Advice on Wheel/Tires on 4 Cyl

[DirtTimeAttack]

Hey guys I recently picked up a 4cly 2wd 3rd gen and have the OEM 15's along with a set of OEM Tundra 17's that a friend had laying around. We threw the 17's on just to check out fitment and clearance and everything fit complete fine.

My question is would a 31X10.5R15 be a better choice based on amount of side wall and overall weight VS the 265/70R17 for a 4cly to have to deal with? the 265/70R17 is also an inch"ish" higher over dia. I am very torn which way to go.

I will be lifting the 4 runner 1 inch in the rear and somewhere around 1.5 to 2in in the front.

My primary use will be in flat desert stuff where you are going at higher speeds. not climbing or crawling.

Any advice would be great


here are a couple photos as it sits with both rims.

 

[Roc Doc]

It's going to be a dog no matter what.
15" tires are going away, maybe not tomorrow but eventually.
16" tires are your best selection and yes the LT's are heavy, and mostly E-rated.
17" are even heavier.

Me? I'd go with the lightest 16" wheel I could find and 265/75-16's.

 

[Bijan]

It's going to be a dog no matter what.


Me? I'd go with the lightest 16" wheel I could find and 265/75-16's.

:iagree:

 

[PWD4R]

16s are becoming the 15s. 17s are everywhere. For how long tires should last (assuming you aren't going overly aggressive) you should be able to get one or two more sets before they start becoming ridiculously hard to find. Keep some MPG while you can.


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[DirtTimeAttack]

Thank you all for the advice. I come from the sport-compact road racing/time attack world so weight is always on my mind. It has been awhile since I have looked into anything about the off-road scene and back then 15's were everywhere and seemed to be the way to go. Good to know that may be changing. I do agree that 16's would be the *Best overall choice but I don't have a set of those I don't have to buy. I guess I will go with "It will be a dog no matter what" mentality haha

 

[UnderFire]

15s aren't going anywhere, pretty much every major manufacturer still makes most of the 15 inch sizes, you just don't see them on this forum since 16" plus was factory. For higher speeds, especially any jumping or large bumps you're going to want as much sidewall as possible, at 1.5-2" of lift I'd look into 32x11.5 15, you'll be able to get a 6 ply tire if you still with the 15 as well, which is a plus since most 16-17 inch tires stick you with a 10 ply.



You'll also want to look into a different geared diff to keep your powerband the same, you probably have a 3.73 factory but one from a 4wd runner would drop in, 4.30 would be ideal with 31-32s.

 

[DirtTimeAttack]

15s aren't going anywhere, pretty much every major manufacturer still makes most of the 15 inch sizes, you just don't see them on this forum since 16" plus was factory. For higher speeds, especially any jumping or large bumps you're going to want as much sidewall as possible, at 1.5-2" of lift I'd look into 32x11.5 15, you'll be able to get a 6 ply tire if you still with the 15 as well, which is a plus since most 16-17 inch tires stick you with a 10 ply.



You'll also want to look into a different geared diff to keep your powerband the same, you probably have a 3.73 factory but one from a 4wd runner would drop in, 4.30 would be ideal with 31-32s.

Very cool, this is the type of info I was looking for as well.

 

[DirtTimeAttack]

At the end of the day budget will factor into what I do, but I would try to make the best choice first time around.

 

[Sean K.]

What I wouldn't do is 16" wheels. Truck tire selection in 16's isn't that great unless you're looking for road tires. 15" and 17" will give you a lot more options. Up to a 37" tire, I actually prefer a 15" wheel offroad. It's a pretty good sidewall to rim ratio. 15" tires are typically a little cheaper too....which is odd considering there's less tire on a 17"....though 17s and 16s are typically higher ply rated for similar sizes probably due to the decrease in sidewall height.

 

[PWD4R]

15s aren't going anywhere, pretty much every major manufacturer still makes most of the 15 inch sizes, you just don't see them on this forum since 16" plus was factory. For higher speeds, especially any jumping or large bumps you're going to want as much sidewall as possible, at 1.5-2" of lift I'd look into 32x11.5 15, you'll be able to get a 6 ply tire if you still with the 15 as well, which is a plus since most 16-17 inch tires stick you with a 10 ply.



You'll also want to look into a different geared diff to keep your powerband the same, you probably have a 3.73 factory but one from a 4wd runner would drop in, 4.30 would be ideal with 31-32s.

I know 16" tire availability isn't going anywhere for many many years I just meant rims themselves are hard to find. You can't even get 16" rims on a new body on frame vehicle anymore. Even the work truck package on chevys and fords are 17"


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[UnderFire]

I know 16" tire availability isn't going anywhere for many many years I just meant rims themselves are hard to find. You can't even get 16" rims on a new body on frame vehicle anymore. Even the work truck package on chevys and fords are 17"


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You can still get pretty much every common rim style that was made from the 90's on in 15's and 16's, American racing, Ultra wheels and Mickey Thompson make a bunch of them, and other companies like Method are bringing out new styles still, you just can't get much of the "new" looking stuff, but 99% of those are U G L Y anyways lol. Sure no new trucks come with smaller wheels than a 17 or 18, but there's still so many 90's vehicles running around and a lot of 4WD trucks are quickly becoming classics like the Bronco, K5 blazer and FJ40 Landcruiser, pretty much cementing 15" wheels and tires a new market.

 

[DirtTimeAttack]

Just going off what I know, sidewalls are a major part of suspension so even though the 31x10.5R15 is a tad smaller over all the gain in sidewall is the best option for what I plan on doing with my 4 runner. Plus most options seem to be $40-$50 less per tire.

 

[Roc Doc]

15s aren't going anywhere, pretty much every major manufacturer still makes most of the 15 inch sizes,

Yeah, and you can still buy 13's and 14's too, but availability is limited. Same thing is going to happen with 15's. As brakes got bigger they had to start increasing the size of the wheels, and has been mentioned new vehicles are no longer coming with 15's, as was the case with 14's and 13's before that. There are specialty mfgs that will make whatever size you want (Coker), but for best selection 16's and 17's rule for now.

 

[Sean K.]

Yeah, and you can still buy 13's and 14's too, but availability is limited. Same thing is going to happen with 15's. As brakes got bigger they had to start increasing the size of the wheels, and has been mentioned new vehicles are no longer coming with 15's, as was the case with 14's and 13's before that. There are specialty mfgs that will make whatever size you want (Coker), but for best selection 16's and 17's rule for now.

I agree that eventually 15's won't be supported well. However, if you look at current availability for 15s vs. 16s in aggressive offroad tires, 15's win hands down. Heck, in some cases, they beat 17s.

It all depends on your use. If it's primarily on road....17's are the best, most current choice with the best longevity. If it's primarily offroad....then you have to decide which tire you want and if it's even available in the size rim you're looking at.

***EDIT**** Thing is: there's a point of diminishing returns. I know guys who've tried to run 20's on offroad rigs with 42" tires. They simply don't work as well as the 17" versions. There may soon be a day where the brakes will be so big that 20s are the norm from the factory....but that will be bad for offroading with traditional tubeless tires.

 

[Roc Doc]

I agree that eventually 15's won't be supported well. However, if you look at current availability for 15s vs. 16s in aggressive offroad tires, 15's win hands down. Heck, in some cases, they beat 17s.

It all depends on your use. If it's primarily on road....17's are the best, most current choice with the best longevity. If it's primarily offroad....then you have to decide which tire you want and if it's even available in the size rim you're looking at.

***EDIT**** Thing is: there's a point of diminishing returns. I know guys who've tried to run 20's on offroad rigs with 42" tires. They simply don't work as well as the 17" versions. There may soon be a day where the brakes will be so big that 20s are the norm from the factory....but that will be bad for offroading with traditional tubeless tires.

The biggest advantage in 15's is that they're C load rated so the sidewalls aren't so stiff like the E tires in 16&17, OTOH the sidewalls are weaker.

 

[JayRolla]

15s aren't going anywhere, pretty much every major manufacturer still makes most of the 15 inch sizes, you just don't see them on this forum since 16" plus was factory. For higher speeds, especially any jumping or large bumps you're going to want as much sidewall as possible, at 1.5-2" of lift I'd look into 32x11.5 15, you'll be able to get a 6 ply tire if you still with the 15 as well, which is a plus since most 16-17 inch tires stick you with a 10 ply.



You'll also want to look into a different geared diff to keep your powerband the same, you probably have a 3.73 factory but one from a 4wd runner would drop in, 4.30 would be ideal with 31-32s.

You may be right about them not being gone but they are going away more and more on light suv tires. Treadwright who retreads OEM takes offs barely offer a 15" anymore since they are not able to get good cores anymore.

 

[Sean K.]

The biggest advantage in 15's is that they're C load rated so the sidewalls aren't so stiff like the E tires in 16&17, OTOH the sidewalls are weaker.

"Weaker" may well be relative, less load capacity...yes. I'll take a C range bias ply tire offroad in the rocks over a E range radial and will likely get fewer slashed sidewalls.

 

[Roc Doc]

"Weaker" may well be relative, less load capacity...yes. I'll take a C range bias ply tire offroad in the rocks over a E range radial and will likely get fewer slashed sidewalls.

That's the opposite of my experience. I went through 9 35/12.50-15's on my Bronco, and only cut them when aired down, and all were sidewall slashes. I don't subscribe to the "squishy sidewalls conform to the rocks and don't cut" theory.

That's the main reason I went with SX's on my dedicated Toyota crawler. I ran em down to stupid low PSI and never cut a single one. Of course those tires weighed about 80lbs each.

 

[Sean K.]

That's the opposite of my experience. I went through 9 35/12.50-15's on my Bronco, and only cut them when aired down, and all were sidewall slashes. I don't subscribe to the "squishy sidewalls conform to the rocks and don't cut" theory.

That's the main reason I went with SX's on my dedicated Toyota crawler. I ran em down to stupid low PSI and never cut a single one. Of course those tires weighed about 80lbs each.

And the ones you just posted the pic of are likely C range, but they're definitely bias ply. I ran the 38x12.5-15 SX on my Toyota....same thing, only cut one.

The SX is a steel belted BIAS ply tire though.

 

[Roc Doc]

And the ones you just posted the pic of are likely C range, but they're definitely bias ply. I ran the 38x12.5-15 SX on my Toyota....same thing, only cut one.

The SX is a steel belted BIAS ply tire though.

I think we're in violent agreement.