This is info only incase anyone else has the same experience I have had these past couple of months.

Briefly, I replaced the LCA and hubs on my 2016 a few months back with 4 wheel alignment done by LR when my vehicle was in for warranty work. All good; vastly improved the ride, etc. Then snow came (we have had a lot this year, which is early for Ontario). With the nearside wheels on the snow, the ride was pretty hairy; it drifted a lot and you had to almost fight to keep it straight. As SWMBO drives it mostly it needed to be sorted as she basically refused to drive it, it was so bad.

Checked everything; actually replaced one of the LCA due to a fractional amount of play at the ball joint - made zero difference.

Took for another 4 wheel alignment to a small indy that knows LRs well. Alignment was all over the shop (thank you LR Thornhill - useless). The garage owner took it out for a long drive and immediately felt what I felt. (Thankfully he drives a 2013 LR4 so has a good reference point).

His diagnosis having checked all suspension front and rear is that my the bead is shifting on my winter tyres (which are perhaps 5 years old and have 9mm tread across all - so pretty good). He swapped the (directional!) tyres across the front axle and low and behold the issue is solved. However, I am not happy driving with tyres that are clearly failing (and which are not rotating in the proper direction!) and so am replaceing all 4 next week.

My learning is that tyres that seem perfectly good and have a ton of tread left can absolutely 100% make the car behave in a dangerous manner. I was highly sceptical but we're now replacing the tyres.

Once they're fitted and properly Road Force balanced, I'm going to redo the height calibration; it takes very little time and last time I did it (2 weeks ago) I found that there was as much as 2cm difference between corners. (Admittedly I haven't done it for years).

 

Swapped the directional front tires? Rotating in the reverse direction?!?

truly, “drifting all over” to me is not a suspension issue (assuming no suspension and alignment could be that bad) and more a tires issue.

I have seen directional tires on backwards. I have seen some with multiple types of tires on the vehicle. I have seen old, cracked, overinflated … you catch my drift.

I’m in Ontario as well and Costco has the DM-V2 at a very good price. Add the fact mounting is free, lifetime rotations and balancing is free, etc. its a deal.

 

Speaking of tires... I had mine rotated a few weeks ago during an oil change at the used car dealership where I bought it. The tech rotated them but he didn't check inflation afterward, guess maybe he thought it's supposed to be the same all around? , I drove it off the lot and immediately noticed that it felt really 'boaty', 30 minutes later on the highway I got close to home and the TPS light came on, pulled over and checked pressure from the head end unit, the front was high by two psi but the rear were low by TEN psi. Got out my trusty Kobalt inflator, they make a lot of junk but they did it right with this thing imo, plugged it in, set it to the desired number pressed start, took a few minutes but it's auto shut-off. Went into the TPS for readings to double-check, it was matched up spot on perfect. The warning light automatically turned itself off and I was on my way.

 

I'm in the habit of getting fuel at Costco. (Its Top Tier) then using their free Nitrogen charging stations and confirming my preferred pressures. I drop the rear by 10%. Keep the front at -5%.
Followed by a $1.50 hotdog. As per spec, I do not go down the path of multi-ply LT tires. Far too hard/rigid for me. Especially in the cold.

 

CostCo tyres aren’t a bad price but I have found far better prices out there including at my local shop in Markham As a plus, although the local guy doesn’t offer free rotation or N2 fills, he does know how to mount and balance tyres properly, which puts him a step or two up on CostCo (where I recently got my D2 winter tyres done…). The point of my post was that, having gone through this process, I went first to suspension because (a) I’d just replaced one LCA due to play being found and so needed alignment, and (b) found it hard to believe that my winters (still with tons of tread left) could be at fault. The post was a learning for me and hopefully others.

 

Were those Blizzaks?
I'm asking because at one time the wife and I had identical LR3's except I had Hankook i-pikes and she had Blizzaks, as we could not find the i-pikes anywhere in the US. The Blizzaks turned out to be ridiculously unstable on icy roads where the Hankooks stayed planted. I know a lot of drivers love Blizzaks but our experience was not positive...when the weather got bad she would take my LR3 instead of hers.

 

Interesting... we just has a freezing rain session, then a whole dump of snow. I seem to be the only one on the road making good headway and the vehicle is really well planted. I'm running the DM-V2 now. My previous were X-Ice SUV, and these tires are just as good, but cheaper.

Here: https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=205 they comment that the tread noise is loud and "vehicles looking for enhanced grip in slush, snow and on ice". The question is ... Any louder than my HPFP?? ;-)

 

I had new Blizzaks fitted last week and drove the vehicle for the first time yesterday in snow. The vehicle is like night and day compared to the tyres that were replaced. I looked at the Michelins x ice (I had those fitted to my D2 last month at Costco - they’re also excellent and were a great price on a set of 16” rims). For anyone in ON if helpful the 4 x Blizzaks were $1,447 installed with all taxes and fees. I used NV Euro; they at least know the vehicles. The only challenge not yet solved is the TPMS; I replaced the sensors but they keep throwing a TPMS fault they can’t sort. Goes back next week.