Or I should stray with 22in and get some off road tires for them? They sold me this expensive rig and i cant do anything except throw more money at it to make it right.

 

I have the 20” on my HSE. I’ll volunteer to meet and 18” and a 22” owner at a tire shop in Los Angeles and see what we have and what we can do.

 

unfortunately, I am in Canada. But thanks for the offer.

 

if you are staying with the 22inch wheels, you can fit 285/45/22 tires on the stock Defender 22in 5-spokes. No lift, no spacers.

 

OK, how are they for Off Roading. Should I have any concerns? I am looking at Toyo AT III. Please advise. I need to make a decision fast.

 

What type of terrain? Regardless of brand, there just isn't enough tire to protect those expensive rims and airing down is not really an option with 22" wheels and low profile tires, so you should avoid rocks and gravel (and those pesky sidewalks, lol) like the plague or your rims are going to get chewed up very quickly. For packed dirt roads, grass and other "soft" surfaces except maybe mud and snow, a 22" A/T with a relatively aggressive tread such as the Toyos should provide decent traction. However, I'm afraid that all 22" "All-Terrain" tires are pretty much manufactured just for looks. From a performance perspective, they are not going to do much better than an all-season tire off the pavement, especially on a vehicle like the Defender that limits overall diameter to less than 33" without mods.

 

Ill give you my honest opinion, In general 22inch wheels are not offroad wheels and are very sensitive wheels, even when you fit “offroad” tires they will be just for looks and you will be so limited in using the defender capabilities with these wheels.

my advise is just pass by any landrover workshop or showroom and ask for a 20inch wheel to be fitted on your defender for checkup and assurance.

then just get 20inch wheels, oem or aftermarket with your desired tire, yes you will drop more cash now but will be happier in the long run.

but if you are set on offroading with your 22inch wheels I would recommend the cooper at3 4s or as you mentioned toyo AT

 

Appreciate you doing all that work on the wheels. I went through a similar saga with my 2008 Range Rover Supercharged trying to see if I could fit 18 inch wheels but ended up just using LR4 wheels in 19 inch. At least for those you could get Toyo Open Country AT3, Falkens, Continentals, all sorts of A/T tires. These rigs are still pretty new I'll bet at least one other manufacturer comes out with something in the coming years for the unique sizing of the Defender.

 

definitely more manufacturers will jump in down the road, but the issue will be availability, tire shops tend to carry tires that sell, thats one of the reasons why I went with 20 inch wheels.

 

Great initial post and replies. Tires are tough and I agonized as well. I have a P300 which I love and 19 inch wheels. Mine came with Pirelli All Season My thoughts for what it’s worth is I wanted a comfortable ride with a tire that was best for what I would do most of the time-Highway around town. Very happy with choice -good milage -smooth ride and no wheel rash from curbs because of lower profile. For my off roading which is hunting in fields in North Dakota my All Seasons will be fine especially with the system on the Defender. I have to drive 1800 miles in some really nasty road conditions at times to get there so I had to choose.

That said - I wish for looks I had an All Terrain. If I decide to do more serious off-roading I will buy 18inch rims with a better off-road tire and just swap them out as needed. I really appreciate hearing how some off-road tires perform in different conditions. But I will haunt these conversations looking for a good road mannered 19inch all terrain.