Introduction
Wheel Information

Photo: Range Rover Sport Supercharged four wheeling with stock Continental 4X4 Sport Contact 275/40R20 tires (official press photo).

Introduction

The Sport continues the eccentric Land Rover tradition of specifying odd-sized tires that are hard to find. However, under the new Ford management, Land Rover was able to persuade Continental Tire to make a special tire which combines good on-road ability with reasonable off-road ability for mild conditions. 

Wheel Information

As far as I know16 inch or smaller wheels are not available -- the brakes are too big to allow them. On the supercharged model, for example, the front brake disks are 14.2 inches in diameter -- the calipers wlil add at least another couple of inches of inside diameter to be cleared by the inside of the wheel. Even on the naturally aspirated model the rear disks are 13.8 inches in diameter, making the low-budget 17-inch entry-level rims a tight fit.  

If anyone has experience with non-standatrd wheels and tires on a Range Rover Sport, please let me know.

Standard Fitment Tires and Equivalents

The outside diameter of the stock tires is about an inch smaller than the Range Rover III, at about 28.7 inches instead of 30. Readily available standard fitment tires for the Sport include the following --  I found most of them at The Tire Rack. (The new Continental tires do not yet seem to be present on the tire maker's website). 

255/50R19

Ice and Snow:
For the 18 and 19 inch wheels, the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-25 4X4 s available in RR Sport stock sizes. For the 20 inch wheels, the dealer network recommends the Continental Winter Contact 275/40R20. Other choices for ice and snow conditions include the Dunlop Grand Trek WT M3 (pictured at left, courtesy of The Tire Rack). This is available in the 275/40R20 size, and also in 235/60R18 (which has an outside diameter of 29 inches, about right for the Sport). The latter size could be a good choice since, as befits a winter tire, it is narrower than stock, often considered better for slicing through the slush. Also available in the same size are the Bridgestone Blizzak DM Z3 and the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow.

Grand Trek WT M3 Photo courtesy of The Tire Rack	Vredestein 4Wtreme, available in 255/55R18 and 255/50R19

Outside North America, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT is another option, available in the 275/40R20 size. The Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow is also available in that size, although it is considerably less aggressive so may not be as good for other off-road use. 

All-Terrain:
I recently found the Pirelli Scorpion AT, a genuine all-terrain tread pattern that is fairly aggressive, is now available in 235/60R18 which should  be suitable for the RR Sport and result in the same outside diameter as stock tires. Another genuine all-terrain tread that recently became available is the 255/55R18 Nitto Terra Grappler -- also very close to the correct OD for the Sport. If you can get hold of the 17 inch rims, more options open up including the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 255/65R17. The new General AT2 -- a genuine aggressive all-terrain tread -- is available in RR Sport sizes in the UK but not in the US. In the fall of 2006 it will be available in the US in the Range Rover size -- 255/60R18, about an inch larger than RR Sport size but should work fine.

Mud:
The Range Rover Sports used in the 2006 G4 Challenge have Goodyear MT/R mud tires originally made for the Range Rover III. These are available in the 255/55R19 size. Note this size is slightly over stock for the Sport, but seems to work fine. They are only "Q" speed rated so you should be careful not to cruise over 100MPH! Until recently, North American owners had to order them from British suppliers such as Bronco 4x4 or BlackCircles.com. who would agree to ship them overseas. In August 2008 they finally became available in the US, and can be ordered directly from The Tire Rack.

Mike Heaivilin of Nevada got them for his Sport. He reports "They did give me about another inch of clearance because it is a taller tire than what comes standard on the sport. They are no clearance issues at all.. they only thing is you have to get used the extra road noise caused by the the thick tire tread, mostly wind noise.. but when off-road the tires perform flawlessly."

Photos below: Goodyear MTR mud tires on G4 Challenge Range Rover Sport (from official press photos)

Above: G4 Challenge Range Rover Sports with Goodyear MT/R tires (255/55 R19 as used on the ful sized Range Rover) on the 19 inch rims. Right: Photo from Todd Stewart  of Goodyear MT/R 255/55R19 on Range Rover Sport. Note the rock sliders also installed. The 19 inch rims are mounted over the Brembo brakes that come with the SC model of the RRS.

17 inch rims: 
If you can get hold of a set of the "entry level" 17-inch wheels for the Range Rover Sport (or get some off a D3/LR3), a lot of options open up for oversized and more aggressive tires. For reference, the stock tires are about 28.7 inches in diameter.

The 265/70R17 size (about 31.7 inches in diameter) is available in many brands including the BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A, Pireeli Scorpion A/T, the Bridgestone Dueler A/T D693, the newer Dueler A/T Revo design, the Yokohama Geolandar ATII, and the new Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. 

275/65R17 (about 31.2 inches diameter): The new Sumitomo HTR Sport A/T and the Yokohama Geolandar AT are available in this size, which should work without much of a clearance problem. 

Other 17 inch sizes that might work include 235/75, 245/70, 255/70, and 265/70. The Bridgestone A/T Revo mentioned above is available in all of these sizes.  

18 inch rims: (Note if you don't have any, you can use stock Discovery 3 / LR3  rims)

275/60R18: The Yokohama Geolandar ATS is available in this size.

(Photo at right: Jeffrey's 285/60R18 Terra Grapplers on his Range Rover Sport)

285/60R18 (31.4 inches diameter) should work; the Sumitomo HTR Sport A/T is one choice in this size. Another is the Nitto Terra Grappler, a true all-terrain design that is reasonably aggressive. It is about 2 inches larger in diameter than stock, and about an inch wider. Jeffrey of Santa Barbara is the pioneer in successfully trying these tires on his RR Sport (see photos at right and below).

Jeffrey replaced the stock wheels with a set of LR3 18 inch wheels, enabling hiim to choose from the various 18 inch sizes available. He reports that although the tires certainly fill up the wheel wells, he has had no clearance issues. To fit the spare in the stock position in the underwell, he did have to remove the plastic shield around it, and reduce the pressure to 20 psi to squeeze it in (he sensibly carries a compressor). Due to the extra width of the tire, it hangs slightly lower and is a little more visible.

I recently found this tire at  Tires-easy.com  for only $157. (Incidentally I have found they seem to carry a much wider variety of brands and designs in our Range Rover sizes than any other online source I have found). Note that it is also available in the smaller 255/55R18 as mentioned above, which is close to the stock RR Sport diameter. 

Jeffrey's Terra Grapplers and 18 inch LR3 wheels on his Sport.	The spare in position with the plastic shield removed.

275/65R18 (32 inch OD) is another possibility; tires available in this size include the Goodyear Wrangler AT/S and the new Cooper STT mud tire. Michael Quinn of Australia uses the latter on his Range Rover III in Australia -- but reports having to do a few mods to the inner plastic liners of the guards.

255/70R18: another possibility but no aggressive tires seem to be readily available.

The Tire Rack direct link for user reviews, prices, technical specs etc.

Please email me if you have experience with non-standard tires and/or wheels.