Just to add two cents. A quick google for sand tyres for landrovers might yield some handy information about who is talking sense here... What you should find is that the original specialist sand tyre was the michelin XS available in 7.00r16 7.50r16 and 9.00r16. Having owned a set of 7.50r16 michelin XS once apon a time. I can tell you that they are a bit sketchy on wet highways. But incredible in soft sand. On an 88" with no real load and pressures of 20psi it would traverse up and down sand dunes no probs.. If you aired down even more they woukd float over very soft ground.
vrakking tyres in holland keeps a stock of these and the modern continental equivalent. In 7.50r16
https://www.vrakking-tires.com/16-inch/649-50r16c-continental-hso.html
Pirelli uses to make the Dakar Scorpion in 7.00r16 and 7.50r16 i still have a few of these kicking about. Its a shame they seem to be discontinued as they had excellent road manners and the clue as to what their off road prowess was in was in the title. These were the race tyre of choice for many years on the paris/dakar...
These sand tyres have a very square profile. They have a tread width the same as the sidewall height. And a low ply rating. 6pr or 8pr max. When aired down the sidewalls deform in a very interesting way.. They bulge from the centre of sidewall as apposed to from the edge of the tread as on many modern all terrain tyres especially p-metric sizes and some LT rated tures. Newer Shinier and Fashionable isn't always better for every requirement..
Serious overland expedition landrover users for years would use a 7.50r16 12ply or even 14 ply Michelin X zigzag patter broad buttress truck pattern tyre. Boring to look at. But rugged. Punture resistant and easy to get of the rim if you do get a punture. Can take the weight of an overloaded expedition vehicle. Are high speed rated for the road. And work well aired down for soft sand. Are tough enough to work well with sand ladders and will give superior performance in deap gumbo mud when fitted with chains, which they can cope better with because of the high ply rating.
https://www.vrakking-tires.com/16-inch/748-750r16-michelin-xza-da-new.html
https://www.vrakking-tires.com/16-inch/819-22595r16-c-750r16-bridgestone-dueller-tyre.html
Tyres are a all a compromise and require intelligent and knowledgeable choice /care and management..
I will try and find a link to an Australian website that goes into all of this stuff in great detail. And compares many different tyre and wheel choices.
Needless to say its not without good reason that landrovers standard tyre size for decades was 7.50-16 then 7.50r16 and then laterly its closest metric equivalent 235/85r16..
After all what would landrover and indeed toyoyta know?
Side wall ply rating and construction and tread pattern dictate the type of terrain use more than fannying about trying to re invent the wheel with a myriad of different size options....
There is of course more to the story.. Army 88" desert vehicles were fitted with 15" wheels and 9l15 tyres very similar to agricultural implement tyres. The pinkys had 900-15 and 900-16 balloon sand tyres.. These offer specific soft sand performance... But then not much use against sharp stones or thorns...
All terrain tyres will work very well for most people in most situations except when extremes of mud or sand are encountered..
There is a great book call the off road and 4 wheel drive book. Worth a good study.
https://www.amazon.com/Off-Road-4-Wheel-Drive-Book-Maintaining/dp/1852605448
