1996 LAND ROVER DEFENDER Workshop Manual

WHEELS AND TYRES
1
FAULT DIAGNOSIS TYRE WEAR CHART
FAULT CAUSE REMEDY
Rapid wear at Tyres under-inflated Inflate to correct pressure
shoulders Worn suspension components Replace worn components
i.e. ball joints, panhard
rod bushes, steering damper
Excessive cornering speeds
Rapid wear at
centreTyres over-inflated Inflate to correct pressure
of tread
Wear at one
shoulderTrack out of adjustment Adjust track to correct figure
Bent panhard rod Check and replace worn or damaged
components
Bald spots or tyre Wheel out of balance Balance wheel and tyre
cupping assembly
Excessive radial runout Check runout and replace tyre
if necessary
Shock absorber worn Replace shock absorber
Excessive braking
Tyre scalloped Track out of adjustment Adjust toe to correct figure
Worn suspension components Replace tyre as necessary
Excessive cornering speeds
CAUTION: This diagnosis chart is for general guidance only and does not necessarily include
every cause of abnormal tyre wear.

74WHEELS AND TYRES
2
FAULT DIAGNOSIS FAULT - SYMPTOMS
Vibration through steering wheel
1.Check tyre pressures
See Repair, Tyre
Pressures
.
2.Check condition of tyres
See Tyre Wear Chart.
3.Check front wheel alignment
See STEERING,
Adjustment, Front Wheel Alignment
.
4.Check wheel balance
See Repair, Wheel
Balancing
.
NOTE: In the event that any apparent
vibration is not eliminated at this stage
See PROPELLER SHAFTS, Fault
diagnosis, Vibration Harshness
.
NOTE: In the event that any apparent
vibration is not eliminated at this stage, go
to steering Fault Diagnosis, Fault -
Symptom (Steering vibration, road wheel
shimmy/wobble)
See STEERING, Fault diagnosis,
Steering Faults
.
NOTE: Radial ply tyres have a flexible
sidewall, which produces a sidewall bulge
making the tyre appear under-inflated.
This is a normal condition for radial ply tyres. Do
not attempt to reduce this bulge by over-inflating
the tyre.
Key to illustration
1.Correct inflation.
2.Under-inflation.
3.Over-inflation.
4.Tread contact with road.

WHEELS AND TYRES
1
REPAIR REV: 05/99 GENERAL INFORMATION
WARNING: This is a multi-purpose vehicle
with wheels and tyres designed for both
on and off road usage. Only use wheels
and tyres specified for use on the vehicle.
The vehicle is equipped with tubeless 'S','T' or 'H'
rated radial ply tyres as standard equipment. The
tyres are of European metric size and must not be
confused with the "P" size metric tyres available in
North America.
Vehicle wheel sets, including spare wheel, must be
fitted with the same make and type of tyre to the
correct specification and tread pattern. Under no
circumstances must cross-ply or bias-belted tyres be
used.
For tyre specification and pressures
See GENERAL
SPECIFICATION DATA, Information, Wheels and
Tyres
.
Steel wheels
Tubeless tyres are mounted on 7.0 inch wide by 16
inch diameter steel wheels.
Alloy Wheels
Tubeless tyres are mounted on 7.0 inch wide by 16
inch diameter cast aluminium alloy wheels. The
surface has a paint finish covered with a clear
polyurethane lacquer. Care must be taken when
handling the wheel to avoid scratching or chipping the
finish.
The alloy wheel rim is of the asymmetric hump
type incorporating a safety hump to improve
location of the tyre bead in its seat. If difficulty is
experienced in fitting tyres to this type of rim
See
Tyre Fitting
.
WARNING: DO NOT fit an inner tube to an
alloy wheel.TYRE INSPECTION
Inspect tyres at weekly intervals to obtain maximum
tyre life and performance and to ensure compliance
with legal requirements. Check for signs of incorrect
inflation and uneven wear, which may indicate a need
for balancing or front wheel alignment,
See Fault
diagnosis, Tyre Wear Chart
, if the tyres have
abnormal or uneven wear patterns.
Check tyres at least weekly for cuts, abrasions, bulges
and for objects embedded in the tread. More frequent
inspections are recommended when the vehicle is
regularly used in off road conditions.
To assist tyre inspection, tread wear indicators are
moulded into the bottom of the tread grooves, as
shown in the illustration above.
When the tread has worn to a depth of 1.6 mm the
indicators appear at the surface as bars which
connect the tread pattern across the width of the tread
as shown in the illustration above.

74WHEELS AND TYRES
2
REPAIRREV: 05/99 When the indicators appear in two or more adjacent
grooves, at three locations around the tyre, a new tyre
must be fitted.
NOTE: DO NOT attempt to interchange
tyres, e.g. from front to rear, as tyre wear
produces characteristic patterns
depending on their position. If tyre position is
changed after wear has occured, the performance
of the tyre will be adversely affected.
NOTE: Territorial vehicle regulations
governing tyre wear MUST be adhered to.
WHEELS INSPECTION
Regularly check the condition of the wheels. Replace
any wheel that is bent, cracked, dented or has
excessive runout.
VALVES INSPECTION
Check condition of inflation valve. Replace any valve
that is worn, cracked, loose, or leaking air.TYRE PRESSURES
Maximum tyre life and performance will be
obtained only if tyres are maintained at the correct
pressures.
Tyre pressures must be checked at least once a week
and preferably daily, if the vehicle is used off road.
The tyre inflation pressure is calculated to give the
vehicle satisfactory ride and steering characteristics
without compromising tyre tread life. For
recommended tyre pressures in all conditions
See
GENERAL SPECIFICATION DATA, Information,
Wheels and Tyres
.
Always check tyre inflation pressures using an
accurate gauge and inflate tyres to the
recommended pressures only.
Check and adjust tyre pressuresONLYwhen the
tyres are cold, vehicle parked for three hours or more,
or driven for less than 3.2 km (2 miles) at speeds
below 64 km/h (40 mph). Do not reduce inflation
pressures if the tyres are hot or the vehicle has been
driven for more than 3.2 km (2 miles) at speeds over
64 km/h (40 mph), as pressures can increase by 0.41
bars (6 lb/in
2) over cold inflation pressures.
CheckALLtyre pressures including the spare. Refit
the valve caps as they form a positive seal and keep
dust out of the valve.

WHEELS AND TYRES
3
REPAIR WHEEL BALANCING
CAUTION: It is essential that all wheel
balancing is carried out off the vehicle.
The use of on the vehicle balancing could
cause component damage or personal injury and
MUST NOT be attempted.
NOTE: Before attempting to balance a
wheel and tyre assembly clean all mud and
dirt deposits from both inside and outside
rims and remove existing balance weights.
Remove stones from the tyre tread in order to avoid
operator injury during dynamic balancing and to obtain
the correct balance.
Inspect tyres for damage and correct tyre pressures
and balance according to the equipment
manufacturer's instructions.
Steel wheels
Clean area of wheel rim and attach balance weights in
position shown.
Alloy wheels
Clean area of wheel rim and attach adhesive balance
weights in position shown. Cut through rear face of
weight strip to detach required weights.
CAUTION: Use only correct adhesive
balance weights to avoid damage to
aluminium wheel rim. DO NOT attempt to
use a steel wheel weight on an aluminium wheel.

74WHEELS AND TYRES
4
REPAIR Static balance
Wheel tramp
A- Heavy spot.
B- Add balance weights here.
C- Centre line of spindle.
Static balance is the equal distribution of weight
around the wheel. A statically unbalanced wheel will
cause a bouncing action called wheel tramp. This
condition will eventually cause uneven tyre wear.Dynamic balance
Wheel shimmyA- Heavy spot.
B- Add balance weights here.
C- Centre line of spindle.
Dynamic balance is the equal distribution of weight on
each side of the centre line so that when the wheel
spins there is no tendency for side to side movement.
A dynamically unbalanced wheel will cause wheel
shimmy.

WHEELS AND TYRES
5
REPAIR Off Vehicle Balancing
Balance wheel assembly referring to equipment
manufacturer's instructions.
It is essential that the wheel is located by the centre
holeNOTthe stud holes. To ensure positive wheel
location the diameter of the locating collar on the
machine shaft must be 112,80 to 112,85 mm (4.441 to
4.443 in). This diameter will ensure that the collar fits
correctly within the centre hole of the wheel.
Where possible, always use the vehicle wheel
retaining nuts to locate the wheel on the balancer, to
avoid damaging the wheel. If this is not possible, the
locating nuts must be of a similar pattern to the
original wheel nuts. The use of conical type wheel
nuts for this purpose may damage the surface on alloy
wheels.
Cleaning
Wash the aluminium wheels using a suitable wash
and wax concentrate, correctly diluted and rinse with
cold clear water.DO NOTuse abrasives or aluminium
wheel cleaners containing acid, as they will destroy
the lacquer finish.
Tyre changing
Use only tyre changing equipment to mount or
demount tyres, following the equipment
manufacturer's instructions.DO NOTuse hand tools
or tyre levers, as they may damage tyre beads or the
wheel rim.
Puncture repair
Remove punctured tyre from wheel and repair using a
combination service plug and vulcanising patch.
Always follow manufacturer's instructions when using
a puncture repair kit.
Only punctures in tread area are reparable,DO NOT
attempt to repair punctures in tyre shoulders or
sidewalls.
Do not attempt to repair a tyre that has sustained the
following: bulges or blisters, ply separation, broken or
cracked beads, wear indicators visible and punctures
larger than 6 mm diameter.
CAUTION: Do not use tyre sealants that
are injected through valve stem to repair
punctured tyres, they may produce wheel
corrosion and tyre imbalance.
Aluminium wheel rim bead seats should be cleaned
using a non-abrasive cleaner to remove the mounting
lubricants and old rubber. Before mounting or
demounting a tyre, bead area should be well
lubricated with a suitable tyre lubricant.
TYRE FITTING
Alloy wheels
1.Install a new valve assembly.
2.Ensure wheel and tyre is adequately lubricated.
3.Mount tyre in normal manner. Inflate tyre and at
same time apply hand pressure to area around
valve to aid seating over valve first.
NOTE: Stop inflation immediately if tyre
seats opposite valve, as this will result in
valve being blocked by tyre beading,
making further inflation impossible, and carry out
following procedure.
4.Deflate tyre, unseat and rotate it around the rim
until valve is in line with that part of tyre which
seated initially. This part of beading having
seated over hump previously will automatically
seat first when tyre is re-inflated.
5.Inflate tyre to seat beads correctly, finally inflate
to correct pressure.

74WHEELS AND TYRES
6
REPAIRREV: 05/99 WHEELS
Remove
WARNING: The parking brake acts on
transmission, not rear wheels, and may
not hold vehicle when jacking unless
following procedure is used. If one front wheel
and one rear wheel is raised no vehicle holding or
braking effect is possible. Wheels MUST be
chocked in all circumstances.
Apply parking brake, select a gear in main
gearbox and engage low gear in transfer box.
1.Loosen 5 wheel nuts.
2.Using a suitable trolley jack, raise vehicle and
place on axle stands
See INTRODUCTION,
Information, Jacking
.
3.Remove wheel nuts and carefully withdraw
wheel over studs.
Refit
4.Ensure that retaining studs and nuts are clean.
5.Alloy wheels: Lightly coat wheel mounting spigot
face with a suitable anti-seize compound to
minimise possibility of adhesion between wheel
and spigot face.
6.Refit wheel taking care not to damage stud
threads. (Do not apply oil).
7.Fit wheel nuts and turn by hand for at least three
full threads before using any form of wheel
wrench.
8.Tighten nuts as much as possible using a
suitable wrench.
9.Lower vehicle and finally tighten nuts to correct
torque sequence shown.
Alloy wheels -
130 Nm (96 lbf/ft)
Steel wheels -100 Nm (80 lbf/ft)
Heavy duty wheels -170 Nm (125 lbf/ft)