Why are cars supplied with low profile tyres, and how can I improve the ride on my Range Rover?

I wondered if you would be kind enough to tell me why car manufactures fit low profile tyres to their vehicles as 'standard'. My brother bought a new Jaguar, which was supplied with them on, and he noticed a harsher ride from his previous Jaguars. I bought a second hand Range Rover supercharged with low profile tyres that are completely useless unless you are travelling on a billiard-table like surface. Should I wish to change the Range Rover's tyres to the tried and trusted Pirellis, should I need a new set of rims?

Asked on 31 March 2012 by CA, Holmfirth

Answered by Honest John
They'll tell you 'marketing', that the public is so universally into bling that it will suffer terrible ride quality, tramlining, crashing over speed humps, burst tyres, wheels damaged by potholes, short tyre life and expensive replacement cost, all just to look like a footballer’s wife or a rapper. There is, of course, another reason. If you buy a car on wide, low profile tyres, you will have to replace them, frequently and expensively.

Range Rovers, Range Rover Sports and Land Rover Discovery IVs are all best on 19-inch Pirelli Scorpion ATRs or STRs, so if yours is on 20-inch or bigger you will need a new set of wheels.
Similar questions
I retired in 2011 and purchased my 2009 2.0-litre diesel automatic Vauxhall Insignia Elite company car from my employer. It has now covered around 33,000 miles and is in need of new tyres (245/45 R18 96W)....
I recently bought Nissan Qashqai Tekna CVT 2-litre petrol with 2500 miles on the clock. Unfortunately I made the grave error of testing it only on the flat level surface of a dual carriageway. I have a...
In the past few days my wife and I have taken delivery of two new Ford cars: a Focus Estate and a B-Max; both are to Titanium X specification. Both cars have many attributes with which we are delighted....
Related models
The best-driving Land Rover, still very capable off road, TDV8 is strong and smooth, 3.0 TDV6 a genuinely sporty decent drive with excellent steering.