More tire help....

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blazed870

New member
I picked up a '12 SR5 about a month ago. Unlike the majority on this site I don't plan on taking the 4Runner off road. I know, it's a travesty to own a T4R without using it to it's full potential. I just really like how it looks and with my second son being born we needed something bigger and my wife wasn't having a minivan.

The only thing I don't like is the look of the stock tires. It has the Bridgestone Dueler 265-70-17's. They seem like they are too far in and narrow. I would like something wider that has good on road performance that lasts along time without a lot road noise.

I have been searching and I see everyone put the off road tires or the semi off road tires but I don't think there are many people on here like me that don't plan to off road. From reading, I'm guessing the Duratrac's aren't really a good for myself but maybe the Michelin LTX's are.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Mickey
 
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Michelins are hard to beat for the street. The LTX's are not too bad in the snow either. It was the OEM tire on my Cruiser until I swapped them for a trail tire.
 
blazed870 said:
I don't plan on taking the 4Runner off road. I would like something wider that has good on road performance that lasts a long time without a lot road noise.
Click to expand...

Based on your intended use, I'd suggest making sure you get the P-metric version of whatever all-season tire you get (as opposed to LT).

You probably won't have to give it a second thought as it should be nearly automatic to have that type fitted at a tire center, but you never know.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/720273-post16.html
 
@blazed - so glad you posted. I am in exactly the same position, which is 'zero off road', and have begun trying to decide what to do soon.

@jtraskell - thanks for the input.

- I see no lift, so assume the 285's fit OK?

- Why the LR "D"? Do you trailer?

Anyone have other thoughts? I have Blizzaks, so I have zero need for an 'all season' tread.
 
philsey said:
@blazed - so glad you posted. I am in exactly the same position, which is 'zero off road', and have begun trying to decide what to do soon.

@jtraskell - thanks for the input.

- I see no lift, so assume the 285's fit OK?

- Why the LR "D"? Do you trailer?

Anyone have other thoughts? I have Blizzaks, so I have zero need for an 'all season' tread.
Click to expand...

Yes, I trailer a couple of boats and jet ski's, but that was not the reason I got the "D" load LT's. The OEM tires were "P" metric as I remember. I really did not like "boat" like ride they gave me and to be honest, any sharp turns I felt they were going to pull away from the wheel due to the soft sidewalls. (Yes, I tried different inflation rates) The stronger sidewalls of the D load gave me, IMHO, a more stable confident ride. Yes, they are stiffer, but between that safer feeling and a slightly smother ride, it was a no brainier.

I probably would have done fine with "C" load for my purposes, but when I went looking for tires, these were on sale for a lot less then the C load and so I thought, oh hell, over kill is better then underwhelmed.

The 285's fit fine. I got some rub in reverse, with the wheels locked left or right. That got fixed real easy by moving the inner wheel well plastic liner forward about 1/4 inch. So far, the tires are doing fine.

P metric or even C might do you well for your purposes. Many on the forum like and even recommend them. (non-offroaders) It is difficult to judge based on others opinions. You know what opinion are.......just like......everyone has one. Be safe.

Good luck
 
Okay, just some facts, sans opinion, to be incorporated or ignored as one sees fit.

Going to the LT version of a tire (described by a load range letter) from P-metric (standard load or SL) results in:

A reduction in load carrying capacity unless about 12psi is added.
Nearly always a reduction in speed rating
Nearly always an increase in price
Heavier, so worse gas mileage if psi doesn't change
Most LTs are exempt from UTQG ratings
 
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Reading through some more posts, am I correct in that I won't find a P rating tire in 285's? I think I want to go with 285-70-17's. I was looking for the Michelin Ltx's in 285 with a P rating but Tirerack only shows the D load rating. Is the 285 going to give me that 'look' I want where the tires don't look too narrow? It looks like I will have to modify my inner fenders to make them fit, which is fine by me
 
blazed870 said:
Reading through some more posts, am I correct in that I won't find a P rating tire in 285's? I think I want to go with 285-70-17's. I was looking for the Michelin Ltx's in 285 with a P rating but Tirerack only shows the D load rating. Is the 285 going to give me that 'look' I want where the tires don't look too narrow? It looks like I will have to modify my inner fenders to make them fit, which is fine by me
Click to expand...

Blazed, I looked through my current photos. I know what you are looking for and the current photos I have are not very good for your purposes. The weather promises to behave tomorrow, so I will try and get you some better photos so you can see for yourself as to width.

As to the inner fenders, it all depends on the Castor set on your current alignment. When I first put on mine, no rub. It was not until I had the Castor changed closer to 4.0 that I started experience the rubbing. I changed the Castor to get a firmer steering feel. So if your OK with your current alignment/steering, and once mounted you have no rub......then no need to adjust the inner fenders.
 
blazed870 said:
Reading through some more posts, am I correct in that I won't find a P rating tire in 285's?
Click to expand...

Not impossible, but it might be a little hard.

I want to go with 285-70-17's. I was looking for the Michelin Ltx's in 285 with a P rating but Tirerack only shows the D load rating.
Click to expand...

Since I tend to come off as being critical of LTs, let me point out that much of what I consider to be a disadvantage starts to disappear with an increase in size, so if my post reduced your enthusiasm any, I thought I'd point that out.

Good luck and enjoy the new shoes.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I still haven't made a decision. The great thing about the internet is that you can research products. The horrible thing about the internet is that you can research products. LOL. Now I am looking at wheels t0o but I like the stock wheels. I just figured if I am going to change out the tires, might as well do the wheels too. It's funny that tires for the truck cost more than wheels. I think I am going to stick with 17's even if I get new wheels so all the tire help is much appreciated.
 
Bigger tires or wider tires or more agressive tires = decreased gas milage every time. Get the Michelin MS in stock size if you plan on zero offroading and do not want to take a hit in economy. Lets put it in perspective shall we?

(I used data pulled from this website on fuel economy hit and estimated what gas cost will be over 50K miles. I am sure this is conservative)
Assume 50,000 miles before new tires get replaced.
Gas costs 3.75/gal average.
P265's get 20mpg average.
LT285's get 18 mpg average

With the P265 size tire it wil cost you $9,375.00 for fuel to go 50K miles.

With the LT285 size tire it will cost you $10,416.67 for fuel to go 50K miles.

Thats over $1,000.00 you will spend extra. You can buy another set of tires!

Good luck. I go through a set of tires every two years or less.

formula used: (miles driven/avg miles per gallon)X(dollars per gallon) = total fuel cost
 
Blazed,

I went through the same process when I first got my 4Runner. I knew I wanted a very street friendly A/T that would improve the overall ride quality by reducing the soft, floaty feel of the OE tires. If you're considering 285's, you have the option of sticking with a P-metric tire with a higher load rating. In my case, I went from the 265/70/17 OE tires with the 113 load rating (2,535 lbs @ 35 psi) to a P-metric 285/70/17 with the 117 load rating (2,892 lbs @ 35 psi). The new tires made a dramatic difference in the ride and feel of the truck (much improved!) without necessarily adding the unsprung weight of an LT tire that can impact mileage and acceleration. I settled on the Toyo Open Country A/Ts, which weigh in at 44 lbs vs. the stock tires which weigh 39 if I remember correctly. Other tires I considered in that size and load range were the Bridgestone Revo2's, the Firestone Destination A/Ts and the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors. FYI, most of these manufacturers offer a P-metric and LT tire in that size, so double check when you order to make sure you get what you want.

i hope that helps!
 
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