Now, this may have been flogged to death, i have used the search function so please, for the love of all that id FL2 related, dont shot me down.


Ok, I currently run MY13 LUX on 19" shadow chrome wheels , which to be fair, look quite nice. I have always liked the look of 17" wheels as the xtra bit of tyre sits nice on the car.

My question is would i get any benifet / notice any difference changing from 19 down to 17" other than cosmetic?[/s]

A softer ride but more roll in the corners. Less likely to damage tyre sidewalls if you bump up the kerb, less likely to mis-shape the rims if you take speed humps too fast and of course, more money left in your wallet when you fit new tyres! Past: FL2 TD4 HSE Auto
Evoque SD4 Dynamic Lux Auto
Present: Audi A3 S Line.

More availability of seriously knobbly tyres and more effect if you reduce pressure for mud etc.

In many respects, esthetics aside, there isn't much to be said in favour of 19" rims on a Freelander- before anyone gets narcky, I currently have two sets of refurbed 19" wheels.

Even older sports cars can suffer with lower profile tyres as they can become more prone to tramline and can wear bearings faster.

The whole big wheel thing was as a result of motorsport. The bigger the wheel, the bigger the brakes you can fit inside them. What became apparent was the shorter, stiffer side walls made the handling more direct. This is great on a nice smooth race circuit but not really appropriate to pot holed roads and off roading when compliance is a desirable atribute.

So, in summary, posing aside, there is little to be said in favour of fitting big wheels on a vehicle with any off road aspirations...except, if you need to make an abrupt change of direction at speed. How much weight you apply to this requirement is fairly critical as, should this be needed, bad things may happen.

17” alloys on a Freelander 2 is like a magic carpet ride in comparison to 19s. The suspension set up on the Freelander 2 is excellent for coils all round. 19s in comparison to 22s there is little difference to the vehicle, you can only really tell the ride is firmer if you race over speed bumps.

A lot of people on the forum can talk the talk but I’m telling you first hand experience. My 22s are fitted with M+S tyres, budget tyres will make the ride firmer on any size of rubber as will worn down tyres. Having good quality branded tyres makes a world of a difference.  MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

17"on my GS and now 18" on my HSE both very nice ride and good handling on and off road. don't know about low profiles and the bling stuff but wouldn't fancy collecting the from the fields with them on.

May be wrong but just doesn't sit well with me.  If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.

A Freelander on 19s is far smoother than a D2 with 18s on rear air suspension. The D2 obviously being a lot heavier and has solid live axels. MY14 Kahn Converted Dynamic - Fuji White Ebony/Pimento Interior
MY15 Xenon Headlight Conversion

MY17 RRS SVR - Estoril Blue Cirrus/Ebony 🪣💺’s

I don't find the 19 inch (55 profile) tyres uncomfortable at all. I will agree that I have suffered more tyre damage over the last few years than all my driving years before. I had although put this down to the appalling state our roads had been allowed to get in. On the plus side, I am glad that I have an off-roader to cope with these conditions.

Unless we get a government that is brave enough to raise enough tax to pay for all our services I think, in time, we will all need tractors to drive around.
Don't get me started on the NHS, Education, Care Services, etc.

Back to the subject, 55 profile tyres are not very extreme by modern standards. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 77k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

shamus5178 wrote:

My question is would i get any benifet / notice any difference changing from 19 down to 17" other than cosmetic?[/s]

Quote:

...55 profile tyres are not very extreme by modern standards

The FL2s 235/55 R19 tyres have nearly 13cm of sidewall. Our Fiesta ST sits on 205/40 R17 tyres and has only 8cm of sidewall - combined with a stiff suspension thats a hard ride. Jules

265/35R22 Vs 235/55R19

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I have done exactly what you propose; reduced from 19" to 17". I shod them with original spec Continentals and they transformed the ride compared to part worn tyres on the 19" rims. A vast improvement in ride comfort and steering. Have just completed a 2500 trip round Europe including crossing the Alps and Pyrenees in complete safety and comfort with fantastic feeling of security.

Cheers all, very varied responce on pro/cons. I have the current set of tyres, Continental cross contacts, and to be fair, they weren't new when i got the car,have done all i have asked of them including the two periods of snow we had recently down here in Kent and after 12000 miles are down to 3mm and having thought about reducing wheel size, seemed the prime time to do it before i buy some new boots.

what was the outcome? If it wasn't so bad it'd be funny.

🐑
Freelander 2 HSE auto 2014 ( Florrie ) ..... Try again.
Freelander 2 GS 2012...... Gone.