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I've just fitted new 18-inch Lucari XR2 wheels to my Defender, and I'll walk you through everything you need to know about the process. These wheels offer a classic yet modern look, and they're wrapped in Cooper Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 tyres that balance road performance with off-road capability.
The fitment required some adjustments to get right. The wheels are 8J wide with a different offset than the original setup, which meant testing with and without wheel spacers to achieve the perfect stance. I'll also show you a clever way to customise the centre caps with genuine Land Rover badges, though it takes a bit of work to make them fit properly.
The Lucari XR2 18-inch wheels fit the Defender without spacers and provide a clean, modern appearance whilst maintaining functionality
Cooper Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 tyres in 265/65 R18 offer a good compromise between road handling and occasional off-road use
You can fit genuine Land Rover badges onto aftermarket centre caps with simple modifications using superglue for a factory finish
The Lucari XR2 wheels are 18-inch alloys with an 8J width. They come with a specific offset that differs from standard wheels.
The wheels work with 265/65 R18 tyres. This tyre size gives a slightly larger diameter than standard 16-inch wheels.
These wheels require specific wheel nuts. The nuts cost about £2.50 each, but you can get them cheaper when you buy in quantity.
Wheel Specifications:
Size: 18 inches
Width: 8J
Fitment: Standard fit without spacers
Compatible Tyre Size: 265/65 R18
The XR2 wheels feature a five or ten spoke alloy design. They have a classic look that resembles Boost wheels but with a more modern touch.
The wheels come with plain black centre caps as standard. You can fit genuine Land Rover badges to the centre caps with some modification.
When fitted, the wheels create more visible space around the tyre area. This gives a clean and fresh appearance to the vehicle.
The 8J width provides a wider stance than standard 7J wheels. When fitted without spacers, they sit at an appropriate position that doesn't stick out too far.
The original wheels are 7J width, whilst the Lucari XR2 wheels are 8J. This makes the new wheels notably wider.
The offset on the XR2 wheels is very different from the original wheels. Despite being wider, the different offset means they sit at roughly the same position as the original wheels when fitted without spacers.
You cannot use 30mm wheel spacers with these wheels. With spacers fitted, the wheels stick out too far. Without spacers, the fitment is perfect.
The original wheels are 16 inches, whilst the XR2 wheels are 18 inches. This size difference creates more visible space around the tyre and changes the overall look of the vehicle.
I wrapped the new rims in Discoverer AT3 Sports, specifically the Sport 2. I wanted something more road biased than what I had previously.
The trouble is when you're going for an 18 this big, it's quite difficult to get a more road biased tyre. You'd be looking at stratospheric prices unless you compromise. This seemed like a really good compromise for me.
Who's to say this Defender is going to be always on the road? We did plan on it being on the road 75 to 80% of the time. But for those few little times when you might go off road, these should be a great tyre.
The tyres I chose are 225/65 R18s. They give a very similar diameter to the 16s I had on there before. In fact, they're a little bit bigger in diameter.
Here's what you need to know about the wheel specifications:
Wheel size: 18 inch
Wheel width: 8J (compared to the previous 7J)
Offset: Much less than the standard wheels
The Lucari wheels are an 8J, which means they're a lot wider than the standard 7J wheels. The offset should sit them about the same position, though.
These tyres work well for mixed use. We planned on this Defender being on the road 75 to 80% of the time. The Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 provides a road bias whilst still handling off-road situations.
They're not a full off-road tyre, but they're not purely a road tyre either. When you've got an 18-inch wheel this size, finding something that balances both uses at a reasonable price is the challenge.
For those few times when you might go off road, these should perform well. They offer enough capability without sacrificing road manners for the majority of your driving.
The wheels are the Lucari XR2. They're an 18-inch rim with a five or ten spoke alloy design. These wheels are an 8J, which means they're wider than the standard 7J wheels.
The offset on these Lucari wheels is quite different from the standard wheels. This offset should help the wheels sit properly on the Defender.
The tyres fitted to these wheels are Discoverer AT3 Sport 2. These are 265/65 R18s. They're more road-biased than typical all-terrain options. They're slightly bigger in diameter than the previous 16-inch tyres.
When you're looking for an 18-inch tyre that's road-biased, you'll find it's quite difficult without paying very high prices. These tyres offer a good compromise for a vehicle that will be on the road 75 to 80 per cent of the time but still needs some off-road capability.
The Defender had Mantic 30mm wheel spacers fitted. These spacers kick the wheel out quite far from the hub.
When fitting the Lucari wheels with the spacers in place, the wheels went on easily with plenty of room. However, once fitted, the wheels stuck out too far. The spacers made the wheels protrude beyond what looked appropriate for the vehicle.
After removing the spacers, the wheels sat much better. Without the spacers, the standard Lucari wheels sit at a good position that doesn't stick out excessively.
Here's what the comparison showed:
Standard Lucari wheel (no spacer): Sits flush and looks proportionate
7J wheel with 30mm spacer: Kicks out and sits level with where the Lucari wheels sit without spacers
Lucari wheel with 30mm spacer: Sticks out too far
The wheel spacers are a good addition for a 7J rim, but they're not needed for these 8J Lucari wheels because of the different offset.
The wheel nuts used for this fitment are black nuts. These are fairly inexpensive at about £2.50 each.
If your current wheel nuts are swollen or difficult to remove, these replacement nuts are much cheaper when you buy them in quantity. There's no reason not to replace troublesome wheel nuts with a fresh set.
The nuts fitted easily onto the Lucari wheels without any issues. Standard wheel nuts are suitable for this application.
The offset on the Lucari wheels is very different from the standard wheels. The original wheels are 7J, whilst the new Lucari wheels are 8J. This means the new wheels are a lot wider.
The offset should sit them about the same position as the original setup. However, the wheels were tested with wheel spacers first to see how they would look.
The Lucari wheels were initially fitted with 30mm Mantic wheel spacers. These spacers kicked the wheel out quite a lot. With the spacers on, the wheels were sticking out way too much.
After removing the spacers, the wheels sat perfectly. The comparison shows a clear difference in positioning:
Standard Lucari wheel (8J): Sits at the proper position without spacers
7J rim with 30mm spacer: Sits level with the 8J wheel without spacers
The 7J wheels with spacers kick out just as much as the 8J wheels on their own. This shows that wheel spacers are a really good addition to a 7J rim to achieve similar positioning.
The final setup uses the 8J Lucari wheels without spacers. This position is plenty of offset for the vehicle. The wheels don't stick out too far, which would have happened if the spacers had remained on.
The 8J wheels sit perfectly on their own. Removing the spacers from the wider wheels provided the best fitment. The standard Lucari 8J wheel position matches what you would get with a 7J wheel plus a 30mm spacer.
You need to get the correct part for this modification. The genuine Land Rover centre caps work for this project. These parts cost about £13 to £14 each.
They're not cheap, but they give you the authentic Land Rover badge. You'll need one for each wheel you want to customise.
The genuine Land Rover centre caps won't fit directly onto your Lucari rims. If you try to fit one straight onto your rim, it will break.
When you attempt to push the cap on, it won't sit properly. The cap will end up damaged and unusable. This is what happens when you force the fitment without modifying the approach.
You need to take a different approach to get these badges fitted properly. Here's how you do it:
Run a knife underneath the existing badge on the genuine Land Rover centre cap
Break the seal to separate the badge from its original backing
Get a small amount of superglue ready
Apply the superglue around the foam gasket on your Lucari centre cap
Place the genuine Land Rover badge onto your Lucari centre cap
Position it in the middle
The placement doesn't matter as long as you centre it properly. Yes, you'll waste part of your purchase by breaking apart the original cap. But you end up with a genuine Land Rover badge on your Lucari centre cap.
This gives you the authentic look whilst using your aftermarket wheels.
The Lucari wheels look better every time you see them. These are the XR2 model with an 18-inch size and 8J width. They feature a nice five or ten spoke alloy design that looks really classic with a modern touch.
The wheels are wrapped in Discoverer AT3 Sport 2 tyres in size 265/65 R18. These tyres offer a road-biased option whilst still providing capability for occasional off-road use. The diameter is slightly bigger than the previous 16-inch setup.
Initial Fitment Test Results:
With 30mm Mantic wheel spacers:
Wheels kicked out too far
Had to remove spacers for proper fitment
Without spacers:
Wheels sit perfect
Positioning is better than the 7J wheels with spacers
Final stance provides plenty of width without excessive protrusion
The centre caps came with plain black covers initially. You can add genuine Land Rover badges to the centre caps using these steps:
Purchase genuine Land Rover centre caps (part number shown, approximately £13-14 each)
Run a knife underneath the existing foam piece to break the seal
Apply a small amount of superglue around the foam gasket
Position the Land Rover badge in the centre of your Lucari cap
The genuine caps don't fit directly onto the Lucari wheels, but this method gives you an authentic Land Rover badge on your centre caps.
The window holes have been cut out for the full station wagon conversion. This project was completed in coordination with the interior trim work to ensure everything fits perfectly.
The conversion involved specific tricks and techniques for cutting the window openings correctly. The next episode will show detailed methods for completing this type of conversion work properly.
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