[kathykate]

OK I'm a girl and don't know much about cars, I expect garages to advise me correctly, luckily after doing a few Google searches I realise they don't!

I have a Freelander with 4 Synchrone tyres, and one Good Year Wrangler spare. Managed to drive a flint through the edge of Synchrone back tyre, it can't be mended. Every garage I've phoned has told me to replace the busted Synchrone with a Latitude. After reading a few forums I've deduced that I shouldn't do this. I'm looking for an economy way of getting my car back on the road and keeping it on the road. Can I get another Wrangler and have two Wranglers on the rear, two Synchrones on front and one Synchrone as the spare?
Thanks!

 

[WLJayne]

What is the tread depth on your Synchrone? I have one with a fair amount of wear that I'd be happy to swap as I'm running 2wd until I put a full set of AT's on along with a new VCU . I'm in Nottingham - you'd have to come to me as my Freelander is in the middle of a major overhaul. But the offer is there, PM me if you're interested. Synchrones have a funny reputation for being a bit small than they should be relative to other tyres so you really do need another if you don't want a new set of tyres.

It's generally not advised to use a mix of tyres or tyre ages as it all affects your trasmission - specifically the Viscous Coupling - which can seize up and wreck your IRD and diffs if not treated with respect. The fact that you are asking question put you out of risk for that kind of mishap though . Stick around here for a bit, you will learn loads and no mechanic will ever be able to fleece you again.

Will.

 

[kathykate]

I'm in deepest Kent so bit too far to trek up to Nottingham, but thanks for the offer!

 

[WLJayne]

You could post in the Landyzone Courier Service section - if you send up your spare with someone then I can send the synchrone back down .

But otherwise, I'd recommend a full new set if your tyres are getting on a bit - much less hassle. There is lots of great advice here about which road tyres work well.

Will.

 

[kathykate]

So are you saying I can't put 2 Wranglers on back and 2 Synchrone on front?

 

[WLJayne]

I wouldn't recommend it. The reason is because there is a part of your transmission called the VCU (viscous coupling unit) - this is the part that transfers power to the back wheels when it detects a difference in tyre speed (i.e the front wheels slipping.) Most of the time it allows some slipping within itself as the Freelander's front and back wheels have different gear ratios to give it that "car" feel. If you use different tyres on the front and back, the small difference in diameter in the tyres messes up the way this part works over time and can cause it to wear out and fail - which could wreck your Intermediate reduction Drive (IRD) and rear differential - both of which are enormously expensive to fix.

The best advice I can give is to always play it safe by buying a full set of four new tyres (and a spare if I were you) and swap them from front to back and vice versa ever few thousand miles to make sure that the tread wear (thus diameter) stays even. This pretty much guarantees that your VCU will never fail. Yours is probably fine because you have synchrones on all four wheels which I assume were fitted at the same time - but you really don't want a mix and match of tyres unless you remove your rear propshaft and make your Freelander permanently 2wd (there is some debate as to whether this is ok or not.)

Sorry to bombard you with so much info - this is a common problem and it doesn't affect many other cars. Just one of the Freelander's inherent niggles.

By the way, this is a Freelander 1 we are talking about yes?

Will.

 

[kathykate]

It's 10 years old so I think so... (not really a car person as you can tell). Thanks for the comprehensive answer which I could understand, I shall mull on what to do...

 

[teddywood1]

you can put newer tyre on the Back as this is OK but not on the front and synchrones have not be made for a while so you will not get them anymore only second hand ones and unless you know why they have come from i would not bother as they could have been in a smash and damaged the inner walls hope this helps

 

[Ian jones]

I wouldn't recommend it. The reason is because there is a part of your transmission called the VCU (viscous coupling unit) - this is the part that transfers power to the back wheels when it detects a difference in tyre speed (i.e the front wheels slipping.) Most of the time it allows some slipping within itself as the Freelander's front and back wheels have different gear ratios to give it that "car" feel. If you use different tyres on the front and back, the small difference in diameter in the tyres messes up the way this part works over time and can cause it to wear out and fail - which could wreck your Intermediate reduction Drive (IRD) and rear differential - both of which are enormously expensive to fix.

The best advice I can give is to always play it safe by buying a full set of four new tyres (and a spare if I were you) and swap them from front to back and vice versa ever few thousand miles to make sure that the tread wear (thus diameter) stays even. This pretty much guarantees that your VCU will never fail. Yours is probably fine because you have synchrones on all four wheels which I assume were fitted at the same time - but you really don't want a mix and match of tyres unless you remove your rear propshaft and make your Freelander permanently 2wd (there is some debate as to whether this is ok or not.)

Sorry to bombard you with so much info - this is a common problem and it doesn't affect many other cars. Just one of the Freelander's inherent niggles.

By the way, this is a Freelander 1 we are talking about yes?

Will.

Hi agree fully with above , if you can not find a matching synchrone , then replace all 4 , cheaper by far than a new drive train

 

[WLJayne]

And when you're looking for new tyres - if you decide to - there are great reviews around the web but to be honest it's hard to go wrong with any of the good brands; Pirelli, Bridestone, Continental, Avon etc etc.

Remember that your car - all two odd tons of it - touches the ground through your tyres. So it's good to spend money on quality !

 

[Diesel Do]

Personally I'd avoid Goodyear wranglers as they have a tendency to go out of shape! In an ideal world you don't mix tyres on a freelander. But we all know it's not an ideal world you must ensure that the largest diameter tyres are on the back! When mixing brands this may not neccesarilary be the new ones as all tyres vary in size? This is very important to your wallet as it can do lots of damage as mentioned. Also as mentioned go for a reputable brand and do some research as some tyre places will pass complete tat off as a quality tyre and charge top money for it, there's a thread on here about freelander tyres, it may help?!

 

[Diesel Do]

Found it
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/showthread.php?t=192481

 

[crockett007]

Personally I'd avoid Goodyear wranglers as they have a tendency to go out of shape!

Not sure about this statement, but I'm running on new Wranglers so I'll let you know in time.............. only read one piece on this, and by all accounts the tyres were 'ancient', which could mean a multitude of things.

There seems to be quite a bit of snobbery on here when it comes to tyre choice, I say spend as much as you can on a good set, but it all depends on the usage I.M.O., and as my Goodyears were excellent value, I got them instead of buying a set of Scorpions. I may give the Scorpions a go next time, but I will pass judgement on my present set when the snow comes!

 

[Diesel Do]

Not sure about this statement, but I'm running on new Wranglers so I'll let you know in time.............. only read one piece on this, and by all accounts the tyres were 'ancient', which could mean a multitude of things.

There seems to be quite a bit of snobbery on here when it comes to tyre choice, I say spend as much as you can on a good set, but it all depends on the usage I.M.O., and as my Goodyears were excellent value, I got them instead of buying a set of Scorpions. I may give the Scorpions a go next time, but I will pass judgement on my present set when the snow comes!

It's not snobbery, goodyear are generally a good make but I've just seen too many do it. I looked at a freelander recently, the owner had been quoted £400 to do his front wheel bearings, it was actually his tyres out of shape! All four, wranglers. Used to work on jeeps when it was a common fitment and a common find. Most of these vehicles have never been off road. So it's not the car at fault! Got one as a spare on my disco. It's out of shape. Usually it's slight but it results in a wheel bearing like rumble and can show as a vibration through the car. They don't all do it. But in my experience they are one of the tyres that are more prone to it, hence me personally avoiding them.

 

[crockett007]

Oh I don't doubt the veracity of your comments, DD, and in time I may come back with the same opinion of the tyres, but I hope not!
Goodyear were always one of the better makes to have when I was growing up.......... maybe the production process and material choices have been compromised, or maybe the other manufacturers have upped the ante over the years. Lets hope I haven't bought 4 lame ducks !

 

[WLJayne]

Alot of tyres have some issues, seems like the Scorpion STR's have easily damaged side walls and other just wear fast. In fact the only ones I've heard nothing but good things about are the AT tyres like Grabbers and BFG. Odd.

 

[Diesel Do]

I like pirellis. Not known them to go out of shape. I've had Goodyear eagles on different cars and they've been great. Just seen too many wranglers do it to spend that much on them myself avons are terrible for it but you don't generally see them on 4x4s

 

[WLJayne]

I'm just looking forward to my Grabber AT's . Can't wait to try 'em out in some mud and snow! The more I look at them the more I like the tread design, some have said it looks less aggressive than the AT2 but I think they're gnarly in a kind of space age way.

But I digress...

 

[Singvogel]

Two Michelin Synchrones - never raced or rallied as they say.

Fully house-trained - seek new home.

Taking up space in my garage they are.

Singvogel.

 

[Spacemonkey...]

I'm just looking forward to my Grabber AT's . Can't wait to try 'em out in some mud and snow! The more I look at them the more I like the tread design, some have said it looks less aggressive than the AT2 but I think they're gnarly in a kind of space age way.

But I digress...

I put the new Grabber AT '3's on my Delica and they are silent, hard wearing and were fab in the snow- much better in all conditions than the AT2s. I'm now looking at getting another Freelander and I'll have to decide between the Grabber AT '3's and the Cooper ST Maxx like I have on my Pajero. These (in 285/75/16) are amazing. Half way between an AT and MT but again, being a new design they are virtually silent in use and work great on road and in snow. They are incredibly hard wearing too.