. What a joke.

I'll load some pics shortly but they aren't very good.

in the meantime - http://www.discounttiredirect.com/d....do&fl=&pc=15946&counter=0&ar=55&rd=20&cs=275
 
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#6 ·
One more comment on tire sizing for a more aggressive mounted to the 20" wheel:

You can run a 275/50/20 which almost equals the 255/55/20 that comes stock, but there are very few choices as I saw it. Also, the tire isn't quite as tall as stock. Very small difference, but I was looking to pick up some extra clearance.
 
#8 ·

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#9 ·
Here are a couple more. Stock tire are roughly 31" my new tires are 32" which means I was able to roll up that foot tall rock. Stock tire would have put my bumper into stone. Imagine 35's on these trucks. Cant wait to embarrass someone out at the desert. Until they see me worrying about scratches that is...
 

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#13 ·
Cant wait to embarrass someone out at the desert. Until they see me worrying about scratches that is...
So true - I would love to take mine to use it as intended as well, but am still too worried about the scratches - give me a few months!! Tires look great - truck looks mean with some true all terrain shoes.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for posting this! I've been investigating off-road tires as well, since the stock tires are inadequate for the back roads of Hawai'i's Big Island. Sadly, there are no Discount Tire stores here in Hawai'i, and the drive to California is through a pond a bit too deep for even the Range Rover, so my quest continues. But I now have a size I know will fit!

Thanks for the pics - your RRS looks great with the new 'shoes.'
 
#14 ·
Yeah I'm digging the white. I like the look of the door moldings, and the mud flaps look good in person too.

Did you happen to catch the silver side mirror covers? Also added the silver rails for the racks. Kind of balances things out with the black wheels.

Boys and their toys...
 
#25 ·
Wrong??? Read my post...

"I focused on a "true" all terrain tire that was as mild as possible in tread design, sacrificed as little as possible in on-road performance, and was as quiet as an A/T can be."

LT for my application (and most anyone driving an RRS) isn't necessary unless you plan on doing some serious rock crawling. Which I'm not going to be doing.

fwiw, I have run almost every A/T M/T tire known to man on almost as many vehicles. In addition, I have done some professional off-road racing running class 1.

I would recommend the ATP or AT3 to anyone who is looking for a solid well rounded A/T tire for the RRS

"LT" doesn't mean anything special depending on application. Go put in the hours reviewing every post on every truck/off-road forum, and tire reviews by every leading off-road magazine relating to this tire (all glowingly positive) and get back to me.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Note that not all Cooper AT3 sizes are LT rated. The 275/55R20 is not, for example (it is a P-rated, XL load range tire, just like the Cooper ATP in that same size.) Cooper's own web site (www.coopertire.com) neatly lists them separately, under either Light Truck (LT rated) or Sport Utility (P rated). I have been off-roading my Sport and LR4 fairly regularly for years on A/Ts that are not LT, and I've been doing just fine. Sure it would be nice to have the near bulletproof strength, 10-ply sidewall and deep tread of an E-range tire when off-roading over more demanding terrains, I could definitely have avoided some flats here and there, but the inherent disadvantages of a Light Truck tire (heavier and noisier, and the stiffer compound normally results in a harsher ride) outweigh the advantages for my daily driver. I should add that I am not into switching wheels from street to dirt anymore - I used to in the beginning, but that got old real fast, like me. :lol:
 
#27 · (Edited)
Just noticed that Goodyear USA is now listing the Wrangler DuraTrac in a 255/55R19 size. Besides the short sidewall, if you have 19" wheels that tire looks good on paper, it's more of a A/T-M/T "hybrid" than a pure All-Terrain design so it should do better especially in mud and snow than the other tires discussed here. That size is not LT rated, XL only, but it's got a good 111 load index - should be plenty good for the Sport, both the old L320 and the new one - a decent speed index so it should do well on the road and not just off it (although I imagine that aggressive, mud inspired tread may make it noisier than the average A/T) and it is severe snow rated, so good for winter driving as well. Don't know if anyone has it in stock yet - in Europe this tire has been available for a while and lots of Disco3/4 and RRS owners have been raving about its capabilities.

Info: http://www.goodyear.com/en-US/tires...save&webprodid=354&productcode=31200802700000
 
#29 ·
Day 1 impressions:

On unpaved roads, huge improvement.
On paved roads: I am not 100% sure yet. There is a different feel to the truck now. I am still trying to determine if it is an "issue", or just a new feel that I will get used to. It seems a little more floaty, side to side, when at normal speeds. I had the tires installed at a local tire shop and did not have them do any alignment work. It may just need to go into LR and have them check the alignment, while I have them adjust the speedo.

Question for you Desert Dave. How did you change the tire size settings? (I did not get an owner's manual when I bought the vehicle and it is "in the mail").
 
#30 ·
MD if you ordered the 55's the car will correct automatically may take a few days though.

In terms of feel try running 35 lbs front and rear. I started at 30 front and 40 rear.

The tires will initially feel different than the summer sports but I've found them to be. Good compromise.

Play w your tire pressure...

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#32 ·
Thought I would revive this old thread for an update. I corrected the pressures and they are much better now. I also got my first opportunity to test them out in snow today. Northern VA had a quick clipper come through and drop a few inches. The temperatures were low enough to have it stick everywhere, pavement temps in the low 20's. Since it was a very dry snow, it became very slick when compacted. We had not had enough to plow when I drove in and I saw countless cars, SUV's and school buses in ditches or sliding around. While the Cooper AT3's are not classified as a true snow tire, they handled exceptionally. So, anyone still on the fence about these, or the Zeons, get off the fence. :) They work very well on road, off road (dirt, gravel, grass), and in snow. Very happy with my decision. Thanks again DesertDave!
 
#33 ·
"......One note, the computer is adjusting to the tire size for mileage calcs et al, but the speedo is no doubt off a bit. I spoke with my dealer who said it cant be adjusted, but I also spoke with an independent who said "no problem." In any event, heard from guys that say they didn't even bother loading the new tire size. I'm going to GPS it and see how far off I am........"

hi thanks for reviving this thread. very useful info as i'm getting new tires in a month. was thinking of just getting yokohama from discount tire, but now leaning toward these cooper discoverers. 25k miles on my stock tires and still got plenty of tread even after doing some light offroading. one question for DesertDave and/or MD-Dave, has your speedometer adjusted to the new tires? or is it off and by how much? if it is or can be adjusted then i'm sold on these tires.
 
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