My '99... SR5 4WD with 15s and 3.90s????

[mathlete]

Been lurking here for years; finally decided to post something.

Love my '99, but after spending years(!) reading through these forums, I'm kind of at a loss over what to do with it in regards to tires/wheels. I seem to have all the worst possible characteristics you could have when it comes to making changes:

• 15" Enkei Ford Explorer-ish wheels
• 3.90 rear, according to Sonoran's table (though I haven't actually counted rotations). It's a SR5 4WD, so the 3.90 seemed weird to me)
• Good ol' P225s.

As my DD (and with the expense of keeping three excellent children alive), I'm not looking to do much other than put some slightly aggressive ATs on it and give it a slightly bigger stance. I drive mostly on the road but hit the dirt sometimes (though it's obviously I never do anything hardcore with it).

I'd be happy going with the stock 265s on 16s, but if I really have 3.90s, I'm concerned about it being too sluggish.

I kind of like the idea of '99 talls and Bilsteins (it needs new struts anyway), so I wondered if maybe something in the middle (either a 245 or a 30r15 would be a decent compromise for performance, looks, and weight or if that would look stupid. I actually don't mind some space in the wheel wells, but it doesn't need to look like a bear riding a tiny tricycle either.

I may also be completely getting this all wrong. I do that sometimes.

Any other daily drivers out there who've founded good a balance with wheels/tires/suspension?

Sorry if this has been covered to death. I promise I did read as much as I could find.

Thanks!

 

[gamefreakgc]

I'm no gear expert, but if you have the automatic transmission I'm 90% sure you have 4.10 gears. Unless there's some weird off-shoot option I'm not aware of.

And, contrary to the doorjamb sticker, 225's are NOT the stock sized tire for these 4Runners. Larger tires, 265/70/R16 (though some 4Runners do come with R15's stock) are standard. I was told by Toyota it was a tax issue, the smaller the tires on the import vehicle the smaller the tax! Go figure, not sure if that's really true but the door jamb stickers are indeed wrong on purpose. So if you have the larger tires on your 4Runner you'll not notice anything out of the ordinary.

One last thought, if you replace the suspension with stock height items you'll probably gain 1" or so just due to the old springs being compressed over time. Just a thought.

P.S. I bet your speedometer is off! If you tracked your speed using an app or a GPS it's lower by about 10%! So if you think you are going 70 mph on the highway, you are more likely going 62-63 mph.

 

[Chim]

I have a 99 auto 4x4 with 3.90's as well. I am running a toytech lift and 285/75/16 BFG K02's with no issue at all. I even have added weight of front arb bumper and winch. I do have diffs with ARB's that have 4.10's that I will be running but right now I really have no complaints. I'm sure others will tell you different but I'm actually running it right now as a daily.

 

[RPS99SHO]

Those wheels NEED to go.

 

[Bstrom]

We truly appreciate your humble assessment of your 4R. Since you have no need for off-road mods, look for some nice OEM Star wheels and pop some 265s on it for your occasional dirt days. I have Michelin LTX M+S on mine and it climbs dry surfaces really well, so don't sacrifice fuel mileage or road noise just for looks.

 

[St Runner]

Try a 31/10.5/15 Very common size so lots of companies make them and they are pretty much the same as a 265/70/16 As long as you have the 3.4 it won't be a problem.

 

[Clayton74]

I have a 97 SR5 5spd that had the 225/75/15 door sticker. Checking my door tag number with the list below it indicated I had 3.9 gearing. Once I jacked the rig up and checked manually I found that I had 4.1 gears. Moral here is that it is worth actually checking your gear ratio.

http://www.sonoransteel.com/include...eel/TechArticles/1996-2004ToyotaGearRatio.pdf

 

[mathlete]

Thanks for the great feedback, everyone. I appreciate it. I do have the 3.4, and it's an automatic.

Sounds like I might be jacking it up today to see what the ratio really is. If nothing else, it's an excuse to show the kids how to do it.

And I agree, the wheels need to go!

 

[T4R2014]

You do indeed have 3.90's on there. I wouldn't recommend putting larger tires on there because of that gear ratio which also includes the smaller brake calipers up front. Definitely find a set of 15" split spokes to replace those. Should be easy to find down south.