New tires and a possible lift?

D

DonnyB

New member
New tires and a *edit* lift! coming soon! :)

I had a twig puncture the sidewall of one of my Dunflops. Yeah, a TWIG! Two of my other Dunflops have been plugged 2-3x over the past 2.5, almost 3 years. I hate them in rain and I hate them a lot in the snow and ice. Enough is enough, I'm ready for a new set of tires!
I haven't yet taken it off-road or mudding. It is my baby and daily driver, but it does see it's fare share of snow in the winter, slush, and ice since I like to get out and snowboard as often as I can when the snow is falling. I live right outside of Buffalo, NY, so the roads are often complete crap, whether it be rain, slush, ice, snow, or a combination of all.
Anyways, as poser'ish as it may be, (I know it's pretty poser'ish) I'd really like an aggressive looking tire to replace my Dunflops. I'm currently considering either:
BFGoodrich A/T KO in 265/65/17 (stock size)
or
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac in 265/70/17 (unavailable in stock size)
or
*EDIT*
Goodyear Wrangler Authority in 265/70/17 (unavailable in stock size) - just came across these from Walmart.com. They look badass!
For the Duratrac, would that fit ok? I really like the look of the Duratrac's and have read that they handle better in slush and snow over the BFG's. They both have a very nice aggressive look to them.
How much would a dealer or shop charge me to change the odometer with different sized tires? - IF that's possible.
I'm also thinking about getting a small spacer lift, such as a daystar to level out the appearance.
Any other tire suggestions?
Any opinions/input (...POSITIVE ones, PLEASE!) would be appreciated!

Here's the twig:

0810002005.jpg~original
 
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Click the link in my sig to look at my tire/lift setup. I'm running Hankook Dynapro ATM's, they're excellent tires. I'm in the same boat, it's mainly a daily driver, but I wanted a more aggressive look. It's not as aggressive as Duratracs or the BFG A/T's, but works for me. Another tire to consider is the GY Wranger Silent Armor. It bears the snowflake symbol and many on this board have been pleased with them, and the price can't be beat for the 255/75/17's.

A spacer lift wouldn't be bad. Many have swapped out to FJ Cruiser springs and it's a very nice mod. I'd do that combined with the 1/4" thick Toytec spacer in the front for an improved ride and better look.
 
BFG Cost

The best price for the BFG A/T KO's that I found for, mounted, balanced, w/road hazard was $940 after taxes for 4 tires in stock 265/65/17 size. Is that good?
 
I wouldn't say it's the deal of the century, but that's too bad for those tires. It all comes down to what you want. You should really look into the Hankooks. The reviews I've read say they are excellent in snow/ice/slush. The best part about it, I got all 5 for under $800 mounted and balanced. That was for the 255/75's, 265/70's were about $100 cheaper, not sure on stock size.
 
Do not go with the Goodyear Wrangler Authority at Wal Mart. I looked at those and they are a flimsy tire. The Wal Mart here in Nashville wanted $205 apiece for those tires. If you are going to spend that much money go with the BFG TA KO or the Goodyear Duratrac. Alot better tires for the $$$!
 
Daystar

I've decided that I'm going to go with this:

2003-2010 Toyota 4Runner 2wd & 4wd - 2.5" Lift Kit by Daystar

which is a 2.5" front and 2" rear lift that's under $160 - budget/cheap, me likes! :D

I saw that you can get a 2.5/1.5, but I've read that the rear end tends to sag eventually, so I thought a 2.5/2 would be a better combination.

Is it hard to install FJ shocks/springs? I'm wondering if I should do that now as well.

For tires, I'm likely going to go up a little to a 265/70/17, and the Goodyear Duratrac's because I like their aggressive look and they should be slightly less expensive than the BFGoodrich A/T KO's, which also have a very nice aggressive look.

It may be a little much for a daily driver, but I'll be able to drive with more pride, I like sitting up high, and I'm sure it'll be a blast tearing it up in some deep pow this coming winter.

I appreciate the info guys!
 
it would be good to do the fj shocks and springs but by doing this you will have slightly more lift then just the daystar 2.5/2 but not much. hopefully someone that has done this will post up what they feel about it. as for tire i have the duratracs and so far absolutely love them, only had them for a week but they ride nicely. cant wait to get some ice down here to test em in. a lot of ppl really prefer them for severe weather driving.
 
ARK_SWAMP_RIDER said:
Wranger Silent Armor
Click to expand...

ARK, I like your setup! It looks good! I do like the Wrangler Silent Armor's performance-wise, but looks-wise, they're just not as aggressive as I'd like. Maybe next time around, but this time I want to go for looks. It's poser'ish, I know, but it's what I like! They should both perform well.
Right now, I'm 99.9% sure that I'll go with 265/70/17 Goodyear Duratrac's. I'm waiting to hear back from the tire place for a quote for 4 tires. I'm going to keep my one Dunflop 265/65/17 as a spare, although, I am tempted to buy a 5th and then start rotating my spare tire into play with each oil change, hmmm...
 
4Runner8 said:
i have the duratracs and so far absolutely love them, only had them for a week but they ride nicely. cant wait to get some ice down here to test em in. a lot of ppl really prefer them for severe weather driving.
Click to expand...

4Runner8, that's great to hear! I really love how they look and like all of the comments I've read about them on this forum and others (I've checked out a few Tacoma sites) The only negative comments seem to come from heavy vehicles pulling heavy weights. I'll likely get the E-rated version. It's sloppy a lot out where I live, in fact it's been raining on and off over the past couple of days. I think the Duratrac's will fit the bill well.
 
yea i vote duratracs for you all the way, it rained a lot the past couple of days hear and i swear i could not get them to hydroplane or veer off while hitting large puddles on the sides of the roads. my old general grabbers would basically pull the whole vehicle to the right but the duratracs keep it on the road, i love them
 
I just placed my order for a Daystar KT09115BK Comfort Ride 2.5" Strut and Coil Spring Spacer Kit from Amazon for $141.55 + tax (11.32) + free shipping.

I also ordered 4 new 265/70/17 Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac's. I'm going to keep my 265/65/17 Dunflop for a spare. Cost for tires, mounting, balance, road hazard, NYS tax, etc. will be $940

I'm going to do the lift install myself, then have a local shop do an alignment for me. It all should be done within 2 weeks time, then I'll finally post updated photos of my 4runner with Japanese fuel door and cap, exhaust tip, door sill enhancements, lift, tires, etc., etc. :)
 
Congrats Man!! you'll be happy with the daystar and the duratracs. cant wait to see the outcome, good luck!
 
Daystar 2.5/1.5 installed!

Rear = EASY thanks to JA's write up and Bulldog's Toyota120 write up.

Front = :ybrick: :ybrick: :ybrick: OMG... what a pain in the A!!! It all started with trying to get the upper ball joint to seperate. One side was easy, the other beyond hard! I lubricated it (carefully lifting the boot and letting it soak down) and hit it with a hammer quite a few times. I wish I had some kind of separating tool, but I didn't. It finally came off/dropped. I also snapped a bolt (used too big of a ratchet) on one of the little brackets for one of the lines, which gave me reason to open and use my 'lil bolt extraction kit, luckily one fit and I was able to get it cleanly out and I even found an extra screw that matched to fit back on the bracket - this time using a smaller ratchet to not over tighten and snap the head again. I do learn, I'm just slow at it!
My next big issue would be squeezing the shocks back on after adding the spacer... omfg... if there's ever a next time, I'm borrowing or renting a freaking spring compressor! Ughhh!
*EDIT* I almost forgot... "Remove the three bolts from the upper mounting plate" the 3 bolts on top of the shock, F- that bolt thats in the back and all hard to reach! That thing took us forever to get off AND back on! There was no clearance there to do it other than at 1/4 turns (optimistic guess) at a time by hand with a wrench.
Anyyyywho... the whole operation took WAY longer than expected. I started, with A LOT of help from my Father, at 4pm thinking it'd take us 4-5hrs, but it took us until 12:45am to have it all done and cleaned up. I probably should have paid a shop to do it for $2-300 (or whatever it cost) and saved myself the night, ah well!
I adjusted the headlights and fogs (cake!) and I'm getting the new tires put on tomorrow, then an alignment, maybe have the stealership adjust my odometer for the larger tires (265/70/17 Dura Tracs), and then I'll have some new pics up in the picture section (under the post your lift sticky).
Also putting on tomorrow (finally after much procrastination) my Japanese Fuel Door and Fuel Cap Cover and Door Sill Enhancements! :)
 
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A fun mod for sure. After going between 3-4 tires, I finally ordered the Hankook Dynapro ATMs. Once they are installed, I'll throw on the FJ suspension I have. I went with the P rated tire.
 
Last year I went with the Hankook Dynapro ATMs as well and they have served me well for the winter and long trips. I got all four for less than $550 at pep boys with a coupon. :bigok:
 
HoochRunner said:
Where are the pics? I'm about to go with the same setup and would love to see it for motivation!
Click to expand...

They're coming, they're coming! All I have currently are some crappy cell phone (2.0mp) photos. It's been raining since! It's suppose to continue to shower all the way to Tues. night, so maybe I'll be able to wash and wax it Wed. before work or Thurs. afternoon. -Don

edit/p.s. I'm REALLY starting to consider the spidertax spacers. i'm just worried about any long term damage that they could do, and i don't want rocks chipping up my paint either... but man it'd look so much better with some offset!
 
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