About to purchase Trail: Am I making a big mistake?

[Jtraskell]

Stock tires are FANTASTIC for the highway, they are very quiet and enable the T4R to show impressive MPG.

Off Road, and/or sloppy road conditions...not so much! Especially, after the first 15-20k on them.

Swap out for a decent AT tire if you can.

I got to disagree, not for the sake of argument but for the benefit of the OP. Stock tires were "too soft" for me. They allowed for more body roll and sway etc. Once I put on Light Truck tires, much better hwy ride. (And I think safer too). Just my opinion and again, just for the benefit of the OP.

OP, whatever you decide, I suggest you make a deal with a local tire shop NOW before you take deleivery. Discount tires and the like will most likely give you good money for trade in value on your tires NOW before you put on too many miles. Good luck and be safe.

 

[PracticalFJ]

I got to disagree, not for the sake of argument but for the benefit of the OP. Stock tires were "too soft" for me. They allowed for more body roll and sway etc. Once I put on Light Truck tires, much better hwy ride. (And I think safer too). Just my opinion and again, just for the benefit of the OP.

Valid point, and I agree although you do not have KDSS. KDSS improves the ride dramatically. Personally, I didn't like the "bite" or lack of from the OEM tires.

OP, whatever you decide, I suggest you make a deal with a local tire shop NOW before you take deleivery. Discount tires and the like will most likely give you good money for trade in value on you tires NOW before you put on too many miles. Good luck and be safe.

Agreed 100%, Valid point, although you do not have KDSS and I believe the OP's one does. KDSS improves the ride dramatically. Personally, I didn't like the "bite" or lack of from the OEM tires.

 

[Jtraskell]

Agreed 100%, Valid point, although you do not have KDSS and I believe the OP's one does. KDSS improves the ride dramatically. Personally, I didn't like the "bite" or lack of from the OEM tires.

Good point. I never did drive one with KDSS or XREAS for that matter. Might have made a big difference.

 

[homeyclaus]

that's what I was thinking but after I read a thread about the TE and 4wd they made it seem like using the 4wd could break the entire damn vehicle if you even so much as drove across a parking lot

my head is still spinning just thinking about how much damage I did to my Wrangler by driving around in 4wd practically all the time on normal dry roads. Ugh, what a **** up

People like you, but apparently less lucky, paid a substantial percentage of my college education, keeping me employed as a mechanic on evenings and weekends. I just wanted to say thank you.

This being said the transfer cases in the 4Runners and FJ's are about as strong as they get. People have claimed seeing donuts being done in fj's in 4wd in dealer lots with no immediate consequences.

I take it you don't think highly of the stock TE tires?

As everyone else said, fine for highway, and that's about it. The sidewalls are pretty soft, which means the vehicle will feel like the steering is indirect, and there is more body roll and lean as well.

Changing the tires pretty much changes the vehicle. Even going to BFG Long Trails is an improvement.

 

[Quentin]

Stock tires are FANTASTIC for the highway, they are very quiet and enable the T4R to show impressive MPG.

Off Road, and/or sloppy road conditions...not so much! Especially, after the first 15-20k on them.

Swap out for a decent AT tire if you can.

I'm very happy with the stock tires (24k on my originals right now, in fact). It depends what you're doing with the truck. I take mine on legitimate/semi-legitimate offroading about 3 times a year. It isn't often enough to justify the noise and harsh ride of some real offroad tires. Yes, they could be better off the pavement, but I've yet to put my vehicle into a position where the tires let me down. It is my $36k daily driver, afterall. When I'm no longer relying on it to drive the family on 8 hr road trips and my driving percentage is skewed more toward offroading, I'll certainly put more aggressive rubber on it. Right now, my driving doesn't get much benefit from a true off road tire.

That said, the stock tires look silly on the TE. They look OK on the SR5 and Limited. So, for pure aesthetic, I'd probably put something on a TE if I had one.

 

[Crapgoose]

that's what I was thinking but after I read a thread about the TE and 4wd they made it seem like using the 4wd could break the entire damn vehicle if you even so much as drove across a parking lot

my head is still spinning just thinking about how much damage I did to my Wrangler by driving around in 4wd practically all the time on normal dry roads. Ugh, what a **** up

Don't worry about it in a TE. This is just FUD being spread. If there was even a remote possibility of damage being done to the drive train I guarantee you that Toyota's legal department would have put a huge red disclaimer in the manual to avoid legal responsibility. There is no such thing to be found in it.

 

[SOcalTRAIL]

I just got back a this morning from doing about 80 miles of trails in my 2011 TE. Absolutely the greatest vehicle I have ever owned. I did about 40 miles last night, folded the back seats flat and got out my sleeping bag and passed out, woke up, went hunting, 40 more miles of trails and drove home. Awesome rig.

As others have mentioned, the OEM tires suck. I went with Hankook Dynapro MT's and absolutely couldn't say enough great things about them. I have had only one occasion where I needed 4x4, and even then, I am sure with a little finess I could have got out with 2wheel drive. The trail edition is a great package.

 

[garlic4runner]

picking muh baby up on Thursday :zoom:


thanks to everyone for your advice

 

[SOcalTRAIL]

Congrats!!!

 

[jam23r1]

ya i got new tires after 2k lol BFG AT's love them on and off road

 

[Antman]

Don't worry about it in a TE. This is just FUD being spread. If there was even a remote possibility of damage being done to the drive train I guarantee you that Toyota's legal department would have put a huge red disclaimer in the manual to avoid legal responsibility. There is no such thing to be found in it.

This is the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while. :toilet3:Goose crap.

 

[garlic4runner]

This is the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while. :toilet3:Goose crap.

please go on :flamewar:

 

[Antman]

No flame war... *BUT*
Toyota doesn't place a warning in the owners manual that states; "If you open the door and jump out at 50 MPH you will probably die." either...:wow:

Just like JD has stated, if you drive on dry asphault in 4WD you will bind the drivetrain, while turning, risking expensive damage.

 

[PracticalFJ]

No flame war... *BUT*
Toyota doesn't place a warning in the owners manual that states; "If you open the door and jump out at 50 MPH you will probably die." either...:wow:

Just like JD has stated, if you drive on dry asphault in 4WD you will bind the drivetrain, while turning, risking expensive damage.

@ Antman...Now that's some funny **** :iagree:

 

[Crapgoose]

This is the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while. :toilet3:Goose crap.

I guess you must have been out of the country when Toyota was bolting crap onto gas pedals and replacing floor mats for a non-existent issue.

You really want to see something ridiculous? Then crack open your owner’s manual to pages 156-162. That's seven whole pages of caution notices for how to drive a Toyota vehicle, all in black and white for one of the most litigious societies in the world to see.

 

[StRanger7032]

I guess you must have been out of the country when Toyota was bolting crap onto gas pedals and replacing floor mats for a non-existent issue.

You really want to see something ridiculous? Then crack open your owner’s manual to pages 156-162. That's seven whole pages of caution notices for how to drive a Toyota vehicle, all in black and white for one of the most litigious societies in the world to see.

Be afraid...be very afraid! Toyota was so paranoid about the gas pedal/floormat "problem" that they went to extremes. On my old Tundra, they modified the gas pedal to the point where it was so high that my foot couldn't stay on it. I guess if your foot can't press the gas pedal, you can't drive far enough to sue them?

 

[-JD-]

Don't worry about it in a TE. This is just FUD being spread. If there was even a remote possibility of damage being done to the drive train I guarantee you that Toyota's legal department would have put a huge red disclaimer in the manual to avoid legal responsibility. There is no such thing to be found in it.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I'm pretty sure I DO remember reading a warning in the manual about only using 4wd on a loose surface... ?

 

[Don in AK]

Binding

Maybe what we could agree on is that one should not drive for any length of time in 4 hi range because of the binding issue. My Trail is, I believe, probably the 6th 4WD vehicle I've owned. All but one was a standard, part-time 4wd setup, like the T4R. Because of that setup, the front end will bind up on dry pavement because the front and rear are not operating at exactly the same speed.

But the binding, unless the Trail has a huge difference between axle speeds, will not rip the axles off if driven on dry pavement for a short while. The tires may scuff, and at least on a lighter vehicle, you may actually feel a bit of a bump as the front end "unwinds" say, in a turn, but the cure is to just slow down and pop the transfer case back in to 2HI. When you get back in to the snow/ice, back to 4HI.

I base the above on my experience in a '73 CJ-5, a '74 Bronco, a '79 Bronco, an '84 CJ-7, and now, a 2011 Trail. My '96 Cherokee had both full- and part-time 4WD (although the "part-time" system was what Toyota calls full-time with the center diffenential: in other words, backwards!).

Can we agree?

 

[Reata]

i recall something in the manual to drive in 4 high at least monthly for a mile or two to keep it lubed up? Am I dreaming?

 

[garlic4runner]

i recall something in the manual to drive in 4 high at least monthly for a mile or two to keep it lubed up? Am I dreaming?

for realz?