Alright, installed GYWSA in 255/75/17 and here my first impresiions. I will be comparing them to OE Mich CT which lasted a long time and were good on pavement but nowhere else really.
First thing I noticed when I got in a truck and start driving is ride height. I should have measured actual before and after numbers but it feels like I gained extra 1.5-2" of ground clearance just from switching to this size. I swear when I got in my truck I like OMG, did I just got a lift?? My friend commented right away - wow your truck is much higher of the ground now and has a nice stance. I believe this is a tallest tire you can go without a lift. There is plenty of room at the back but in front its a tight fit, no rubbing whatsoever and I tried full turns and flexing, no rubbing - confirmed.
these tires look a lot beefier compare to OE shoes
Tires balanced good with little weights except one wheel. On rough hard snow packed winter streets they felt less comfortable and surprisingly stiffer compare to Cross Terrains but CT's designed for comfort. On canadian highways we have a lot of cracks across the pavement (freeze-unthaw ground movement) and extra profile height didn't smoothened the ride. The places where I did noticed a lot of improvement is a large potholes and railway tracks, driving acroos them now is completely different experience, you just roll over
I cant speak of MPG for now but I suspect it will go down a bit since the extra weight
Then of course I was eager to try them in snow. Drove on town outskirts in open field to see how they do. We had about 15" of snow in December but I had a hard time to find some deep stuff since most of it doesnt stay in open areas and gets blown away.
As predicted Silent Armors performed flawlessly, I could not find a place to stuck. On a next photo you can see I drove through there once with diff locked in 4Hi and they were pushing it right through, seems like the only limiting factor is a clearance, that must be a rear axle marks, lowest point of 4Runner. No problems at all, can stop, then with some wheel spin continue to move forward. I had to try something also...
So I took 4Runner to a nearby lake. -7 F below, brutally cold, with wind chill more like -14 F. Even less snow in a middle of a lake but a lot of drifts on the edge where you can really get burried and so I did, TWICE!! So dont think these tires invincable :moping:
Dont have any pictures of my lake adventures since it got dark fast. But as soon as you hang on a frame you done hopeless (thats where lift comes handy). My buddy had to pull me out on Sierra with Blizzaks but every time we did it it was a brieze, just tighten the tow rope, and with my help it comes out with ease. My poor friend on Honda Ridgeline stuck and we had to yank the hell out of him, he could only follow our tracks, I was ridding a circles around him :reddance:
I can tell we think alike.
