2002 4Runner SR-5 w/ 15" tires Ground Clearance?

[bocash3]

Howdy to the board.

I have owned many 4 wheel drive vehicles going back into the late 60's and presently own 3 (4 if I count an ATV).

My present Tacoma extra cab 4x4 was purchased new in Sept. 1997 and only has 42,000 miles. The good wife says she will bury me in it .....

I may have a dilemma. I travel very rough and remote old mining roads that require a lot of ground clearance. While my extra cab Tacoma does fine, I use a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee because it is shorter and can "snake" around timber and tight curves better.

In looking to replace this Jeep, I sought a 4Runner that was 2002 or older with low miles, as this was the last year before the frames were dropped lower. SUCCESS !! I found a 2002 SR-5 with only 38,000 miles on it. It is being trucked from Florida to NC but it will be a couple of weeks away. This post deals with the fact that I just found out this 4Runner has 15" tires. I had assumed it would have 16 inch.

The standard 15" tires on the SR-5 4Runner in 2002 were 225/75/15. This was also true on my Tacoma, but I "upped" them to 235's. The Tacoma does well but again, this vehicle is too long to do what I need to do.

My Jeep has 235/70-16 inch tires and has about 8.7 inches of ground clearance. It is very minimal for where I am going and frequently scrapes on the frame or skid plates.

QUESTION: Can I expect my "new" SR-5 4Runner w/ 15 inch tires to have the same or greater overall clearance than the Jeep I am selling?

Or....................... will I have to go to a much larger tire........................??

Gosh, I do hope I don't have to buy 5 rims and tires to go up to 16".

THANKS to the board in advance for reading my rambling and please let me know your opinions.

"Bo" Cash

 

[steezemcqueen]

upping the rim size won't necessarily make the over all wheel size bigger. if i were you, i would get a set of 31x10.5 R15's (I'm partial to the BFG All Terrains) that is what i have and i am pretty close to my dads 2006 Tacoma with 265/75/16's

 

[The Dude]

I agree with the above post.

Mine came with 235's on 15" rims when i bought it.

I got myself a set of 31x10.5 BFG AT/KO's....great tires.

They gave me a couple extra inches inches of ground clearance over the 235's that i had.

 

[The Dude]

.......I think you'll have more ground clearance on the 4runner than you did with the grand cherokee, even with the stock 225's on the 15's. And you'll probably want to remove the running boards to give you a few extra inches as well.

Welcome to the forum!!

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the ground clearance you'll be getting with stock suspension/no lift, and 31x10.5's on 15" rims.

 

[bocash3]

.......I think you'll have more ground clearance on the 4runner than you did with the grand cherokee, even with the stock 225's on the 15's. And you'll probably want to remove the running boards to give you a few extra inches as well.

Welcome to the forum!!

Here's a picture to give you an idea of the ground clearance you'll be getting with stock suspension/no lift, and 31x10.5's on 15" rims.

THANKS to both Dude and Greenmonster !!

Dude, this is what I wanted to hear !! The SR-5 that should be here in 2 weeks or less is a "plain Jane" version, no running boards, no fender flares. I did not want them as that is just something else to hang up on the small boulders, roots, and fallen timber I sometimes have to negotiate. Again, I targeted this particular 2002 model for its unusually low mileage of less than 38,000. Most of the 4Runners around my area of NC that are of that age have well over 100,000 miles.

I really appreciate the photo ------- very encouraging!!. More than likely, the vehicle will come with good tires that I would wear down before replacing. At that point, I would need to decide between going back with 235/75-15 or go to the 31/10.5-15. Another option is to sell the used tires, but they won't bring much. Without asking, I have a feeling this vehicle has the original 225's. It was Florida driven only 6,500 miles a year and I suspect has never been in 4 wheel drive.

THANKS so much and have a great day !!

"Bo"

 

[bocash3]

Dude,

Additionally, the photo of the 2002 4Runner SR-5 I have coming looks just like yours, except a light metallic tan color.

QUESTION: on your BFG tire info, what does "KO" stand for?

THANKS AGAIN, "Bo"

 

[The Dude]

Anytime, Bo. Glad to be of help!!

Great find! At 38,000 miles. That's like a brand new 4runner.

A couple things to consider if you're thinking about the 31" tires. Your gas mileage will suffer a little, and you'll lose a little power. I think i'm getting around 1mpg less since i got the the 31x10.5, and it's not as quick as it used to be when I had the 235's on. But they're great tires, and they give a whole new look and feel to the truck. Even with the high gas prices, I have no regrets buying them.

To answer your question as to what the "KO" stands for...I wasn't quite sure either so I did a quick search and found 2 results. One link says "Key benefit On and Off-road" and the other says "Key on Off-road"

Here are the links:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=All-Terrain+T/A+KO

http://www.americastire.com/dtcs/tires/bf_goodrich/product/submitProductSize.do?r=CALINT&pc=38985