New Member, few questions (255/75 Duratracs)

[ecufishbowl]

Hey guys!

I've been on the forum researching for a long time now and finally made an account. I live in Eastern NC and recently sold my 3rd gen and bought a 4th gen!

I learned to drive in my 1996 SR5 (back when it only had 50k miles on it) and drove it all the way until this past February when I could no longer afford to keep fixing it. Every other month seemed to be a new $1200 repair popping up, so my wife and I agreed it was time to let my baby go. Under one rule. I had to get another 4Runner =).
Managed to find exactly what I wanted a few weeks later.
2008 SR5 4x4 Shadow Mica with only 47k miles on it


As you can see with the picture of my 96, I never did any mods on it. It always performed fine off road without any hiccups for what I was doing. Now with my 08 I want to do a few things.
Here is what I plan to do:

Daystar 2.5/1.5
Spidertrax 1.25 spacers
Goodyear Duratrac 255/75R17


A couple questions I have that I couldn't locate in the search bar...

-This is my daily driver and I drive about 35 miles each day. I want to sacrifice as little mpg as possible while still increasing it's performance off-road. I typically only off-road about 5-10 days out of the year and that is only on soft sand at the beaches and on medium difficulty trails in the mountains. I really like the Duratracs in 255/75R17 as I like the tall/skinnies and being able to keep the same mpg is a huge seller for me. My concern is, the Duratracs in 255/75 only come in SL load range. Is that going to be okay for my purposes? I typically take my fishing gear and have a total of 3 passengers in my truck. I will not be doing any serious rock crawling or deep mudding in this truck and I won't be adding any heavy exterior mods like bumper, sliders, etc.

-If anyone is running this exact same setup, I'd love to see pictures. I've read plenty of reports that 255/75R17 Duratracs fit fine with the daystar 2.5 lift, but I was curious if you guys think I need to put wheel spacers on (spidertrax)? (will it look dumb without them?) Will I get rubbing with the addition of wheel spacers?

I apologize if this has been beaten to death in other threads (i'm sure you are tired of answering questions to newbies about daystar and duratracs), but money is sorta tight and I want to make sure this setup will fit my needs before I spend any money on upgrades. Thanks a lot! =)

 

[prule84]

I actually run pretty much that exact same setup minus the Spidertrax spacers (though I did look into them).

I have a 2005 Limited and put the Daystar lift on and upgraded the tires to the 255/75 Duratracs. I absolutely love it. It's my daily driver as well and I think this tire size is perfect for someone who wants a very capable 4x4 vehicle without sacrificing much on the highway.

The Duratracs are absolute beasts - don't let the P/SL rating worry you. I was a little disappointed that they didn't have the LT option, but I saw a few builds that run them with no problem so I gave it a shot. The 255/75's also come in a little cheaper than the bigger tires too, so that was nice as well.

I'm in New England and they handled great this winter in tons of snow/ice. I've taken it off road twice so far this summer through sand/mud/rocks and they've been awesome.

As far as rubbing goes, I only have any issues with the steering wheel fully locked to the left and in reverse. The only spot that rubs is the front passenger tire, and even then it's just barely. I think if I moved the fender guard back and zip-tied it, it would probably resolve the issue.

I really wanted Spidertrax as I wanted the tires to stick out a little bit more, but I think that would likely increase the rubbing issues (but I'm not entirely sure). I'll edit in some pics of the setup after I upload them from my phone.

To recap: 255/75-R17 Duratracs are excellent, especially for a daily-driver. Daystar 2.5/1.5 spacers give a pretty nice lift to fit the tires and give the truck a slightly more aggressive look.

 

[ecufishbowl]

Thanks prule84! I'm glad to hear you are happy with the 255/75R17 Duratracs and I feel more confident as my DD having the SL on for mild off-roading. I'd love to see how your rig looks with the daystar and 255/75s without the spidertrax. I don't necessarily want wheel spacers, I just wasn't sure if it would like the truck was on stilts about to tip over without them =). If you happen to get your pics off your phone, post them up! Thanks again!

 

[MN4RNR]

Thanks OP for the question and for the feedback Prule84. Duratracs in that size are what I am planning as well the tires are due for replacement.

 

[MN4RNR]

2008 SR5 4x4 Shadow Mica with only 47k miles on it

WOW!! What a find! Beautiful truck. That is an awesome color.

 

[prule84]

Sorry for the delay! Here are some pics of my 2005 Limited with the Duratrac spacer lift and the 255/75/R17 Duratracs:

I also have some more feedback. I just went on a weekend trip to Rausch Creek, PA with the 4Runner and had a blast. The lift and tires were able to get me through all of the green and blue rated trails that we went through. I also did a black rated hill climb and was able to get through with relative ease. These tires performed just as well as Wrangler MTs and BFG KM2s on the trails.

I have more pics I can post if you guys want, but I figured that was a good start.

 

[JeffMerr]

Not trying to go off topic but do the 255 skinnier tires make a big difference in mpg? I'm looking at a set of Toyo open country at II in 265/70/17. Wouldn't the increased diameter pretty much make them even with the width of a 265/17 in terms of mpg?

 

[prule84]

Not trying to go off topic but do the 255 skinnier tires make a big difference in mpg? I'm looking at a set of Toyo open country at II in 265/70/17. Wouldn't the increased diameter pretty much make them even with the width of a 265/17 in terms of mpg?

I ran the stock Bridgestone Duelers in 265/70 before I got the 255/75 Duratracs. I haven't noticed any difference in MPG, though I didn't measure before or after so I don't know for sure.

I'm sure there has someone who has done the research or has a better idea though.

 

[Combatman]

Well I just put 255/75r17 Hankook Dynapro ATMs on my 4Runner 3 days ago, i have only done the front tacoma suspension swap (leveled the front with the back with no rear lift so probably 1-1.5" front lift) and I have noticed no rubbing yet. I have a set of wheel spacers I haven't put on yet (from my old tacoma) because I don't mind the looks and I can't commit to the possibility of bearing failure. But as I said no noticeable rubbing with ~1.5" of lift up front yet.

 

[AdventureRunner06]

I was originally going to do the exact same setup but was worried about putting additional wear on my Xreas that were already pretty beat So i decided against adding the daystar leveling kit that i had bought and just put 255/75r17 Dura Tracs on and never experienced any rubbing at all. Ill see if i can find a picture of that setup for you and post back.

 

[80sMetalForever]

Hi I'm about to get new tires for my 2008 sport and considering 255/75r17 Dura Tracs since I snowboard. Can anybody reply with a long-term review on these (or 265s for that matter) especially if there were ANY rubbing issues? I have just stock suspension no lift or spacers.
thx

 

[hinmo24t]

Hi I'm about to get new tires for my 2008 sport and considering 255/75r17 Dura Tracs since I snowboard. Can anybody reply with a long-term review on these (or 265s for that matter) especially if there were ANY rubbing issues? I have just stock suspension no lift or spacers.
thx

theres a lot of info on these forums that answer your question, i suggest searching on google with this forums name in the search...
i think the answer is they wont rub, or not too much anyway.

 

[80sMetalForever]

have appt to get 255/75-17 Duratracs on next week with stock suspension - will post results

 

[kingofthehill]

Im looking forward to seeing more pictures of the Duratracs in the 255/75R17 size. I am looking to get tires by the end of November and I have narrowed down my search to this size in either the Duratracs or KO2s. Can someone post a picture of the tread pattern of the duratrac in the 255 size and a good side picture of their vehicle with that tire?

 

[gfxcruncher]

I'll bite...

I'm not running a spacer lift, my suspension was pretty much shot when I got the truck (153k) so I replaced with the Toytec lift. Running the spidertrax spacers and 255/75/17 Duratracs.

Honestly, I really, really love the setup. Tires have been great in mud, snow and rocks. I have the P tires, so I do worry about the sidewalls a bit, but so far even with the rubbing I've done on them, nothing's happened.

I get ~17mpg around town and ~20 on the highway, running regular.

Looking around, I sure do get the fatty envy and would love some nice big meaty tires, but I just can't justify it since this has done so well.

Pics:

 

[kingofthehill]

Well I just ordered a set of the duratracs in the 255-75R17 size from discount tires ebays store. Got a good deal. Ill post pics here when I get them installed.

 

[Falcon3]

I'll bite...

I'm not running a spacer lift, my suspension was pretty much shot when I got the truck (153k) so I replaced with the Toytec lift. Running the spidertrax spacers and 255/75/17 Duratracs.

Honestly, I really, really love the setup. Tires have been great in mud, snow and rocks. I have the P tires, so I do worry about the sidewalls a bit, but so far even with the rubbing I've done on them, nothing's happened.

I get ~17mpg around town and ~20 on the highway, running regular.

Looking around, I sure do get the fatty envy and would love some nice big meaty tires, but I just can't justify it since this has done so well.

Pics:

That looks amazing. I went a little lower in the front than you but I’m definitely going 255/75 next time.

 

[whyowyo]

I put 255/75r17 tires on my 4runner for daily driving specifically because they were the biggest Duratrac I could find that was not a LT rated tire.

I ran E-rated tires on trucks for years for the sidewall durability off road, but came to the realization that it is over kill until you get to the point with the truck that you are running trails that require body armor, winch, etc. and are spending a significant amount of time aired down on rocks that are rubbing your sidewalls. The occasional sharp rock or stick straight to the sidewall is going to poke a hole in an E rated tire almost as quickly as P rated, that's is what the matching spare is for.

When you add 1200lbs plus of steel and recovery gear to your truck and you are looking at MT tires, then you need E rated sidewalls.

I think that this size and type of tire (triple peak snowflake rated AT) is the best option for anyone who DD's there 4runner (or Tacoma, FJ, whatever) and occasionally wheels. Especially if you spend a lot of time driving snow and ice covered roads. The savings in gas mileage and wear and tear on the suspension, steering, brakes and drivetrain far out-weights the perceived disadvantage of weaker sidewalls.

 

[kevinpt]

I'll bite...

I'm not running a spacer lift, my suspension was pretty much shot when I got the truck (153k) so I replaced with the Toytec lift. Running the spidertrax spacers and 255/75/17 Duratracs.

Honestly, I really, really love the setup. Tires have been great in mud, snow and rocks. I have the P tires, so I do worry about the sidewalls a bit, but so far even with the rubbing I've done on them, nothing's happened.

I get ~17mpg around town and ~20 on the highway, running regular.

Looking around, I sure do get the fatty envy and would love some nice big meaty tires, but I just can't justify it since this has done so well.

Pics:

are some of those photos from flagpole?

 

[kingofthehill]

Just got my 255/75 duratracs installed.