WK2 Second set wheels tyres for offroad
 

Hello Jeepies

I have a 14 GC overland ecodiesel,a few months old.

Taken it out on the sand a few times let the tyres down and haven't run into any problems but didn't venture too far as I wasn't sure the standard tyres were upto it.

I plan on doing alot more 4x4 this summer mainly beach/sand and my concern is the 20" wheels and tyres are the weak link and will let me down on boggier sand.

I am thinking of picking up a set of laredo rims and getting some type of all terrain tyre and swap them over when I plan on going offroad.

Does anyone run the standard overland wheels and tyres offroad and what are your experiences with them?
Do the Laredo rims fit on the overland?
Any tyre recommendations for sand driving?
Any better suggestions for my situation?

Appreciate any input
Cheers

I've run the standard 20'' wheels and tyres on sand plenty of times now and no worries with pressures ranging between 15 and 22psi.
The 18'' laredo rims will fit on an overland no worries, and will allow for a bit more bagging when letting down the pressures, so yes they are the better off road rim size. There are also a lot more options in 18'' when choosing new tyres. You just need to weigh up the cost of getting a set of 18s is worth it, depending on how much off roading you're planning.
When it comes to sand driving, the less aggressive the tread the better, so the standard tyres do well.

So in summary: Although 18s would be slightly better, 20s with pressures around 20psi will be fine in the sand

Thanks for the reply LeCheese,

Good to know your experience with the 20's and standard tyres.

I had some guys making me doubt the mighty jeep last time I took it out, they were running super aggresive looking tyres and although I had heard that non aggresive tyres were good on sand and tyre pressure was the most important I lost confidence and ended up turning around and going home. Doesn't help that I'm a 4x4 Newb.

I will keep an eye out though and if I can get a good deal on some Laredo rims i'll pick some up.

Cheers

Yeah, aggressive tyres just dig themselves into the sand more meaning that they have to run lower pressures so they can 'float' across the top more. They key thing to sand driving is tyre pressures as you said, and also momentum in soft sand.

4x4 Action did some tyre testing on sand a while back and what you say is exactly what they found

I had some issues with my 20s in some really soft stuff (clearance hurt as well) swapped to 275/65/18 and noticeable difference in sand capability as also got some height Ali g with sidewall bag. Lost a bit of street cred tho[emoji12]

I put 275/55/20 tyres on my rims more side wall to bag, same overall diameter as the the 275/65/18 but obviously the 18 has more sidewalk again. I have Laredo 18 inch wheels for sale if u r looking for some they will fit straight on.


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