P400 with 18" rims - JLR needs to make this configuration!
Rock Crawling
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 384
Likes: 358
From: Northern Virginia
A LR Corporate employee (a high-up exec I'd assume, given all the knowledge he/she shared) directly addressed the topic of 'why does LR not offer an 18" wheel on the P400' on these very forums in 2022. Username: The Insider
Direct quote and link to The Insider's post from Feb-2022:
"Ahh if only we had considered that during our multi-year development program
Let's get serious for a moment. It's not like we are looking to increase our costs and complexity- we put the larger calipers on the P400 for a reason. It's a very heavy vehicle (even more so than the P300) and it's going to see some serious towing usage from people. Wrangler & Bronco owners can only dream of towing 8,000lb/3600kg. It's also notably more powerful and needs to be brought down from high speeds (repeatedly) in a hurry because some folks treat a powerful SUV like a sports car.
You can handle just about any encounter with the 19" wheels and the appropriate tire (at the correct pressure). The P300 is the truer off-roader for a number of reasons and more likely to see that duty around the world- so it has 18" wheel options. Additionally, the crowd in the US that typically pays P400 money doesn't want the 18" wheels. We know because we interview hundreds (actually thousands on Defender) of people before these vehicles go on sale. Many of them existing Land Rover owners. I can count on my hand how many times we've met someone willing to pay $80,000+ for a Defender who would like to option 18" wheels.
People across the pond in the US need to understand that your idea of off-roading and overlanding isn't always the same as the rest of the world (or desired). I would not like to be in South America or remote parts of the African continent trying to find a 35" tire.
Ultimately, if everyone makes a big enough fuss to the retailers we'll go back to the drawing board- we're always willing to spend the money and make the customers happy. However, thus far, the demand hasn't been there.
Hope this helps provide some insight into the situation."
https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...e2/#post813224
Fast forward to 2025MY Defender and the 18" wheel option has been dropped for North American market P300. Why? Either a cost-cutting effort to reduce number of SKUs given little demand for the 18" option and/or LR felt there is sufficient tire choices out there in 19" wheel size for the hardcore off-roaders. I'm going with a combination of both.
Direct quote and link to The Insider's post from Feb-2022:
"Ahh if only we had considered that during our multi-year development program
Let's get serious for a moment. It's not like we are looking to increase our costs and complexity- we put the larger calipers on the P400 for a reason. It's a very heavy vehicle (even more so than the P300) and it's going to see some serious towing usage from people. Wrangler & Bronco owners can only dream of towing 8,000lb/3600kg. It's also notably more powerful and needs to be brought down from high speeds (repeatedly) in a hurry because some folks treat a powerful SUV like a sports car.
You can handle just about any encounter with the 19" wheels and the appropriate tire (at the correct pressure). The P300 is the truer off-roader for a number of reasons and more likely to see that duty around the world- so it has 18" wheel options. Additionally, the crowd in the US that typically pays P400 money doesn't want the 18" wheels. We know because we interview hundreds (actually thousands on Defender) of people before these vehicles go on sale. Many of them existing Land Rover owners. I can count on my hand how many times we've met someone willing to pay $80,000+ for a Defender who would like to option 18" wheels.
People across the pond in the US need to understand that your idea of off-roading and overlanding isn't always the same as the rest of the world (or desired). I would not like to be in South America or remote parts of the African continent trying to find a 35" tire.
Ultimately, if everyone makes a big enough fuss to the retailers we'll go back to the drawing board- we're always willing to spend the money and make the customers happy. However, thus far, the demand hasn't been there.
Hope this helps provide some insight into the situation."
https://landroverforums.com/forum/20...e2/#post813224
Fast forward to 2025MY Defender and the 18" wheel option has been dropped for North American market P300. Why? Either a cost-cutting effort to reduce number of SKUs given little demand for the 18" option and/or LR felt there is sufficient tire choices out there in 19" wheel size for the hardcore off-roaders. I'm going with a combination of both.
1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
18” rims won’t work on 2025 p400 110s. The brakes are too big
So I have a 2025 P400 110 Defender S Trim on order with my local dealer. Overall, I'm sure it will be awesome. I had been holding out for a P400 with an 18" rim, and couldn't wait any longer for JLR to fix it, so now I'll have a 19" rim on it instead. If the 19"s are terrible, I'll swap to an 18" rim. But I'm going to give it a good chance to prove my hesitancy was wrong.... It looks like maybe at some point a KO3 will fit, which will solve alot of potential problems. HOWEVER, what I'm wondering is this: who else would RATHER buy the P400 with an 18" rim (instead of the 20" rim or larger). Am I part of a small group of buyers? Or is pretty much everyone looking at the S Trim only because it's the smallest rim size JLR is offering on Defender? I have a LR already and love it, so I'm a LR fan and I knew I'd eventually get a Defender. I held off the first few years, because making a P400 without a standard wheel/rim set up that conforms to the US aftermarket seems rushed. What bugs me most about the 19"s is that every other auto manufacturer has figured a way to fit an 18" rim on an SUV they design for anything off road oriented. Of course Wrangler and Bronco, but also the newly designed LC, GX OT, Grenadier, and 4Runner. Even light trail oriented offerings: Subaru Wildtrack and Honda Pilot Trail Sport. Bigger SUVs too: a Ford Expedition can go with an 18" rim, and a Yukon AT4, although stuck at 20"s, is wide enough to give a good sidewall and lots and lots of tire choices. I've not found one other car - none - on the market today in the US that is advertised for off road use and can't fit an 18" or under rim!? If JLR wants to be committed to making Defender off road capable, it would have been nice if JLR considered the tire market we face as owners. So, if JLR did provide an 18" rim offering for the P400 engine in 110 size, would others buy it (INSTEAD of the 20")? OR, do folks really more prefer the 20"s? I know my answer, but what do other folks looking to buy a P400 think? thanks!
You can grind the rear calipers or swap rear calipers from a Discovery 5 if you want to fit 18" wheels on a P400.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 384
Likes: 358
From: Northern Virginia
Correct - lots of folks have fitted 18" wheels on a P400 after an hour's worth of work with an angle grinder. And no, it doesn't void the warranty.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 371
Likes: 170
From: South Florida
LR's multi year development program. LOL
Seems like time well spent. LR apparently never bothered to look at their own parts bin. They already had a caliper that fit the larger rotors allowing an 18" wheel and all the stopping power on the V8
LR now no longer offer said 18" rim in the states. There used to be two and at launch the steelies were heralded. Great way to make the consumer happy.
I would guess the numbers of new Defenders in remote Africa and South America is infinitesimally small. Try finding a tire for a 19" rim there. No one with even half a brain would design an off-roader on such large odd-ball rims and low profile tires.
Every other heavy truck/SUV with a beefy 3.5t towing capacity and more, that also likes to stop on demand runs 17" or 18" rims. Very much the norm. No problem whatsoever.
Defender comes on 3 different brake rotors and caliper combos. Maybe designing 1 for all trims would have been wise. No surprise their reliability and cost of repairs are what they are given this elective complexity. Probably some LOTR fan in corporate got their elvish way.
LR make luxury SUVs and have long since ditched the off-road market. Just take a look at all the V8 dick waving nonsense from them. Racetrack Defenders and Bond-villians in blacked out Defenders unsuccessfully chasing Toyotas. Salesbros and advertising know what keeps the lights on.
The off-road stuff is more of a side gig for them just to retain some sort of brand credibility.
Their customer base wants big, dumba$$, Escalade-like urban alloys, so they designed rotors and calipers to fill the space. Purely an esthetic design choice that neuters the vehicle.
This well flogged horse is just about ready for the glue factory. Maybe three or four more similarly titled threads will be enough.
Seems like time well spent. LR apparently never bothered to look at their own parts bin. They already had a caliper that fit the larger rotors allowing an 18" wheel and all the stopping power on the V8
LR now no longer offer said 18" rim in the states. There used to be two and at launch the steelies were heralded. Great way to make the consumer happy.
I would guess the numbers of new Defenders in remote Africa and South America is infinitesimally small. Try finding a tire for a 19" rim there. No one with even half a brain would design an off-roader on such large odd-ball rims and low profile tires.
Every other heavy truck/SUV with a beefy 3.5t towing capacity and more, that also likes to stop on demand runs 17" or 18" rims. Very much the norm. No problem whatsoever.
Defender comes on 3 different brake rotors and caliper combos. Maybe designing 1 for all trims would have been wise. No surprise their reliability and cost of repairs are what they are given this elective complexity. Probably some LOTR fan in corporate got their elvish way.
LR make luxury SUVs and have long since ditched the off-road market. Just take a look at all the V8 dick waving nonsense from them. Racetrack Defenders and Bond-villians in blacked out Defenders unsuccessfully chasing Toyotas. Salesbros and advertising know what keeps the lights on.
The off-road stuff is more of a side gig for them just to retain some sort of brand credibility.
Their customer base wants big, dumba$$, Escalade-like urban alloys, so they designed rotors and calipers to fill the space. Purely an esthetic design choice that neuters the vehicle.
This well flogged horse is just about ready for the glue factory. Maybe three or four more similarly titled threads will be enough.
Mudding
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 177
Likes: 148
People keep asking "why" as if LR is just too dense or foolish to see what a gold mine those 18" wheels are or could be. But they aren't a charity, they do know their markets very, very well, and they offer for sale what will actually be bought. I'd even say that the 18" wheels (and even the 90!) were included for sale in the U.S. only to project an image for marketing purposes at launch, rather than with an expectation that many people would buy them. Satisfying a few weirdos on a discussion board doesn't cut it.
When I bought my 90 P300 with 18" steelies, I was one of those weirdos. But where I live, you pass a Defender every 5 seconds, and yet I've barely ever spotted another 90, and so far I've NEVER seen another car with 18" steelies. That they lasted for sale for so many years was almost a miracle, and at least where I live, I can assure you from facts on the ground that no one misses them. (And in less affluent or more rural areas, people will be buying Jeeps, etc., over LR's anyway.)
You might as well complain that LR went with independent suspension this time around, too.
(I also hope to keep mine for as long as possible.)
When I bought my 90 P300 with 18" steelies, I was one of those weirdos. But where I live, you pass a Defender every 5 seconds, and yet I've barely ever spotted another 90, and so far I've NEVER seen another car with 18" steelies. That they lasted for sale for so many years was almost a miracle, and at least where I live, I can assure you from facts on the ground that no one misses them. (And in less affluent or more rural areas, people will be buying Jeeps, etc., over LR's anyway.)
You might as well complain that LR went with independent suspension this time around, too.
(I also hope to keep mine for as long as possible.)
Last edited by Zondar; Nov 12, 2025 at 09:35 AM.
TReK
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2,564
Likes: 3,632
From: Kirkland WA
There's a couple of steelie-shod Defenders cruising about my neck of the woods. Spotting them always evokes a little pang of envy.
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