Airing down stock Dunlop AT20's

[Gclark949]

I totally can relate with the wife and justifying the additional expense, but I would chalk it up to spending money on insurance so you can enjoy without stressing and without having to deal with some horrible experience like a tow or a three day ordeal to get tires replaced on your rig which is stranded in DV somewhere.

Negotiate a sell of the existing tires for no less than $50 each to make the buy less painful. Insurance is insurance. There is a reason you pay up front.

 

[Muzzle of Bees]

There’s lots of threads regarding the factory tires, but I’ve been on all of those roads so I feel I could help specifically here. I also wheeled the factory Dunlop’s quite a bit. It’s certainly not advisable to travel those roads with these tires, but they’re up to it so long as you exercise good judgement, reduce your speed, and avoid obvious dangers. Mine squealed and moaned when aired down but never failed. If you have it in your budget then nicer tires would help ease some of that mental tension. Anything is possible, it’s just a matter of budget and common sense, while acknowledging the risks.

I was in the Maze district once and got passed by a 3rd gen on Michelin LTX. Dude was crazy in my opinion to be on those trails, and that remote, but he apparently made it. I was happy I had upgraded my tires (ran ko2’s) cause I really didn’t have to worry so much about sidewall damage and could focus more on not getting hung up or scraping bumpers.

Are you planning to traverse Lippincott? If so my opinion would shift heavily in favor of new tires. The exposure on that trail alone would influence me to spend the extra $$ to avoid any potential hazards.

I do recommend airing down, it’ll help spare the vehicle and the ride while improving traction. Keep an eye on tire temps though, if they start to feel noticeably hot then let them cool down and air up a bit (kind of a joke in DV I realize). Something modest like 25-28 psi for the stock tires should be ok, but it’s all dependent on vehicle load and conditions, so you have to experiment for yourself.

The LTX M/S2 is a great tire. I had them in the E rating. Not sure why you would be surprised by its performance.

 

[visualfxengineer]

The LTX M/S2 is a great tire. I had them in the E rating. Not sure why you would be surprised by its performance.

Hands down the best tire that was ever on my third gen. My mechanic had them in his suv and talked me into a set and I loved them.

 

[JSparky]

The LTX M/S2 is a great tire. I had them in the E rating. Not sure why you would be surprised by its performance.

Oh I agree, they are fantastic for a highway terrain suv tire, I've owned them personally and recommend them for that use.

I was surprised for the context in which this particular owner was using them--remote, technical terrain a solid day of technical 4-wheeling away from the nearest ranger station. LTX's aren't intended for that kind of severe terrain and, in my opinion, that driver was lucky to have escaped without loosing multiple tires.

I am continually surprised with what I see in the backcountry though, perhaps I should change my outlook haha.

 

[BobsTrail]

I plan on enrolling in a class with one of the off-road schools that teaches out in Anza-Borrego this fall. Also need to find some folks to go explore with... who aren’t rock-crawler types (which at this point I have no desire to be)... the forum here is a good suggestion.

I ran my Dunlops for 2 years using 20 on trails and 15 in sand. They did very well. I finally upgraded to AT's.

Badlands Off Road offers two beginner off road classes, and a very good sand clinic. The sand class also gave very good input on general off road driving. If I could only take one, it would be the sand class.
http://www.4x4training.com/

The photos are at Oceano. I helped a Raptor and a JK with my mid size SUV and the Dunlops.

 

[epjfsa]

I'm not sure I understand. If the dunlops are quiet and they grip well, what makes them bad tires?

Sorry, my point was that if you either haven't experienced great tires, or haven't experienced them for a long time, then pretty much any modern OEM tire will seem fine. It's just that for something that impacts safety and just about every part of the experience of driving, there's SO much better.

 

[Rack]

The Michelin LTX M/S2 has been replaced by the Defender LTX M/S

I have had the LTX M/S It was a great tire, not so much with the LTX M/S 2.
Michelin changed the compound of the tire making it wander at highway speed. Although it was good in snow but was a stone collector on gravel roads.

I replaced the Dunflops on my 4 Runner with the "Defender LTX M/S", good solid tire.
Last spring I took a Badlands off road course and aired them down to 18lb, no problem.
The only issue was ground clearance when aired down on stock suspension. You lose a couple of inches of clearance as the tire collapses without enough air.
So now I'm looking into a suspension lift and sliders.

Will the Mods ever end?

 

[Rack]

I plan on enrolling in a class with one of the off-road schools that teaches out in Anza-Borrego this fall. Also need to find some folks to go explore with... who aren’t rock-crawler types (which at this point I have no desire to be)... the forum here is a good suggestion.

John, before you take the course you might want to get your own air compressor. The VIAIR 88P is a good inexpensive one. Amazon 60 Bucks.

 

[jhmoore]

John, before you take the course you might want to get your own air compressor. The VIAIR 88P is a good inexpensive one. Amazon 60 Bucks.

Why an air compressor that you hook up to the battery versus just making use of the 110V outlet in the back?

 

[BobsTrail]

Why an air compressor that you hook up to the battery versus just making use of the 110V outlet in the back?

More power is needed to run a decent air compressor. Battery connection will work with the Amazon one and most or all of the Vairs.

The 120V outlet will only supply 400 Watts which is about 3.3 amps. Not enough to run a compressor large enough that will not take 10 minutes per tire.

I have one similar to the Amazon one and it's OK but slow. I finally went with a homebrew CO2 system for about half the cost of a Power Tank system. It gives 30 second fill ups from 15 to 35.

The battery connection is a pain, some do a permanent mount.

The CO2 is a pain because you have to watch your tank level before a trip and find a place to fill it.

If I had t do it again, I would go with a larger Vair - maybe a 400 series, and do battery clamp on as needed. The cost will be close to a Power Tank CO2 system.

 

[Rack]

I don't know of anyone on this forum that has tried that.
you could post it and ask or search it in the window.

Might be a little bulky with 110V motor. Also as stated in the above post the lack of amps will be a problem. The Viair is small light weight compressor that you can keep in the truck. It has plenty of cord and hose to reach the tires.

Bad lands adventures brings extra compressors so you can air back up. But depending on the size of the class you my have to wait for one to air up. At the end of a long day I just wanted to air up and go home.

What ever you get make sure its not one you plug into the cigarette lighter plug those are not real dependable.

 

[Muzzle of Bees]

The Michelin LTX M/S2 has been replaced by the Defender LTX M/S

I have had the LTX M/S It was a great tire, not so much with the LTX M/S 2.
Michelin changed the compound of the tire making it wander at highway speed. Although it was good in snow but was a stone collector on gravel roads.

I replaced the Dunflops on my 4 Runner with the "Defender LTX M/S", good solid tire.
Last spring I took a Badlands off road course and aired them down to 18lb, no problem.
The only issue was ground clearance when aired down on stock suspension. You lose a couple of inches of clearance as the tire collapses without enough air.
So now I'm looking into a suspension lift and sliders.

Will the Mods ever end?

My head hurts every time I do tire research. I usually go with time for tires not tread depth as a rule for replacement. I don't recall being able to purchase two sets of the same tire using this strategy.

 

[TacoRunn0517]

I just used my stock Duelers for the light off-roading for the first time. Aired down the tires to approx. 20 PSI. Overall, my stock TE held up decently. I started to have issues though when it started to rain, as rocks started to get slick. I've put over 40K miles on them in just under 14 months. In rain, the only time I've had issues is when the skies open up and it starts to pour. I've hydroplaned once or twice on the highway. As for snow, they do so-so. As soon as Discount Tire's October sale comes about, I'll be picking up some A/Ts. I know the difference will be substantial.

 

[Industrialwrench]

I wouldn’t air down the stock tires unless it was strictly for sand (like dunes, not washes). Any other condition you will be asking for a cut sidewall. This is my first post, and my first Toyota(technically the wife’s). Recently bought a 2018 ORP and am running the stock tires. I’ve had a few different types of Jeeps, and lived in a few different spots around the country. Totally loving the 4Runner, but stronger tires are in my future too. I’ve been dealing with some crazy bumpy rocky fire roads lately because I’m cheap...