d2 winter tires

[troy]

what do you d2 guys run for good winter tires ? i have 255/65/16 yoko geolander at/s they seem a bit wide for winter and they do not have the snowflake on them so where i live the man will give you a ticket for this , i see you can get steel wheels for them can any one suggest a good wheel tire size combo ... thanks troy

[Greg S]

...they do not have the snowflake on them so where i live the man will give you a ticket for this ...

Last I checked, Castlegar was still in British Columbia. They haven't changed the law here yet and likely won't for another year or two, so Snow tires are still valid for winter driving. You need to have the "M&S" (Mud and Snow) designation on the sidewall. Unless Castlegar city council has adopted their own bylaw about tires.

[exmod90]

On our Disco 11 up here in PG , we run with Toyo open country A/T's - 255/55R18 . They work very well both in winter and summer driving conditions . Gerry

[troy]

all i know greg is that last year when i was buying tires for the 62 i was talking to the guys at the tire shop and they were saying they were handing out tickets for tires that did not have the snow flake on the side of the tire regardless if it had m and s .

[PaulC]

Well at least you have 16 rims, a buddy has some 18/s and cant find a well priced set of 16's locally.

Anyway I run BFG AT's as my daily driver and winter tires and they are long lasting pretty good on the trail (although I typically run MT's on trail days) and they have the snow/mountain symbol on the sidewall.

Quote from the MV Act.

Motor Vehicle Act
Section 208 (1) For the purpose of this section, "winter tire" means a tire that is:
(a) advertised or represented by its manufacturer or a person in the business of selling tires to be a tire intended principally for winter use, and that provides, or is designed to provide, adequate traction in snow or mud; and
(b) in the condition respecting tread wear and other particulars the regulations prescribe.
(2) The minister responsible for the administration of the Transportation Act may, by public notice or by placing signs, prohibit vehicles from being driven or operated on a highway that are not equipped with chains, winter tires or sanding devices, or a combination of these the minister considers adequate and necessary in view of prevailing road conditions.
(3) For the purposes of a prosecution under this section, the onus is on the defendant to prove that a tire alleged not to be a winter tire is in fact a winter tire.

Not from the act but info from traffic serives.

Are all season tires considered to be winter tires? NO. All season radials are not by law approved winter tires because they are not intended principally for winter use. Winter tires will have a symbol of a mountain peak with a snowflake on the sidewalls. Tires marked with the letters “M+S”, or “mud and snow”, provide safe all-weather condition, but may not always be suitable for severe snow conditions. The “M+S” rating is not a reliable indicator of a good winter tire. Consumers should research their tire "Mud and Snow" ratingoptions and make an informed decision that may save lives on an icy road. The law also says a winter tire must have no less than 3.5 mm of rubber tread on it.

[rezdiver]

here is some good info
http://www.drivesmartbc.ca/equipment/us ... rry-chains

[davran]

My wife has the stock 255/65x16" size Pirelli Scorpion winter tires on her Disco-2, and I find they're too wide as they grab snow too much and push. Next time I'm switching to 245/75s or 235/85s for the winter (understanding that they're differnent in diameter). Otherwise the Pirellis are fine.

My Father-in-law has BFG ATs on his Durango, and they're very good winter tires. I've been told though that not all BFG ATs are snoflake rated, so you have to check each size of them to find out.

[Greg S]

all i know greg is that last year when i was buying tires for the 62 i was talking to the guys at the tire shop and they were saying they were handing out tickets for tires that did not have the snow flake on the side of the tire regardless if it had m and s .

That would be in Quebec. IIRC Quebec is the only juridiction in Canada to require by law the NEW Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) snowflake on a mountain insignia, on tires used in winter months. And as per Dave R's comment that not all BFG AT's have the snowflake, I can only presume that it is because they are still selling stock that predates the RAC Snowflake approval for those tires, it isn't because the tires are any different.

If they are handing out tickets in your area for not having the snowflake insignia, something is wrong, like the Mountie doesn't know his business. (naw, that wouldn't be the case) But the Snowflake thing IS coming to a province near you.

[Rob]

I have been running Canadian Tire High Traction radials 245 75 R16 on my D2 for almost two years now and I use it as a daily driver as well as weekend off-roading. These tires are an all-terrain tire so they are a bit noisey on the highway and being E rated (10ply) they are a truck tire rather than a car tire as the original tires were. These tires have good overall traction in most conditions, are taller so they lift the truck up abit and they are wearing very well with little sign of wear plus they are inexpensive. They lifted the rover quite a bit from the stock tires but I have no trouble with rubbing and I di not do any trimming or suspension modifications. The High Traction Radials have been discontinued but I believe the new version Canadian Tire sells is the Goodyear Wrangler Territory Product #06-2435-2 which happen to be on sale right now!

I would buy these tires for my D2 again

Regards, Rob
2001 D2

[DaveB]

all i know greg is that last year when i was buying tires for the 62 i was talking to the guys at the tire shop and they were saying they were handing out tickets for tires that did not have the snow flake on the side of the tire regardless if it had m and s .

That would be in Quebec. IIRC Quebec is the only juridiction in Canada to require by law the NEW Rubber Association of Canada (RAC) snowflake on a mountain insignia, on tires used in winter months. And as per Dave R's comment that not all BFG AT's have the snowflake, I can only presume that it is because they are still selling stock that predates the RAC Snowflake approval for those tires, it isn't because the tires are any different.

If they are handing out tickets in your area for not having the snowflake insignia, something is wrong, like the Mountie doesn't know his business. (naw, that wouldn't be the case) But the Snowflake thing IS coming to a province near you.

Greg, If you expect to drive on any mountain passes, the snowflake is required. See Reza's link... Since Castlegar is surrounded on all sides by said mountain passes, then troy will need real winter tires if he intends to leave town. I've driven all those passes and they're all posted – and can be pretty tense in the winter!

As far as what tire, I've used the BFG Winter Slalom – wasn't that impressed, the BFG Commercial Traction TA – excellent adhesion and control, Firestone Winterforce – best so far. All of these come in various 16" sizes, although the Commercial Traction TA is limited to 235/85R16, but that should fit fine on a D2. (Might be a bit tight for a D1 or RRC without a lift, though.)

I usually stud them too, but the Winterforces that I currently have are not studded. I picked them up used on Craiglist with about 70% tread left. If they're this good used, they must have been awesome new.

Dave

[troy]

thanks for the replies , do you guys just use the factory aluminum wheels or buy skinner steel wheels ? i was looking for a set and see that british pacific sells some but they are a little $$$ , this thing doesnt have a lift its stock so i guess iam kind of limited to the height ....troy

[DaveB]

I'd love to have an extra set of rims, but so far the dollars haven't stretched that far. Tire shops charge between $80 & $100 for re&re & balance, so it will take a number of seasons before spare rims pay for themselves. I guess after 5 years or so now, they would have paid for themselves, but I just didn't have the cash up front. I just use the stock alloy wheels.

Dave

[davran]

Troy,

The tire manufacturers' websites usually have specs on the narrowest and widest rims for a certain size tire. I'm adamament about keeping within these specs, but some people aren't bothered.

In school I used to change a lot of tires at my Cousin's shop, and tires shouldn't be re-and-re'd too much, as it ends up destroying the bead. I highly recommend finding a seperate set of wheels for snows, which I'll do for Cyndi's D2. Are steel wheels for D2s generally available? I've heard that RR-Classic wheels fit on the D2s, but not the D1s: is that correct?

Tootles,

[ANDYD]

I believe the Discovery 2 and the later Range Rovers P38 (95-01) are compatable but all the wheels avaialable will be Alloy not steel.

My D2 has 18inch wheels so I am looking at the BFG A/T's 265-65-18
Not sure yet how they will work on a stock 2003 D2 but will let you know.
(Paul, has your friend not thought of going this route?).

Cheers,
Andy :D

[DaveB]

Hey there. Andy. The BFG ATs are great tires, but its worth noting that they aren't rate with the mountain and snowflake, at least the set i had weren't a feww years back...

You're correct, the P38 Range Rover shares rims with the D2 while the D1 has the same rims as the Range Rover Classic and same bolt patter as the defenders and series trucks. (although most Discovery and Range Rover wheels are not interchangeable with Defender wheels, unless they're the much harder to find steel wheels.)

I would agree with you David, that you don't want to be re&reing more than necessary, but a careful tires shop on equipment in decent condition should be able to do it safely many times, and since tires usually only last about 5 years, we're only talking about 5 times. In my experience it hasn't been a problem. It's also worth noting that the safety beads on the D2 aluminum rims are some of the toughest I've ever come across. The tire shop always has a struggle breaking the beads, which gives me a feeling of confidence about how well the tires will stay on the rims at various tire pressures. Dave

[PaulC]

Andy - yup he got some 18/s used.

Dave my BFG AT's do have the Mountain/Snowflake winter tire rating and they are about 4 or 5 years old?

[DaveB]

Andy - yup he got some 18/s used.

Dave my BFG AT's do have the Mountain/Snowflake winter tire rating and they are about 4 or 5 years old?

Cool! Mine were about 7 years ago, so an upgrade along the way, I guess.

Dave

[PaulC]

Yea I was surprised, in fact I had to go down and double check. While they have proved very effective as snow tires I would Imagine that a well engineered Snow Tire would still be a better choice.

[ANDYD]

Hi Guys

Do you know of any Stock D2's with the 265-65-18' BFG AT

I can find loads of Forum info on 16" Disco tires but not much on 18" tires!

BFG site says they are 31.7 Dia, I guess its going to be tight on the front?

My current 255-55-18 are only 28.5 Dia, seems a big jump for one size up?

Andy

[D2000]

I have 265-60-18 (30.5" DIA). With the stock springs (actually was 3/4" lower than factory height). I only had about 1" clearance between the lower part of the front bumper and tire.

Your 2003 has a different front bumper than my 2000. I think it might be tighter on my truck as the bumper comes down a little lower.

Maybe you can measure in-between the front bumper and tire and see if you have 2"+ clearance or new springs, bumper ........ :D

[ANDYD]

Thanks for the info, I have measured and its showing that there is clearance but its not very much!

They are going on today so I will let you know!

Cheers,
Andy

[ANDYD]

Well, I put on the 265-65-18 BFG A/T on my stock 2003 D2...

So far no rubbing on full lock or medium articulation, still haven't pushed them to full articulation yet.
They sure look better, with a more realistic size-ratio-to-vehicle look than the weeny tires that Land Rover put on from the factory... :wink:

I did consider 16" wheels with the 235-85-16- more rubber is the way to go when off roading, but new wheels and tires were just not in the budget this year...

Cheers,
Andy

[Bill E.]

Hey, what's goin' on Andy, you know you're not allowed to take that truck off-road.

[ANDYD]

LOL :lol:

Hey Bill, that's what they said about my Range Rover Classic when it was only a few years old.....

It's just amatter of time before the new Land Rover becomes the old land Rover....

In Fifthteen years time we will all be running 2010 beaten up old Range Rover Sports with Mud tires through the Whipsaw ! :wink: