NextStepDesigns

For SCLR’s Annual New Member Orientation trail run, we broke with tradition and held the event at one of my favorite locations, Cleghorn Trail!

We had a great turnout with over 20 Land Rovers and over 35 people. We started the day with an “outdoor classroom” session, then divided the Rovers into two groups (Easy Riders and Rough Riders), and then proceeded up the Cleghorn Trail.

Accompanying the group, my wife (Marni Woods) came along in a loaner vehicle (2007 Jeep!). It was a very fun day, but as one of the Trail Leaders, I didn’t get to shoot as many photos this time around.

Photos of Cleghorn - 15 images on SmugMug

Updated 01/23/2009 - The single greatest improvement to the LR3 that you can make is to replace the OEM tires. The stock Goodyear HP Wranglers are just not up to the task of supporting this 6,000 lbs vehicle. I am frequently asked about tire and rim size options for the LR3. Here are the specifications for the stock 18″ and 19″ wheels that fit the Land Rover LR3/Discovery III. This information has been compiled from reports posted on various forums. I have not personally verified each tire/wheel size combination. I personally have used the 285/60/18 Nitto Terra Grapplers and more recently the Cooper Zeon LTZ’s in the same size. I like them both. The Nitto’s are noticeably stiffer, and potentially offer more durability (10 plys), but the Coopers have better traction and better road handling and noise. I think the Coopers have softer construction, but more durable tread compounds, whereas the Nittos are softer rubber, but much stiffer belting and construction. On the road and on the trail, the Coopers are more pliant and softer.  My Nitto’s “chunked out” quite a bit, and needed to be replace after 30,000 miles. After 34,000 miles on the Coopers, they still look quite good, and have lots of life left in them.  I’m very impressed with the Coopers, but you really can’t go wrong with either tire IMHO.  If you are looking for something fairly aggressive for off road, the Goodyear MTR’s are finally available in the US in 18″ and 19″ wheel sizes that actually fit the LR3! For a slightly milder tread pattern, the Goodyear Silent Armors are well regarded. I have taken the GY SA’s through challenging trails and while lateral traction is not on par with the Coopers or BFG All Terrains, they certainly do very well for a street oriented tire, and offer great road handling.
Wheel specifications:
- Pattern: 5 lug
- Pitch Circle Diameter: 120mm
- Offset is 53P (approximately 165mm or 6.5″ +/-)
- Load rating: 110 - 112
- Speed rating: H or higher

Tire Options:
Generally, you are limited to just under 32″ dia tires for the LR3. People have reported minor rubbing with 32″ tires, and slight rubbing with 31.5″ tires. The following information does not include the 17″ wheel option for base spec models (which are not common in the USA).

General size comparison numbers:
Tire size calculator: http://www.1010tires.com/tiresizecalculator.asp
- 255/60/18 or 255/55/19 stock OEM tire size = 30.04″
- 265×60x18 = 30.5″
- 275×60x18 = 31″
- 285×60x18 = 31.46″
- 275×65x18 = 32″ (probably too big)

NOTE: Tire Chains will not fit on a tire that is 285mm wide.  If you use your LR3/RRS in areas likely to require snow chains, the widest tire you can safely accommodate is 265mm wide (about 10.5″ wide at the top), and 31″ or less in diameter.

Update:  This is an interesting test of three tires typical to Land Rovers:

Tire options - 18″ rims

• Goodyear MTR LT275/65R18, Load Rating “E” (Now available in USA! 6/2/08)
• Nitto Terra Grappler 285/60/R18 (31.45″ x 11.54″)
• Cooper Zeon LTZ 285/60/R18 (31.45″ x 11.54″) - From Discount Tire only.
• BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO - 265/65/18 (31.5″ X 10.4″)
  NOTE: Not the 285/65/R18 (32.6 x 11.2″) which are too tall!
• Hankook Dynapro ATM RF10 265/60/18 (30.5″ x 10.43″ - nice size!)
• Toyo Open Country A/T 285/60/18 (31.4″ dia)
• General Grabber AT2 - 255/55/R18 (stock dia) or 255/60/18 (30″ dia)
• Yokohama Geolander A/T-S - 275/60/18 or 265/60/18
• Bridgestone Dueler Revo AT’s - P265/70R18 People report rubbing with these (slightly larger than 32″ dia.) Also available at: 275/65TR18
• Michelin Cross Terrain’s - 275/55/18
• Pirelli Scorpion Zero - 255/60VR18
• Goodyear Silent Armour Wranglers - 265/65/R18  (31.5″dia)
• Cooper Discoverer H/T Plus - 285/55/18 or 265/60/18 (30.25″ and 30.4″)
• Cooper Zeon XST - 265/60/R18 (30.5″ x 10.5″ dual purpose street tires)
• Pirelli Ice/Snow Scorpion - 255/60/18
• Goodyear Wrangler AT/S - 275/65SR18
• Goodyear Wrangler HP -255/60/HR18 (OEM equipment - not a good tire!)
• Pathfinder AT - 285/60/18 (from America’s Tire)
• Dunlop Grandtrek ST8000 - 255/60/R18 - 112H load rating, street oriented all season
• Snow Tires: Wintrac 4 Extreme - 255/55/18 or 255/60/18 - short write up here

Tire options - 19″ rims - stock size is 255/55/19 (30″ x 10″)

• Goodyear MTR 255/55/R19 - (Now available in USA! 8/13/08)
• General Grabber AT2 - 255/60/VR19 with a 112H load rating!
• Goodyear Silent Armour Wranglers - 265/60/R19 May not be available yet (in USA)
• Michelin 4×4 Synchrone 255/55/19
• Pirelli Scorpion Zero 255/55/19
• Snow Tires: Wintrac 4 Extreme - 255/55/19 - short write up here

Cooper Zeon LTZ’s:

Nitto Terra Grappler (on LR3):

Recently a group of Land Rover enthusiasts from several different clubs got together and tackled the knarly trails of Calico. We had 12 Land Rovers as diverse as 1990 Range Rover Classics to a 2006 Range Rover Sport, and nearly everything in between. I am very confident that my LR3 and Adam’s RRS are the first Modern Rovers to attempt these trails. With all the smack talk and scary photos, I have to be honest, this trail had me worried.

Calico - Doran Canyon: (60 images on SmugMug)

We arrived on Friday night and camped in Calico’s well equipped campgrounds, with a roaring Technicolor bonfire. Trail Leader Joe brought some specially saturated wood soaked with exotic chemical solutions that produced an amazingly colorful fire for hours and hours. Many, many hours later, we all hit our sleeping bags for a couple hours of sleep, and then prepared for the trail the next day.

As a group, we elected to start on the Doran Canyon trail. After only a few hundred yards of flat smooth dirt road, we came across a Jeep on its side. Apparently the driver was trying to test his articulation a huge rock, and pushed it just a bit too far!. It was a pleasure watching the Land Rovers winch the Jeep back onto all 4 wheels. The Jeep was an impressive rig, and started right back and he motored on down the trail no worse for wear. Cool.

At the start of the trail, we opted for the bypass instead of attempting the Gatekeeper, which is described as an “Extreme Obstacle” (per Charles Wells field guide). From our vantage point above the canyon rim on the bypass route, the guidebooks were right! There were a few Jeeps down there playing on the Gatekeeper, all them with 42″ minimum sized tires and massive lifts. Even then, it still didn’t look easy for them.

We then entered the canyon and began our trek. Doran has many “Major Obstacles” along it’s route, and with a large group, we took our time making our way through it. Prior to the run, there were many skeptics about the LR3 and Range Rover Sport making it through intact. Well, I’m quite happy to report that they did great! We were one of the very few to make it through the entire trail without any damage on our bodywork. We did scratch up our shiny rims a little bit, but that goes with the territory. I had a few incidents along the way though. Not far from the beginning, I was spotted up a less than optimal line and bridged my truck, with all 4 wheels off the ground. A few rocks stacked and I could easily have driven out of it, but with a big group, plus a bunch of Jeepers behind us, I opted for speed rather than manliness and let Buddy tow me 12″ forward to get some wheels back on the ground Later, about half way through, as I approached a major obstacle called The Wall, a little teeny tiny rock pushed the my tire off the bead which I quickly swapped out with my spare. Other than that, the Modern Rovers had no difficulties or problems. They handled the trail beautifully, and made some of the more difficult sections look easy. Adam of course, by following me, had the benefit of learning from my mistakes and had no issues at all

A note on modern Rovers. They really do drive differently. I have consistently found that veteran drivers have great difficulties spotting properly for a modern IFS Rover. Adam and I developed a teamwork approach and helped each other through the obstacles. They just drive differently. Different clearances, different turning points and turn radius’s, and much better traction, allowing (and often requiring) completely unique lines through the obstacles than the older “live axle” Rovers.

With such a large group and with a challenging trail, one can assume that some difficulties will catch up to you. This trail proved no different. Snow Plow Mark needed 7, 8, 12 or so approaches to the Wall before finally getting winched up. Poor Max was doing great all day, and then a bad spotting job found him teetering on the edge of a hole between a rock and a….bigger rock. Bang went his tire and WHAM went his truck as it toppled over onto it’s side. Fortunately, he suffered no major damage other than some bent sheet metal, tweaked bumpers, and a cracked alloy rim. A few whacks with a large hammer and the bumpers were straightened out a bit, allowing Max to open the rear door and access his tools to change the tire.

We ended the trail run on top of the rim at Bismarck Mine. Because it took us a bit longer than hoped, we opted not to try Odessa that same day, and instead we all headed for the base camp flat out Baja style along the desert floor, following dry washes and power line roads.

All in all, a great day, and I’m very proud of my LR3 setting the inaugural run on the Doran Canyon trail.