The best tyre size for a Nissan y62 Patrol HGT y62 Build1

What is the best tyre size for a Nissan Y62 patrol? Spoiler alert…. 295/70r18

My journey with tyres for my y62 patrol has been a bit of a ride and we have now tried 4 different sizes.

Factory OE 265/70r18 – 33” equivalent.
295/70r18 – 34.5” equivalent.
35x12.5r18 – 35” actual.
Most recently 275/70r18 – 33.5” equivalent.

All of these different size tyres have pros and cons to them and of course the “best tyre size” is relevant to what you are actually doing with your y62 patrol.

For me I use my y62 patrol as my daily driver, I like to do a lot of 4wding, exploring and camping. Also I only very rarely tow anything.

The 265/70r18 factory tyres. These are the best option for fuel economy. They are quite and more of a highway terrain tyre even though they are marked as an All-terrain tyre. All the Nissan engineering for the y62 is around running this size tyre. However they look small under such a big 4wd.

The 275/70r18. We got this size in a Maxxis RAZR AT811 all-terrain. They are slightly larger than an OE tyre, have a decent increase in tread width over stock. Still quite on road, offer better traction and are just a better looking 4wd tyre over OE. This size is still definitely on the small side for a y62 Patrol.

The 295/70r18, we got these in a Kumho MT71 mud terrain tyre. These are a decent increase in both overall diameter (height) and trad width compared with OE tyre size. They look in proportion to the size of the y62. The increase the ground clearance around 1”. Offer much better capability offroad being able to roll over obstacles better being taller and offer better traction being wider. Also the wider footprint also helps off road. They do use more fuel (around 2L per 100km) and there is some power loss being bigger and heavier.

The 35x12.5r18, we got these in a Yokohama G003 mud terrain. These are a significant increase in both overall diameter (height) and trad width compared with OE tyre size. They look in big to the size of the y62 but still in proportion and sit well. The increase the ground clearance 1” if not slightly over. Offer much better capability offroad with a significantly wider footprint over OE tyres. Again being able to roll over obstacles better being taller and offer better traction being wider. They do use more fuel (around 3L per 100km) and there is power loss being bigger and heavier.

It is important to note that power loss on a Nisan y62 Patrol isn’t really an issue with its big power and torque v8. However it is still slightly noticeable.

Why is 295/70r18 the best tyre size for a y62 Patrol?

It offers the best of all worlds when it comes to 4wd tyre performance and noticeable size increase, being only marginally smaller than a true 35x12.5r18. With relatively reasonable minimal power loss and fuel consumption increase. The 295/70r18 is the best all round tyre size for a Nissan y62 Patrol.