Calling all stockers'...or would that be the non-'builds'?
- Thread starter mnofpeace
- Start date
RysiuM
New member
This is my third car that came from the dealer with Bridgestone tires and I was unimpressed every time - noisy, hard and slippery. After roughly 40k mikes they were literally falling apart making the quality of the ride unbearable. After I replaced them with Michelin and the car drove better than new, and Michelins last me 80k miles every time.
Now when I'm getting close to 40k in T4R I was debating between Michelins Defender LTX M/S which I know from personal experience and BFG K02 (256 C rated) which I never had before, but I think I will give BFG a shot - everybody loves them so "billions of flies can't be wrong..."
This is my third car that came from the dealer with Bridgestone tires and I was unimpressed every time - noisy, hard and slippery. After roughly 40k mikes they were literally falling apart making the quality of the ride unbearable. After I replaced them with Michelin and the car drove better than new, and Michelins last me 80k miles every time.
Now when I'm getting close to 40k in T4R I was debating between Michelins Defender LTX M/S which I know from personal experience and BFG K02 (256 C rated) which I never had before, but I think I will give BFG a shot - everybody loves them so "billions of flies can't be wrong..."
I only have 1700 miles on my 2016, but I put 36k on my old ones before I swapped them for some Goodyear Wranglers (heavy, negligible change in traction). They worked very well through 4 WV winters. I had 80k mile rated Michelins on my RAV4 for a couple thousand miles and they were very good. I wouldn't hesitate to put them on my 4Runner when these wear out. For an OEM tire, though, the Bridgestones were a solid tire. Considering that you can get takeoffs from people around here for $350, it doesn't really matter that they wear out in 40k miles.
I recently bought my wife a T4R 2016 SR5 premium. I like it the way it is but I have always liked a level sitting vehicle. So the plan is just to level the front and put a set of black and machined 18" wheels with stock tire hight, but I want the wheels and tires to be flush with the fenders to give it a better looking stance. I just need to do a little research for the proper offset to get the look I want without having to cut anything
itskrystaaaal
New member
Oh my god. Tell me about it. This is what happened when my other half decided not to listen to me about a mud puddle being too deep for his Wrangler (if it has been lifted just an inch higher, probably would have cleared) and we literally got stuck to the door sills. Any deeper and it would have been pouring in. This is not the type of off roading I like, hence why I got a 4Runner so I have an excuse to keep it milder. He can go do black diamonds and all that but I'll stick to my blue and green trails
itskrystaaaal
New member
This is my girl, I plan on keeping it pretty stock for a while (until I can afford what I want). I've got some TRD pro wheels on and a CB installed. Tinting coming in 2 weeks along with vent visors. I plan on changing out those god awful stock running boards to some sliders and upgrading to some mud tires just for a beefier look and getting a leveling kit.
And then down the road, I want the Shrockworks rear bumper with tire carrier, and the Pelfreybilt front bumper. But that's mile$$$$$$$$ down the road
boyfester
New member
Sad to say I'm going to be leaving this forum section soon. After more than a year of driving off-road in stock form I've ordered some Billsteins and will be lifting and leveling my truck. Next up after that will be some better tires too. I'm getting tired of hitting the bottom on rocks and such and slicing tires (see below for yet another tire replacement last week).
salong53
New member
Now when I'm getting close to 40k in T4R I was debating between Michelins Defender LTX M/S which I know from personal experience and BFG K02 (256 C rated) which I never had before, but I think I will give BFG a shot - everybody loves them so "billions of flies can't be wrong..."
I've never owned the KO2s but people seem to love them. You may already know this but the LTX M/S wears very well as long as you put a lot of miles on the vehicle. If it will take you 8 years to reach 80000 miles, your Michelins will be cracking and have chunks start to chip off of them based on my experience. Take it from someone who has owned two sets, the Michelins dry-rot before they wear out if you don't drive a lot of miles.
Agree with the Michelin assessment. I replaced mine after they had 60+thousand miles on them on my Explorer. They were six years old, still had tread, but were cracked and rotted looking on the sidewalls.
CoMtn4Runner
New member
I picked up a set of LTX MS2 in the fall for the same reasons a lot of people have mentioned (mileage warranty, highly rated got highway driving, etc.). I found them to work ok but ultimately decided to trade them in for KO2s because I was overall pretty disappointed for the amount of money spent, which I am very happy I did. I didn't find the MS2 to be very good in snow, finding myself needing to throw the truck into 4H sooner than I felt was necessary despite its reputation for being good in snow. I also experienced a dip in gas milage vs. the stock duellers, which sucked since I originally thought buying them instead of the KO2 would provide better mpg results (keep in mind they put on the E class which weighed more than stock). While I haven't had the KO2 ( for long, I can tell you that the are getting the same mpg the MS2 were, despite the more aggressive tread design. No, they don't have the warranty but as mentioned most of us won't be driving 70k-80k miles before they start to rot. For those thinking of making the switch, I would encourage it. The KO2 will definitely give your truck a more aggressive look and will provide better traction. Also, from personal experiences of friends, these tires are made to last and won't fall apart quickly. Here are pics of both sets of tires.
Attachments
RysiuM
New member
I did replace stock Duelers for stock size KO2 C-rated and I noticed what nobody was saying here: ride comfort went way up. I know that it is not difficult to get better ride than with Bridgestone tires :repuke:, but I did not expect that the difference will be that much. Despite aggressive look KO2 are very quiet on a pavement, and very smooth running over potholes. Best money ever spent on tires.
nb rob
New member
I've enjoyed almost a solid year of troublefree, noise-free suspension. I've got some sliders and KO2s in stock size, E load rated, and this damn thing goes anywhere I've been pointing it. I've given the stock skids some pain along the way though.
I originally wanted to go 6 months before swapping out shocks, struts and coils-- I've been very impressed.
Anyway, the honeymoon is over, and I've really been watching suspension threads with interest for the past year. From modifying vehicles in the past, I know that once you start to fiddle with the suspension, there's noises and other headaches that will accompany. In my environment, I'm really not looking forward to using a uniball UCA. Regardless...
I'm jumping ship to the king factory series.
But I must say, this is very capable in stock form. With no hassles.
I originally wanted to go 6 months before swapping out shocks, struts and coils-- I've been very impressed.
Anyway, the honeymoon is over, and I've really been watching suspension threads with interest for the past year. From modifying vehicles in the past, I know that once you start to fiddle with the suspension, there's noises and other headaches that will accompany. In my environment, I'm really not looking forward to using a uniball UCA. Regardless...
I'm jumping ship to the king factory series.
But I must say, this is very capable in stock form. With no hassles.
blakjack23
New member
I had Grandtreks on my 4th Gen. They were the worst tire I've ever had in my whole life. The hydroplaning was absolutely ridiculous. Any amount of rain and it felt like the truck was going to lose control.
Jasalvas
New member
I was about to pull the trigger on a set of Bilstein 6112's then I came across this thread... I should totally stay stock but ... [emoji48].
Only mod I've made is upgrading the tires. We will see what happens. I know the stock runner is fully capable but I can't stand the rake.
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Only mod I've made is upgrading the tires. We will see what happens. I know the stock runner is fully capable but I can't stand the rake.
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Jasalvas
New member
Now that I think of it, I had a 1996 SR5 4x4 and with the stock suspension, it sat level... Why so much rake now??
That thing was a real reliable work horse. I took it up in the mountains, middle of no where on some nasty steep terrain and the 4R took it like a champ. Absolutely no problem. I always missed that rig. I sold it to get into a BMW 5 series. Fun car but I always missed the runner. I ended up purchasing a 2016 trail because it has the lever 4wd as oppose to the knob. Nothing against the SR5's, but I never believed in the push button 4WD. Would have gotten the TRD but could not swing the additional 3G's. Anyway, mods or not, these are solid vehicles.
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That thing was a real reliable work horse. I took it up in the mountains, middle of no where on some nasty steep terrain and the 4R took it like a champ. Absolutely no problem. I always missed that rig. I sold it to get into a BMW 5 series. Fun car but I always missed the runner. I ended up purchasing a 2016 trail because it has the lever 4wd as oppose to the knob. Nothing against the SR5's, but I never believed in the push button 4WD. Would have gotten the TRD but could not swing the additional 3G's. Anyway, mods or not, these are solid vehicles.
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