From 265 DuraTrac's to 285 Geolander A/T-S

[rclangelan]

Hey all,

Just upsized from my 265 DuraTrac's to 285 Geolander A/T-S. Both tires are E-Range. The Geo's are the largest OD 285 tires, measuring 33.1" tall. I have some rubbing at full lock in reverse. I think it's rubbing an interior piece of the mudflap, which is thin, soft and flexible, so I'm not that worried. I may chop some, I may not.

Upon first test drive, the Geo's are much smoother and quieter on the road than the GY's. I have less steering wheel vibration with the Geo's as well. I notice that my 4WD shifter vibrates less with the Geo's. It vibrated pretty violently with the GYs.

I notice a little loss of acceleration due to the upsize, but I'm not much of a lead foot anyway, so I don't care.

The GYs definitely look tougher, but I drive about 30,000 miles a year, so I was looking for something more highway friendly. The mechanic set me up with 35 psi all around, I reset my mpg meter to see what I'll be getting. I was at 17.9mpg with the GYs.

I only have about 25 miles on the new rubber, so I'll keep ya updated as I go along. I'm hoping to get at least 50k miles out of these Geo's... they do come with a 50k mile warranty.

First impression, I like them.

- Ryan

 

[SeattleMike]

35 psi is too low for an LT E-rated tire. LT tires need more PSI to carry the same weight as P tires.

 

[Jtraskell]

35 psi is too low for an LT E-rated tire. LT tires need more PSI to carry the same weight as P tires.

What Mike Said. Also, you might want to consider getting you rig to a good alignment shop and have the caster moved forward a bit. "Positive" Caster. You can go up to 4.0, but have the tech check for rubbing starting at about 3.0 to 3.5 in the front. That should resolve your "mud flap" rubbing if that is were it is really rubbing. And you will find better steering qualities. Might even help to further reduce vibrations........but it will not wash your dishes.

 

[453030]

Hey all,
Upon first test drive, the Geo's are much smoother and quieter on the road than the GY's. I have less steering wheel vibration with the Geo's as well. I notice that my 4WD shifter vibrates less with the Geo's. It vibrated pretty violently with the GYs.
- Ryan

I read your post yesterday and made a point of checking my 4WD shifter on the way in. I get no such "violent vibration"; in fact, the vibration is so minimal I doubt it was any less with my stock Dunlops. Also my steering wheel has almost no input from the DuraTracs. Yours must not have been perfectly aligned or balanced or something to provide all of that vibration.

 

[rclangelan]

Yes, I was thinking that perhaps my DuraTracs weren't balanced properly. But, I had the intentions of going to a more street friendly 285, so I never took it in to have it looked at.

Also, I was running the DuraTracs at 44psi (I think), so is that where I should be with the Geo's? I'm about to make a 300 mile round trip to the beach today, so I may take them up to 40psi or so before I leave to try to get a good feel for them.

Also, I wonder if my spacer lift has anything to do with vibrations? I intend to upgrade to a coilover, either Toytec Ultimate Lift kit or OW 2.5 Lift kit. I'd be adding the LR UCA's too. Just a matter of breaking down and spending the money. Which of the two lift offers better on-road performance? Again, driving about 30k miles a year on the highway, I want my ride to be somewhat smooth and quiet (within reason) and I feel like stiffer springs would improve handling on the 4Runner too.

- Ryan

 

[Brayt4r10]

can you post a pick with of you4 4runner with the Geolanders on them? thinking about buying same tire next week, thanks

 

[brockeverly]

can you post a pick with of you4 4runner with the Geolanders on them? thinking about buying same tire next week, thanks

If you search my username in the thread below there are many photos of my truck with 285 Geolanders. They were pretty good tires, just not as aggressive as I was looking for later in my build. For the price, they are hard to beat.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/97855-5th-gen-toyota-4runner-off-road-pics.html

 

[-JD-]

I went with the duratracs on my 5th gen, but had the geolanders on my 3rd gen. I loved them. I know its apples and oranges but i swear the 3rd gen w/geolanders had better grip than my 5th with the duratracs.

Also, keep in mind your MPG meter is going to be off with the bigger tire size, as will your speedo, and odo.

 

[4everunner]

i have same tires as well and i was told by tires shop that 32psi is ok for this tires.
i vent to another shop and they said 34 is fine.
i dont know.
edit: by the way my avg was 15.9 by computer with my set up. after installing thule rack and magnaflow(not long ago) it went down to @12.4, i reset computer by disconnecting battery and looks like avg went up to @15