Drake wrote:

large (and surprisingly fast-moving when empty) rock-hauling tippers

It certainly looks like the drivers are having some fun on the way back to the quarries for a fresh load - I am used to them now but when I first moved into the area I was amazed how quickly these trucks can cover ground point-to-point for their size and, as you say, the cornering speed is surprising... it's usually car drivers that slow them down rather than the limits of the vehicle. There are some good HGV drivers in them, too - I have seen lots of accidents in the area due to all the usual country hazards but never one involving a tipper and there are dozens of them out all day every day.

Time for new tyres this weekend. The car came to me with Goodyear Wranglers - I have been satisfied with them so I didn't bother torturing myself with endless comparisons and reviews and just bought another set. They're quiet enough with good cornering grip (surprisingly good, all things considered) and no other traction issues on-road despite the extremely wet and muddy roads I've been on for months in the South West. They've been fine on wet grass, gravel and shallow mud as well, with no punctures and reasonable wear rates. Price is mid-range which is what I tend to go for on older cars anyway. I expect to have to replace tyres pretty frequently, it'll be interesting to see how long these last.

Click image to enlarge

Good luck with new tyres Drake. I Think you’re being a bit pessimistic on L322 19” tyre life. I expect that they’ll last up to 40,000 to 50,000 miles. So hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I have the same 19” wheels on my 2004 L322. I had the same issue - the wheels didn’t Look too bad, but I was having to check tyre pressures and add air to a couple every week (despite new Pirelli Scorpion ATRs being fitted). I took my Range Rover to Lepsons in Gillingham to get the wheels refurbished. Lepsons was the company that kept getting recommended on Pistonheads. So despite me living in Yorkshire, I decided to bite the bullet and drop the car down to them for a few days. They did a good job. They found one of the wheels had a double buckle which they repaired as well as they could but they flagged it to me. So I decided to ask them to put that wheel on the spare tyre in the boot, and then refurbish the Original spare wheel To match the 4 they had just refurbished. They coped with this change to the scope of the job really well. When I got the car back, they had done a really good job. 9 months later, no complaints and no leaking air! Their website is: Lepsons.com 2004 L322 4.4 V8 Vogue Bonatti Grey
(205,500 miles and counting.......)

I think 40 - 50k tyre life might be a bit the other way in terms of pessimism. That said, FFRR's arent heavy on tyres in my experience and 25+k is on the cards in normal driving. I'd imagine 40-50k could be on the cards for all motorway driving.

We had a 2003 L322 until very recently and apart from the dismal fuel consumption (we tow a horse box a lot, and anything over 11 mpg was a bonus) absolutely loved it over 12 years of ownership. Enjoy. Drives:
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue - Stornoway Grey
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue SE - Zermatt Silver
1998 BMW E36 M3 GTII

Thanks for the refurbishment tip, Tom - interesting the you had the same issue on the same wheels. I have relatives in Kent so perhaps I'll use that place if I'm able to stay up there for a few days in Spring.

Rvbush -

I was following an identical model to your 'new' RR yesterday (in grey as well) - boy, those V8 diesels can shift! Impressive cars.

My wife's Audi - with Quattro - struggles to get more that 25,000 our of a set of tyres but then they aren't anywhere near as chunky as a soft-roader tread. If I do better in the Range I'l be very satisfied.

Drake -

They certainly can shift a bit, takes some by surprise! Forgot to add, out 2003 was also Zambesi, so it looked identical to yours. One thing I really miss from that car is the adjustable upper part of the front seat backrests, but I don't miss the constant trips to the fuel station! Drives:
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue - Stornoway Grey
2010 FFRR TdV8 Vogue SE - Zermatt Silver
1998 BMW E36 M3 GTII

Range Rovers should come with a jet washer as standard equipment. After messing about on 'shortcuts' in the rain-soaked mud-bath of Somerset this week my car looked like it had been given a very cheap brown respray - no silver paint visible. I have always been a bit of a clean car freak and I have found that an extremely dirty RR is good therapy for a bit of car OCD - I have been tooling around with it looking like this for a few days quite happily, plunging through puddles and all the Winter filth without a care in the World. I have come to London for the weekend though so the country camo has been removed...

Time for the first MOT since I brought the RR home last Summer: having noticed and lived with several faults or developing issues I was ready for failure and a potentially costly make-over for spring, and I wasn't disappointed. A proper Range-Rover style failure of the first test followed...

The list was something like this:

Ball Joints, some bushes and a suspension arm
Rear brake discs & pads
Handbrake cable, shoes and fittings
Air pump sensor
Rear exhaust

I'm not going to tell you how much it cost but to be honest I had expected worse: I thought the air pump needed replacement rather than just a part and the specialist was also kind enough to source a very good used Exhaust for a great price without being asked, rather than order me a £700+ new one. They also managed to get it all done in two and a half days, bless them, even though they always have a car-park full of very broken Land Rover products to deal with. They are the nearest specialists to me, WJ Joyce in Trowbridge, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them... they provide a good service for older models that are run on a tighter budget, they don't spend your money without asking or suggest any repairs you don't really need, they diagnose things well and they always wash the car when they've finished.

I'm now in that enviable and no doubt short-lived position of having an old L322 that is fully-functional and fault-free - it's a peach at the moment and back to working hard again.