New to me 87 4Runner Tire Advice

[wade _s]

I recently acquired a 1987 SR5 with 22RE, 5 spd manual tranny, 2 inch suspension lift kit and 33X12.5" tires from a friend of mine. The motor was rebuilt ~30 K mi ago and it runs well. The rims are the factory 15X6" rims. I use it as a hunting vehicle where I drive on dirt/gravel roads with a few steep hills. I do not do any serious "off-roading" or rock climbing. If it rains, the roads are very muddy.

I do not like the way that the 33" tires affect the performance of the vehicle in 2wd/4wd High. The power/torque is poor, especially when going up a hill or starting out uphill from a stop. I have to use/ride the clutch way to much to keep the RPM's up or go way too fast up hills/over obstacles. I have been running it in 4WD LOW lately and it does great (I do not go over 20 mph on the ranch roads anyway because they are so rough).

I would like to get advice on what would be the smallest tire that I should run for my situation. I want better performance, but I don't want the vehicle too look bad or be unstable. I would appreciate your advice/opinions.

 

[KidVermicious]

30s or 31s are plenty big enough for ranch roads and fire lanes, and you'll get a lot of that lost oomph back. If the tires you have are nice, though, consider regearing the differentials. That'll run you about the same as a new set of rubber, depending on how much of the work you do yourself, and you'll regain the lost power and keep the increased axle clearance of the 33s.

 

[wade _s]

Thanks for the advice. I will have to look into the gear swap. The tires are BFG's and they do have a lot of life left in them and I also have a 33" matching spare that has never been on the ground. I would prefer to keep it as is until hunting season is over, and do my repairs over the spring/summer months. Will it be hard on the vehicle to run it in 4WD LOW all the time as long as I stay off the paved roads and keep my speed under 20mph? The 4Runner stays at the lease during hunting season so I just use it off-road and on dirt county roads.

 

[KidVermicious]

Will it be hard on the vehicle to run it in 4WD LOW all the time as long as I stay off the paved roads and keep my speed under 20mph?

You'll be fine if you stay under 20 mph. If you have manual hubs, you can unlock them and run around in 2low on the pavement. I wouldn't make a habit of going over 25 in low range though.

 

[wade _s]

I have the automatic hubs, so 2WD LOW is not an option for me. I do not have to go on paved roads at all and never go over 20 mph. In 2WD the 4Runner does better than expected on the highway. I drove it to the lease before the season and other than having to downshift to 4th before going up large hills I had no problem maintaining highway speeds of 55-60 mph.