Discovery II - Tyre Comparison

Looking for advice from those with experience of driving with different tyre makes. I currently have some Blizzak Winter Tyres on which are old and not the best on the motorway and have a rumble as they don't balance that well, so once the weather improves I'm going to change them.

Standard size 255/65R16

Problem is that reviews are all unqualified opinion and what is someones quiet rating could be noisy for someone else, unless it is a direct comparison with a known quantity So has anyone driven with both Goodyear and then swapped to say Yokohama on a standard D2 V8 and did you regret it ?

So the default fit was Goodyear Wrangler HP All Weather, which have a D fuel, C Wet Grip and 72db I suspect this would be the best choice for someone that stuck to motorways, but they aren't M+S and don't have 3 Peaks. Circa £145 each

Alternative 1 Toyo Open Country All Terrain, E Fuel, E Wet, 71db, tread looks better for off road, they aren't M+S and don't have 3 Peaks. but are the cheaper option at £120 each

Alternative 2 Yokohama Geolander AT G015 E fuel, C Wet Grip and 72db, tread looks better for off road, plus they are rated as true all season tyres with the 3 Peak winter rating. £135 each

Question 1 - Are Goodyear Wrangler really poor in snow, I don't do a lot of off roading but would like to be able to drive up a steepish hill which is covered in snow

Question 2 - How well behaved are Yokohama in comparison to Goodyear at motorway speeds in terms of noise and stability ?

Question 3 - What is the MPG difference between Goodyear and Yokohama ?

Please share your experience

Firstly Welcome .

First I would say to give any decent advice, which country county are you in because certain laws and all that garbage apply.
I.E if you need 4peaks tyres by law you are restricted. What are the normal road conditions where you live?

J

Good point, updated Signature with location

Goodyear ATs or General Grabber ATs. .
I have found to be fine on both motorways and snowy hills in the Dales.
On my D2 TD5 and my D1 300tdi.
Best of luck.

In my experience, it's difficult to better the factory tyres if still available.
LR did all the testing at the time, so why choose something other than the OE tyres, especially if they're still available. Obviously if you have a particularly need for mud tyres, then that's a different scenario, but for general road driving with occasional mild off road, the factory tyres will get the job done.
All of the LRs at the LR experience centre are on factory tyres, and they go everywhere there.

Nodge68 said:

In my experience, it's difficult to better the factory tyres if still available.
LR did all the testing at the time, so why choose something other than the OE tyres, especially if they're still available. Obviously if you have a particularly need for mud tyres, then that's a different scenario, but for general road driving with occasional mild off road, the factory tyres will get the job done.
All of the LRs at the LR experience centre are on factory tyres, and they go everywhere there.

Click to expand...

Having said this.
I do think Yokohama Geolander 015 are very good alternative to the factory tyres, and have the advantage of being 3 peaks rated.

If and when I purchase replacements they are always of the brand that my vehicle left the factory with.

So with my D1 they were standard Goodyear Eagle GT+4 which had the snow flake symbol, when replaced the now Goodyear replacement was Wrangler HP All Weather tyres and so fitted and are excellent in rain or snow, theres no snow or mountain peaks symbols but M+S is there, they are a very grippy tyre, the the only time my ABS activates is once a year when I do a brake test on a frost or snow covered road to see if it still work… it does.

In my experience, go for a grippy tyres but u pay for it with a lower milage.

Wrangler HP All Weather tyres do work, on one occasion on a steep snow covered hill on a residential road I drove up to aalongside a RRS stationary not going anywhere, I stopped alongside and asked the driver if he required a tow, “ thanks but no, i’v got traction control” ok, so I just took my foot of the brake and carried on up the hill with out any spinning of wheels… impressive stop and re-start on a snow cover hill, and my first and last time, snow is just one day thing in my part of the world… usually

One of the best things ever to come out of the EU were their tyre labels, particularly their noise ratings, these arent scubjective, they are scientifically measured...

As such there's no "they were quiet to him but they're making my ears bleed... The Decibels do not lie, but they are logarithmic, so a 2db jump from 69db to 71db is not ~3% louder, it is significantly louder, ostensibly it's double the volume, but for tyre ratings, you won't experience a doubling of the tyre noise making that kind of leap.

A bigger part of the experienced noise level inside the cabin is the vehicle construction, monocoques transmit more noise to the cabin that body on chassis construction. For example, our hippo makes FAR MORE noise on it's pretty aggressive mud tyres than our d1 300tdi did on an even more aggressive tyres. The reason for this is that the tyres transmit vibrations through the suspension, to the chassis, and on the hippo, as in all monocoques, the body IS the chassis, so road noise transmits straight into the body which then resonates like a drum barrel or a bell, making noise in the cabin. But, on the Discovery, you've got another set of rubber bushings in the body mounts attenuating the transmission of NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) into the cabin, so your D2 is a lot less susceptible to tyre derived noise in the cabin.

However, both hippo and disco, if fitted with the same tyres, make the same noise to the ears of someone they drive by, although the drivers of those vehicles would argue otherwise. So in light of the fact you're on a Disco2 tyre shopping is greatly simplified, it's down to a few qustions:
"How noisy are my current tyres" and same for the new ones you're looking at, look up their label[/B]
OR
"How do they handle?"; you can get an idea by reading the label's wet section "score", and more detailed feedback from a review online.
OR
How are they for fuel economy" - again, tyre label, this time fuel pump icon section, gives you a clue, forums and review sites will get you anecdotal informaiton / reviews.
OR
"How are they in X / Y / Z conditions?" such as mud, snow, offroad, etc - forum reviews are your friend.

FWIW in my experience, BFG all terrains are invisible to fuel economy, but grip in light terrain and snow, although they are a little bit sub par on HEAVY braking. Kuho KL71 Muds are noisier and thirsty, but have sports tyre levels of grip. Kumho MT51 are more like an all terrain than the KL71, but benefit from being quieter and less thirsty. Falken WILD Peak MT01 Muds are quieter than kumho muds, only a slight howl at ~50, downed out by engine noise at 60+, grip like crazy in all conditions, from tarmac to 3"+ snow, and minimal impact on fuel economy
Perhaps the Falken Wildpealk All Terrain with it's 71db noise rating is the tyre you're looking for?

All I can add is that BFG KO2's are very hard wearing, expect at least 50k from a set. I can't hear them over the sound of a TD5 at motorway speeds, although maybe that may be different for a v8. They are also expensive at ~200 quid each.
Also standard size is 235/70R16

When bought my Disco' 2 TD5 had Pirelli Scorpions. I found these ok, with little road noise and pretty good in the wet but not so good in snow and mud.
I switched to BFG KO2, there was a definite uplift in noise but not to bad. Grip in snow and mud was way better. The biggest down side was cornering in the wet. A little to fast and you could slide, it was easily controllable by coming off the gas but something to be wary of.
I covered 50,000 miles and they still had a fair amount of tread left.
You pays your money and hopes for the best.

I think 255/65 16 is about an inch wider than standard size, so maybe that's the real cause of the noise issue?

On my D2 I put General Grabber AT3 (235/70 16 on the original standard alloys).

I'm about 12k miles into their 50k life-expectancy & they still have 12mm tread-depth.
Almost all road miles & I don't throw it around so never have had a grip issue.
Cruises very quietly at 60, but from 65mph there is a noticeable change, almost like when the road surface changes from smooth to rough/ribbed.

I'm quite happy to float along at 60 so it's never been an issue for me.

255/65R16 is one of the standard sizes.

I'm on my second get of Grabber AT3s - originally in 255/65R16 and now in 265/60R18. They're M+S and 3PMS rated. I don't find them noisy even at 70. They grip well in mud, snow and on the road. Can even throw the car around a bit without issue.

Ive got Grabber AT3's on the Disco, and Geolanders on the Rav4. Both equally capable tyres.

Thanks for all the input so far.

Interesting that people are postitive about the Goodyear, they are classed as 'Summer Tyres' and even Goodyear's own web site doesn't put them in the 'All Season' category yet people say they hold their own and have M+S labelling

If I was looking for a real off road tyre then I'd be in the General Grabber or Falken camp but as my primary home is tarmac I'm leaning towards the Goodyear, which as people point ouit was LandRovers original fit so can't be a bad choice.

As most of these tyres seem to cover huge mileages the cost differential between the different makes when spread over several years isn't really a deciding factor, although at circa £150 each making the wrong choice could be expensive.

JohnKeane said:

I'm leaning towards the Goodyear, which as people point ouit was LandRovers original fit so can't be a bad choice.

Click to expand...

That was on D1 as said by @discool, the D2 standard fitments are as in the attachment, i've always used all season M+S / AT tyres on my daily driver which is used ocasionaly in close to extreme conditions(deep mud or snow) and tried more brands: BFG, G Grabber, Cooper Discoverer, Dunlop Grandtrek, all standard or just neglectably bigger as in some cases the options for exactly std dimensions are not so wide.... last ones which i fitted not long ago are Gripmax Inception A/T 3PMSF RWL 111T (245/70R16) which IMO are very good at a decent price... better than the GGs and Coopers as i feel them now and i'm not up to pay the too big price of BFGs anymore.

Choosing tyres is always a challenge, important is to find some which will make you happy and not let you down

​

I suppose its where you are in the UK that when the temperature drops below 7c you then feel the need to switch to winter grade tyre, also if you go off road frequently and need a more aggressive tread patten tyre.
It’s your choice,

As for summer / winter tyres as for me its a relatively newish concept in tyre manufacturing I found this on the web,

What are summer tyres?

Summer tyres are specifically designed for warm weather conditions, particularly during the summer season. This type of tyre performs best when in seasons with warmer temperatures - above 7°C.

How does a summer tyre perform better in summer?

The technologies and tread patterns used in a summer tyre mean the tyres have high-quality features that are of benefit to driving in warm conditions. They typically use a softer rubber compound – designed for good grip and traction when driving on dry and wet roads.

Can you use summer tyres in winter?

Whilst summer tyres still offer adequate performances in wet and cooler conditions, it is recommended that you change. The tread design and technologies that are featured in summer tyres can harden in colder temperatures, resulting in reduced flexibility and decreased traction on snow and ice.

Living in Chesire is hardly the antarctic or the sahara so I don't think the seasonality will make a shred of difference!

Stanleysteamer said:

Living in Chesire is hardly the antarctic or the sahara so I don't think the seasonality will make a shred of difference!

Click to expand...

As my “statement“ it could depend on where u are in the UK, I’ve never had an issue in my part of Kent either.

discool said:

I suppose its where you are in the UK that when the temperature drops below 7c you then feel the need to switch to winter grade tyre, also if you go off road frequently and need a more aggressive tread patten tyre.
It’s your choice,

As for summer / winter tyres as for me its a relatively newish concept in tyre manufacturing I found this on the web,

What are summer tyres?

Summer tyres are specifically designed for warm weather conditions, particularly during the summer season. This type of tyre performs best when in seasons with warmer temperatures - above 7°C.

How does a summer tyre perform better in summer?

The technologies and tread patterns used in a summer tyre mean the tyres have high-quality features that are of benefit to driving in warm conditions. They typically use a softer rubber compound – designed for good grip and traction when driving on dry and wet roads.

Can you use summer tyres in winter?

Whilst summer tyres still offer adequate performances in wet and cooler conditions, it is recommended that you change. The tread design and technologies that are featured in summer tyres can harden in colder temperatures, resulting in reduced flexibility and decreased traction on snow and ice.

Click to expand...

I would suggest it's better to use a good All seasons tyre over the UK winter in the parts of the UK that see lots of snow.
My favourite all seasons is the Yokohama Geolander g015, which I had on my previous LR. They were brilliant in all weather conditions, on all surfaces I used them on. They are also winter rated, so designed for temperatures below 7°C and have the 3 peaks symbol to prove it. They get a C wet rating, same as the Wrangler HP, but are 1 place down on consumption compared to the Wrangler. The were slightly louder than the OE type tyre, so that may need to be taken into consideration.
For me living in the SW, it's a close contest between the factory Wrangler and the Geolander g105.