I am looking to trade my 2019 RR HSE for an incoming 2022 110 X. The guy who ordered it canceled and my dealer is making it available to me.

I live in SW Colorado and my main concern is performance in the snow. I will be doing some off road but no rock crawling, per se. I just need something reliable and gnarly in the snow.

My 2019 HSE has the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 20" and they are the best snow tire short of studded I have used.

The Defender that is coming in has 19" black gloss wheels. From what I can find, my only option for a 19" snow tire is the GY Duratrac. I have not heard good things about this tire in the snow.

So, my question: Can I get the dealer to put 20" wheels on the Defender? How does that impact tire size? Are there any mods I need to make to the vehicle?
The tires on the 19" X are 255/65R19. Do I have other size options with the 19" wheels that do not affect the vehicle?

The standard size tire for the Defender with 20" wheels is 255/60R20. Do I have other tire size options available for this wheel?

Sorry for the ignorant questions - tires haven't been my thing but I'm having to learn more than I thought! Thanks in advance.

 

If winter traction is a top priority, those 19" wheels are really going to limit your choices. In 'normal' times I would just say to pass on the Defender X and find a car with 20" wheels but allocations being what they are, it is not worth punting on a car because of the wheel size. Should you pass, you could be waiting 6 months to a year for another.

What tires are coming on the X? I assume it is the all-season 'street' tire, not the Goodyear Adventures? The Goodyears are strictly so-so in the snow from my experience, no better than Duratracs. Assuming you are going to be on the all-seasons, I would simply bite the bullet and get a set of 20" wheels to fit winter tires to. Having two sets of tires can be nice as it allows you to have better performance in every condition. You can run the 19" all-seasons for the months when you are not going into the snow and then switch to the winters when needed. This will make each set last much longer and you'll really only be out of pocket for the wheels. You can possibly find someone on these forums looking to unload stock 20" wheels if they built their truck for off-road with 18s.

 

There is a sticky at the top of this thread all about tires that you can read for sizes, reviews etc. Also dedicated snow tire posts you can read through. If you don't ever think you'll want an 18" wheel (and the associated caliper grind or swap) then just get the 20s and you'll find way more selections in summer and winter rubber.
Many of us with 20s are running 275/55/20 and having no issues with all-terrains or dedicated snow tires rubbing. I use AT3s in the summer and Blizzaks in the winter (live in Denver but travel in the mountains year round) and this size has worked well.

 

thanks for all of your help

Found a set of 5 wheels and tires on eBay and a set of Pirelli Scorpion Winters on Tirerack.

Will have a summer set and winter set - best of both worlds.

 

for what its worth, I've been stuck in this monster snow storm in Tahoe all week and the GY Duratrecs have been outstanding from ice to a foot or two of powder. Haven't lost traction yet. Will say though, "Sand Mode" works much better in fresh powder than "Grass Gravel Snow"

 

If you think Duratracs are good in snow, you would be blown away by a proper snow tire. No comparison.