Defender X Dynamic - 20 vs 22 inch wheels in NY?
#21
04-03-2022, 07:10 AM
The reality is you're going to have a lot of different opinions from people who think they're right. Thats why Baskin-Robbins has 31 flavors.
The 22" wheels definitely look the part in the city - sort of that Urban bling. For me - they're far too large for the Defender which isn't big enough to justify the 22" size. The 22" wheel design is terrible (it looks just as mailed-in as a 20" too), and if you really need that Miami Vice look with 22's, I'd go with a different wheel.
As someone who was a transportation designer for a long time, I much prefer the looks of the 18" and 19" wheels with more sidewall. Some here have mentioned "off-road" cues. We'll, this vehicle's heritage and lineage is off-road. JLR did a nice job incorporating street-use into the new design and engineering, but the spirit of the Defender longs for for pragmatic sidewalls and a bit of a burlier appearance than you'd get with an Escalade, Lexus, or Range Rover. You can see with those that have posted the 22's - they look like Hot Wheels with the smaller brakes, massive negative space between spokes, and non-existant sidewall.
All that to say.. If you want that 22" look, do your thing. The only right decision for you is your gut impulse and decision.
The 22" wheels definitely look the part in the city - sort of that Urban bling. For me - they're far too large for the Defender which isn't big enough to justify the 22" size. The 22" wheel design is terrible (it looks just as mailed-in as a 20" too), and if you really need that Miami Vice look with 22's, I'd go with a different wheel.
As someone who was a transportation designer for a long time, I much prefer the looks of the 18" and 19" wheels with more sidewall. Some here have mentioned "off-road" cues. We'll, this vehicle's heritage and lineage is off-road. JLR did a nice job incorporating street-use into the new design and engineering, but the spirit of the Defender longs for for pragmatic sidewalls and a bit of a burlier appearance than you'd get with an Escalade, Lexus, or Range Rover. You can see with those that have posted the 22's - they look like Hot Wheels with the smaller brakes, massive negative space between spokes, and non-existant sidewall.
All that to say.. If you want that 22" look, do your thing. The only right decision for you is your gut impulse and decision.
I did however know all of that and wanted to explore the options IF I change to 22in wheels, hence my question was specifically about tyre brands and sizes.
I bought a CE V8 with 20in wheels. Why? Well, it was the only one at a reasonable (still over list) price AND I convinced myself that the look was right for me, ie. less bling and could drive over the odd curb etc.
However, not liking the stock exhaust, I've fitted the Milltek system. Still deciding between res and non-res there but that's another debate
What it does do is tempt me to push the car a bit harder around the bends and my reasoning for looking at 22in wheels is to make the car feel a bit more planted on corners with less roll etc.
I know it's never going to be a sports car and at 2.6t the weight and height makes it roll, but driving in dynamic mode really does flatten out the ride. It feels nice on 20in wheels.
Will it feel as nice or very nearly on 22in wheels and also give me a bit more of a planted feel is the question which then leads to the choice of tyres as per my question.
I wouldn't fit JLR wheels, I'd fit Urban ones for sure.
Problem is Urban (UK) wont allow any test drives these days so it's trying to find out if a nice looking 22in alloy with nice tyres feels nice to drive in dynamic mode and lends itself to a good tyre for all season use as I'm in France a lot of the time with big seasonal fluctuation.
As for looks, I like the 20in look but the 22in is also growing on me as a V8 110 is so impractical in terms of fuel, it kind of lends itself to the gangster look! I wanted to buy a D300 but no second hand cars have goos options on them and the CE looks so lovely...
Hope that's a clearer question.
#22
04-03-2022, 07:31 AM
#23
04-03-2022, 07:55 AM
Thanks. Thats really helpful.
I did however know all of that and wanted to explore the options IF I change to 22in wheels, hence my question was specifically about tyre brands and sizes.
I bought a CE V8 with 20in wheels. Why? Well, it was the only one at a reasonable (still over list) price AND I convinced myself that the look was right for me, ie. less bling and could drive over the odd curb etc.
However, not liking the stock exhaust, I've fitted the Milltek system. Still deciding between res and non-res there but that's another debate
What it does do is tempt me to push the car a bit harder around the bends and my reasoning for looking at 22in wheels is to make the car feel a bit more planted on corners with less roll etc.
I know it's never going to be a sports car and at 2.6t the weight and height makes it roll, but driving in dynamic mode really does flatten out the ride. It feels nice on 20in wheels.
Will it feel as nice or very nearly on 22in wheels and also give me a bit more of a planted feel is the question which then leads to the choice of tyres as per my question.
I wouldn't fit JLR wheels, I'd fit Urban ones for sure.
Problem is Urban (UK) wont allow any test drives these days so it's trying to find out if a nice looking 22in alloy with nice tyres feels nice to drive in dynamic mode and lends itself to a good tyre for all season use as I'm in France a lot of the time with big seasonal fluctuation.
As for looks, I like the 20in look but the 22in is also growing on me as a V8 110 is so impractical in terms of fuel, it kind of lends itself to the gangster look! I wanted to buy a D300 but no second hand cars have goos options on them and the CE looks so lovely...
Hope that's a clearer question.
I did however know all of that and wanted to explore the options IF I change to 22in wheels, hence my question was specifically about tyre brands and sizes.
I bought a CE V8 with 20in wheels. Why? Well, it was the only one at a reasonable (still over list) price AND I convinced myself that the look was right for me, ie. less bling and could drive over the odd curb etc.
However, not liking the stock exhaust, I've fitted the Milltek system. Still deciding between res and non-res there but that's another debate
What it does do is tempt me to push the car a bit harder around the bends and my reasoning for looking at 22in wheels is to make the car feel a bit more planted on corners with less roll etc.
I know it's never going to be a sports car and at 2.6t the weight and height makes it roll, but driving in dynamic mode really does flatten out the ride. It feels nice on 20in wheels.
Will it feel as nice or very nearly on 22in wheels and also give me a bit more of a planted feel is the question which then leads to the choice of tyres as per my question.
I wouldn't fit JLR wheels, I'd fit Urban ones for sure.
Problem is Urban (UK) wont allow any test drives these days so it's trying to find out if a nice looking 22in alloy with nice tyres feels nice to drive in dynamic mode and lends itself to a good tyre for all season use as I'm in France a lot of the time with big seasonal fluctuation.
As for looks, I like the 20in look but the 22in is also growing on me as a V8 110 is so impractical in terms of fuel, it kind of lends itself to the gangster look! I wanted to buy a D300 but no second hand cars have goos options on them and the CE looks so lovely...
Hope that's a clearer question.
Unless you're a professional driver who will/can log a lot of laps in your Defender on a track, you'll notice a bigger difference with a wider tire rather than a taller tire. If you're after the feeling of being "planted," in my opinion tire width is probably what I'd be focusing on if I were you, and you can explore that in 22" and 20" as well.
#24
04-03-2022, 08:22 AM
In that case, I'd honestly say you'll never have the vehicle at a point where you'll actually tell a difference between a 22" and a 20" tire size. It likely will be a placebo, whatever makes you feel best. The suspension is not calibrated for that, and with air suspension you'll never get the haptic feedback from road-to-steering wheel. Coils... maybe, but not with air.
Unless you're a professional driver who will/can log a lot of laps in your Defender on a track, you'll notice a bigger difference with a wider tire rather than a taller tire. If you're after the feeling of being "planted," in my opinion tire width is probably what I'd be focusing on if I were you, and you can explore that in 22" and 20" as well.
Unless you're a professional driver who will/can log a lot of laps in your Defender on a track, you'll notice a bigger difference with a wider tire rather than a taller tire. If you're after the feeling of being "planted," in my opinion tire width is probably what I'd be focusing on if I were you, and you can explore that in 22" and 20" as well.
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