Just upgraded to a set of 19" with 235 55 19 tyres and ive been told I cannot use my original 17" spare with 235 65 17 tyre. ( I thought they would have the same rolling diameter ) my steel 17" is new and unused with a goodyear wrangler hp tyre , if anyone needs one I may sell it to fund a 19" alloy as a spare.

Who told you that? They should all (17", 18" & 19") have virtually the same rolling circumference so perfectly acceptable to use your 17" wheel as a spare. Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

This is what I was told,

We would not recommend using the spare wheel unless it was a real emergency. Because Freelanders are four wheel drive the matching of tyres is essential to the smooth running and avoiding damage to the drive train. Even if the spare was the same size and type as the tyres on your Freelander, putting just one tyre with a different tread level can cause a mismatch in tyres and hence damage to the drivetrain. Please be aware, even mismatched tyre pressure can cause issues on a permanent 4x4 vehicle. The best solution for a tyre issue is a temporary repair kit, or, if it is too bad for this, get the breakdown services to recover you. As you are doing, you should always replace all four tyres at the same time, however, if you do happen to replace just two make sure they are the same make and type as the ones remaining on the Freelander and ensure the rear differential is not heating up when you drive - if it is then you will have to replace all four.


All the best,

Sue

Steve is 100% correct. All FL2's (3) Gone
2011 Mercedes C180 CGI Gone
FL2 GS Auto SD with heated leather, factory tints, alloy spare and a few other bits.

Drove all the way from Scotland with my steel spare on my first FL2 towing the caravan then 4 days or so of normal driving never had any issues with drivetrain

The only reason they use Repair cans is weight loss and VED ratings Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Who told you this? The person flogging you the replacement wheel and tyre  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

Thats the quote the tyre places use when youre renewing one, oh you should really have all 4 sort of thing or your drive will blow up and it will cost you thousands and they might even write the car off, ive heard it all before.

So what if you have a standard issue spare (same wheel & tyre type & size) as fitted to the vehicle.
You are down to 4mm on the tyres and you get a puncture.
By their reckoning it means that you shouldn't fit the new (correct) spare wheel that has the full 8mm of tread.
Yes there would be a difference in rolling circumference, but not to the detriment of the vehicle.

Total ballcocks, I'd never take my vehicle anywhere near a dealer like this. FL2 now gone and have a couple of items left for sale:-

Brodit active iPhone holder + Brodit dash clip,
Bluetooth Music Streaming Module.

It was on another forum that I was told this, Freelanderspecialist.com, I got my wheels secondhand, I also think it was duff info but being new to Land rovers and reading about knackered diffs I wanted to make sure.

Thank goodness you've found a new forum  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

If unsure why not check the rolling circumference?

>put a chalk mark on the floor and match it up to one on the tyre, roll the car forward untill the chalk mark is on the floor again and measure between the two chalk marks on the floor, then do the same with your spare..
or just run a tap measure, string etc around it and measure it..

Or, better yet put the spare on the car, mark up that and another wheel, roll forward, the marks should both hit the ground again at the same time and have the same measurements between the chalk marks on the ground..

I cant say definitively that they are the same but its a very simple test..

It is true that using different size wheels (even down to tyre pressures & wear) can damage your drive train, I'm not sure on the FL2 but the FL1 suffered alot from this.. on the FL1 I try and change an axle set at a time so there is at least the same wear on each axle, there was also something about if you're only chaging 2 tyres, always put the newer ones on the rear.. or something like that.. not sure if it still applies on the FL2.. MY2011 Freelander 2 GS Santorini Black
MY2004 Freelander 1 Sport Java Black
MY1986 Defender 90 Stornoway Grey - Fully Rebuilt this Year

The FL2's drivetrain is very different from that of the FL1 and other VCU-equipped vehicles such as Subarus. For such vehicles there is some truth in the above advice, as mismatched tyres will cause the VCU to slip all the time and that will eventually cause damage.

The FL2, however, doesn't have a VCU and isn't 50/50 4WD in the way that VCU cars are. The FL2's Haldex unit sends most of the drive to the front wheels most of the time, and is much more tolerant of mismatched tyres, etc. It also includes monitoring of unit temperature and will disconnect the rear drive if things do start to get hot.

In fact, in my car the supplied spare tyre is actually a different size from those fitted to the road wheels! Both are on 17" wheels, but the road wheels have 235/65 tyres whilst the steel spare is a 225/65 for some reason. So with the FL2 a spare can be used even if it doesn't exactly match the others. (Or course in any situation involving mismatched tyres speeds should be limited and the vehicle should be driven that way for as short a time as possible.)

Browny90 wrote:

If unsure why not check the rolling circumference?

>put a chalk mark on the floor and match it up to one on the tyre, roll the car forward untill the chalk mark is on the floor again and measure between the two chalk marks on the floor, then do the same with your spare..
or just run a tap measure, string etc around it and measure it..

Or, better yet put the spare on the car, mark up that and another wheel, roll forward, the marks should both hit the ground again at the same time and have the same measurements between the chalk marks on the ground..

I cant say definitively that they are the same but its a very simple test..

It is true that using different size wheels (even down to tyre pressures & wear) can damage your drive train, I'm not sure on the FL2 but the FL1 suffered alot from this.. on the FL1 I try and change an axle set at a time so there is at least the same wear on each axle, there was also something about if you're only chaging 2 tyres, always put the newer ones on the rear.. or something like that.. not sure if it still applies on the FL2..