Originally Posted by curb-optional

If you're in a state like NJ, just wait - you will.... just kidding. You've got about 5 inches? of rubber sandwiched between the pothole's edge and your 5,000 lbs of Defender mass. Eventually, you hit a jagged edge somewhere. If you just bang straight down, the air suspension is terrific and maybe you've missed the edges. It's when you hit something sharp... granite curbs along the street are another hazard. snow plows bang them, the granite chips, then you get sharp granite. if you ever watch the tfl guys, they love defender and took one really early on up a trail. their defender probably lacked the air suspension, which i think is helpful in accepting some of the force (so the tire doesn't have to), but that's just a guess. In any event, it's terrific you've not had a flat, but i'm skeptical a 22" rim is a good choice if you're concerned with getting flats, but that's just me. on a 22" rim you can choose an all terrain tire, which gives you better odds. a larger sidewall is more likely to be protective to the tire, but as your experience has been, it's not the only consideration. some goodyear's have kevlar, and can fit a 22" rim, so there's that. climate matters too - i have a harsh winter and a baking summer - a few of those cycles can impact tire life expectancy. even the rubber TMPS tubes need replacing, as they too get brittle. how's the ride quality? have you noticed a trade off in terms of ride quality on the large rims vs smaller?

Originally Posted by curb-optional

you hit the nail - I am sure the full size RR on 21" rims is different than a Defender on that same rim, as the RR likely has more tuning for comfort. I've never tested a RR, as that's not for me. (I've driven for weeks the velar and evoke as loaners, but those are not the RR). I'm looking at Defender only, and I can pick anything from 19-22", with the most common seeming to be the 20". My current LR has 18" rims and no air suspension (it's a bit rough, but NOT a wrangler). the 20" rim 110 3.0L I drove was wonderful - it had air suspension. but it wasn't as smooth as I would have thought. I also had tested a 2.0L and that probably had 19"s, but I don't recall. I remember it being exceptionally smooth. I'm looking for the least Wrangler like Defender, and so I'm leaning toward the 19"s. The 20"s I tested were great - but wouldn't a bit more air be a bit more smooth?