Help With Tires & Buying a 4Runner

[mrbee2828]

Hi all... it's been a few years since my last post. I sold my 96 4Runner after 6+ years of love. I ended up buying a new Maxima in 04 because we had another truck and I thought I wanted to be back in a car.... I have to admit I'm spoiled after 3+ years of beautiful creature comforts and a ton of power in the Maxima.

So I want to get back into a 4Runner. I need to stay under $15k so that means buying something hooked up (probably pre 00') or something after 00 that's a good deal (<$11.5k) and lifting it etc. I never had the money to lift the truck or get the shoes for it last time around and this time around I'm doing it the first week or so as to not let the dream pass. It's going to be a daily beater... mostly for the look. I work out of my house and rarely get to go off road.

My last 4Runner had some upgraded BFGoodrich AT on it. It was a *tad* more noisy but it drove fine. Yesterday I test drove a 2000 SR5 with 33" super swampers and a 5" lift (3" body & 2" suspension). Surprisingly the ride wasn't much more rough than the stock and I thought it would be hard to turn with the 13" wide tires but it wasn't. BUT OMG.... the tire tread destroyed ANY desire to buy it.

My question to anyone who has a lift and upgraded rims/tires is, have you rode or driven a 4Runner with tires like the super swampers and one with more of a AT type tire like BFG makes?? If I can get back into a 4Runner and get the suspension & body lifts done, will the larger 33" size BFG AT tires ride as bad as the super swampers or will it be just like the ride I had with the 32" BFG tires?

Here is the truck I test drove yesterday.... like I said it's great looking but the tires sucked. I know a lifted truck won't ride like a Camry or whatever but my point is will the BFGs be a significantly smoother ride vs. the mud tires no the street?

Oh and BTW... he's asking $15.5k for the truck with about 79k miles on it. Paint and interior are solid.

 

[Falls]

His truck is set up the way you want it , low ball him and say this is all I can afford , but I'm going to keep looking for a different one with less agressive tires. One thing you have to remember those tires will be a deterent to anyone who drives it unless thats exactly what they want , that truck will be a hard sell unless the right buyer comes along.

The BFG's will be much different in ride quality , handling and noise ( night & day ) personal opinion I'd loose the rims too and get stocker with 33's . That kind of look's goody to me , tell him those are the deciding factor for what you want , if he sits on it long enough he might bite ......never know until you try .

just my .02

 

[boston_kevin]

You could also low ball him, like Falls mentioned, then bring it into a tire shop and buy new tires on the condition that they would buy these off of you for at least $50 per tire. Tread looks good, I don't see that many shops would turn you down.

 

[mrbee2828]

Thanks for the .02... I already tried it.... he's firm What do you mean by lose the rims to get "stocker". Do you mean make it look more stock in a OEM sense or more stocker like as in thicker/meaner ? I thought that truck was perfect looking.

I drove a Nissan Frontier last night because it had the 33" BFGs. I gotta' say it was night and day. The steering wheel didn't even slightly wobble.

Great reassurance for me... now I can continue to chance the dream again and stick with a AT tire. I called about a 04' bone stock with low miles in the OBX. $19k which I thought was a good deal. We'll see. Thanks!!!