RL's Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor Review

[CJ3Flyr]

Re: Running SA's without a Lift

I'm pretty well convinced that the Wrangler SA's are the upgrade I need for the 4Runner I just bought.

Has anyone run the SA's in 265/75/16 or 265/70/17 without a lift? Have you had any rubbing issues?

By the way, Goodyear is offering a $40 rebate on a set of 4 if purchased by August 23.

Thanks

Did you check this one? I'd guess the 265/70/17's would be perfect.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35872

 

[Neil]

Hi All,
Just wanted to chime in. I have rubbing with my gy sa in the 70 series. It is only at full turn but it is there. I don't have a lift or anything other then stock rims. Right now I have taken off the gy sa and put the smaller revos back on but I will have to put the sa back on by the september for hunting season and the snow in CO. I have seen about a 2mpg decrease in gas mileage with them on compared to the revo's but I drive 82-86 mph on the hwy.

 

[marked]

Neil,

I'm assuming your 70 series are on a 17" wheel, is that right?

Are your Revo's 70 series too, or stock size?

Thanks.

 

[Neil]

Yes, they are on a 17 inch rim but I had to upsize the gy sa because at that time they didn't come in a stock size. I have done a mpg calculation including the different size in tires and the gy still negatively affected my gas mileage more then the revo's did. I didn't notice a drop in mileage when I moved from the stock bridgestone to the revos. Although there was a lot better traction in the snow, rain and they are almost as quiet. The main question to ask yourself is what type of condition will you be in the most. Then pick the tire that suits those driving conditions. For me, the revo's have worked out great.

 

[Falls]

Yes, they are on a 17 inch rim but I had to upsize the gy sa because at that time they didn't come in a stock size. I have done a mpg calculation including the different size in tires and the gy still negatively affected my gas mileage more then the revo's did. I didn't notice a drop in mileage when I moved from the stock bridgestone to the revos. Although there was a lot better traction in the snow, rain and they are almost as quiet. The main question to ask yourself is what type of condition will you be in the most. Then pick the tire that suits those driving conditions. For me, the revo's have worked out great.

If you went up a tire size of course you would see a drop in milage.

You also have to factor in the % that you actually travel vs what the odo. states.

If you concerned about 1-2 mpg . Why would you drive that fast ? That itself would take away milage. Nothing really to do with the tires .

 

[marked]

I want a tire that's good for everything (doesn't everyone?) - mainly good on road (90% of driving) in dry, wet, or snowy (Colorado high country) conditions, is capable off road on moderate trails (no seroius rock crawling), and has good comfort and low noise.

If they were available, would you choose the GY SA's in stock size, or stick with your Revos.

Thanks.

 

[Falls]

I want a tire that's good for everything (doesn't everyone?) - mainly good on road (90% of driving) in dry, wet, or snowy (Colorado high country) conditions, is capable off road on moderate trails (no seroius rock crawling), and has good comfort and low noise.

If they were available, would you choose the GY SA's in stock size, or stick with your Revos.

Thanks.

It's a crap shoot .
The GY has a severe weather rating if that means anything. I have Revos on now , in reality good tire good points and bad points like every tire.

The perfect all around tire ..... good luck with that and if you find it PLEASE tell us all what it is .

 

[G.I.G.]

I want a tire that's good for everything (doesn't everyone?) - mainly good on road (90% of driving) in dry, wet, or snowy (Colorado high country) conditions, is capable off road on moderate trails (no seroius rock crawling), and has good comfort and low noise.

If they were available, would you choose the GY SA's in stock size, or stick with your Revos.

Thanks.

Sounds like you're in the same boat as me, especially since you live in CO. I want everything in a tire...unfortunately I'm not going to get that. However, like many have pointed out, just about anything is going to be better than the stock Dunlops.

I've been kicking between the Revo's and the GY SA as well, but am leaning more towards the SA recently.

I was talking to a buddy of mine who put the SA's on his Jeep GC. He really seemed to like them. He went a size wider than stock, not taller like many of the 4R folks seem to do.

I think I'll end up going with the SA's in 265/70/R17. I just need the $$$ before I can pull the trigger....but hopefully by September/October timeframe.

 

[marked]

I'm pretty much in the same place - I'll probably get the SA's but in stock size (265/70/16 for me).

The only other tire that seems tempting is the Revo, but I'm not sure it will do as well in the snow as the SA's, and that's real important where I am - I don't want to have to get a separate set of snow tires.

 

[Neil]

If you went up a tire size of course you would see a drop in milage.

Yes, that is what I was trying to say.

You also have to factor in the % that you actually travel vs what the odo. states.

I have accounted for the increase in tire diameter and I used my gps to find the actual distance travelled vs what the odometer read. This is just my experience and others have had different experience's. Obviously it didn't bother me too much because I still have a set of 4 sitting in my garage waiting for the revo's to wear out.

If you concerned about 1-2 mpg . Why would you drive that fast ? That itself would take away milage. Nothing really to do with the tires .[/QUOT
These western states are just too damn big. By driving that fast I can make a 6 hour trip to Denver only 5 hrs and I get to spend more time with my family. Luckily, the roads are not patrolled very often so I don't get a ticket. But after driving both sets of tires at the same speed you notice when you have to fill up in a different city than normal.

 

[Neil]

I want a tire that's good for everything (doesn't everyone?) - mainly good on road (90% of driving) in dry, wet, or snowy (Colorado high country) conditions, is capable off road on moderate trails (no seroius rock crawling), and has good comfort and low noise.

Tough question. I would choose the revo's because what you described is exactly what I wanted. When I drive to Co Springs, Denver, Copper Mountain, Taos, Durango, Aspen and a few other places that I probably forgotten, I have only been stuck once and it was a 30-40 foot snow drift in Monument CO where the snow was drifting 2-3 ft deep. I high centered and had to dig out. I was just trying to see how far I could go. Turns out to be about 10 ft with some momentum. The only reason I bought the 2nd set of gy sa is because they have a reputaion for being a tougher tire and I put those on for hunting season in the Wemiwiche wilderness area and it is pretty isolated down there. I didn't want to risk a tire puncture or a low traction environment because I am down to my last 5k on my revo's. If you or GIG would like to take a look at the set I have I can bring the tire's up on my next trip to the front range and maybe save you a few dollars vs new. They only have ~2k miles on them.

 

[marked]

Thanks for the offer Neil, but unfortunately yours are 17" and I've got 16" wheels.

It sounds like you're pretty sold on the Revo's. Out of curiosity, why didn't you just get a new set of Revo's rather than the SA's?

 

[Neil]

I got a really good deal on the SA and the revo's weren't in stock are part of the reason that I went with the sa. The main reason is that I was going hunting in Nov and I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I heard the sA are a more aggressive tire in the snow and mud along with being more puncture resistant. The funny thing is it was 60 degrees everyday at over 10000 ft and there was no rain or snow for the 8 days were in Southern CO. Unbelievable weather for the altitude and time of year.

 

[Falls]

So Neil , I'm getting a brain fade here ..... so you want to sell the GY's or are you keeping them instead of the Revos ? Sounds like your trying to sell them . Why , because the milage was crappy ?

Thats what I want to go with . I do and have got great milage with my Revo's though. Want something more aggressive but not as aggressive as a BFG AT.

Sorry I'm confused. It's 1am , just got home from a bad nerve racking night . tired , blah , blah...

 

[Neil]

I am looking to sell them to someone kind of local, ie colorado or NM because I don't want to pay for shipping. If I can't sell them then I will use them this winter and won't worry too much about the mileage because the 4runner will be paid off in July. Yea!!!. I would rather have the revo's on there but the sa will do. I just kind of go with the flow. Don't want to lose too much money and I do realize that they are a good tire. Don't work too hard.

 

[marked]

OK Falls and Neil - please help me out here because I'm torn between the Revo's and SA's.

I recently bought my 4Runner and want to do a fair amount of off road driving, principally in the summer and fall (read: No snow or not too wet) and only on moderate trails. I want to keep the great road manners of the 4Runner, but definitely want to give it as much edge as I can off road.

So as I see it, I have two decisions to make:

1) Do I go up to 32" tires? It sounds like the SA's might rub, how about the Revo's? Do I gain enough from going to a 32" to even worry about it and just stay with stock size?

2) Do I go with the Revo's or SA's?

Falls, what are the bad points of the Revo in your experience? How have they done off road?

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[Neil]

Marked,
it seems not all the gy sa rub when you upsize to the 70 series. Mine did but I wouldn't hesitate to use them this winter on my own vehicle. Many people on this board don't seem to have this issue, just me for some reason. As far as the one's I would choose, I would probably take the one that is the lowest price because they are both great tires and I really don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[G.I.G.]

Marked,
it seems not all the gy sa rub when you upsize to the 70 series. Mine did but I wouldn't hesitate to use them this winter on my own vehicle. Many people on this board don't seem to have this issue, just me for some reason. As far as the one's I would choose, I would probably take the one that is the lowest price because they are both great tires and I really don't think you can go wrong either way.

I think I'm in the same boat as marked and am a bit torn between the Revo's and the SA's, but am starting to lean more towards the SA's. I'm pretty set on going up to 70 series, even if there is a little rubbing. FWIW, I don't think cranking the wheel all the way is good for the power steering pump unless you absolutely need to, however, I could be wrong about that. I just try to avoid it when I can. And maybe folks with the SR5's experience rubbing because they have a smaller wheel well than the SE's and Limited's?

A question you might be able to help answer, Neil, is if you noticed a drop in MPG's between the Revo's and the SA's, since you ran them in the same size. I think part of the reason for the reported drop in MPG's with the SA's is because people are up sizing their tires at the same time. As Falls pointed out, you are actually driving ~3% farther on the larger tire size. Just wanted to hear from someone who could give an apples to apples comparison.

Also, PM sent re your SA's for sale.

 

[Falls]

OK Falls and Neil - please help me out here because I'm torn between the Revo's and SA's.

Falls, what are the bad points of the Revo in your experience? How have they done off road ?

Both are great tires I would guess.

My Revos were ok off road , slippery when it got goo mud , They were ok in the snow , but nothing like I expected in the snow. I thought they would perform much better. On the Revo behalf we did have 12-16" storms here this winter and they did get me home without issue and VSC kicking on . The tires also had 35k on them. The wet/rain conditions were excellent . Wear has been good , but I honestly have run them past my 40k comfort zone. My gas milage has been great with them , ride and noise has been great.

I am planning to switch to the SA's , just to try them . Revo will suit my needs for the most part , but want something more aggressive , but not over kill.

 

[Neil]

A question you might be able to help answer, Neil, is if you noticed a drop in MPG's between the Revo's and the SA's, since you ran them in the same size. I think part of the reason for the reported drop in MPG's with the SA's is because people are up sizing their tires at the same time. As Falls pointed out, you are actually driving ~3% farther on the larger tire size. Just wanted to hear from someone who could give an apples to apples comparison.

Hi Greg,
replied to you pm. I understand what you and Falls are saying and I am not claiming to be a math expert but I think I did the calculations correctly and I still showed a drop in mileage. The following are just my opinions and opinions vary: Overall, I just liked the "feel" of the revo's better and I agree with falls that the difference in the type of snow could play a role in the differing opinions of the snow performance. In Colorado, the snow is typically light and dry with low moisture content, except in the spring when we get the real heavy wet snow that shovels like wet concrete. I haven't seen a difference in either one but maybe in Wisconsin it is typically wetter and heavier so his performs differently then mine. That is just a guess. As far as the "feel" goes, the revo's seem to track straighter then the gy sa so I didn't have to do as many minute corrections. I like to thumb drive and only use my thumbs when going down a straight road and it feels like I have to correct the steering more with the sa. I have never gotten an alignment so it should be a fair comparison between the 2. As far as noise goes, the revo's are almost as quiet as my stock bridgestones and the sa are just a hair louder then both. I still have my stock basic sound system so maybe that is actually where the problem lies. ie it is not a good sound system. I checked prices on tire rack and for the load c tires, both the gy and the revos are listing at $156 per tire. Discount tire was quite a bit more but I have found that they will match the tire rack offers usually. There is also a $40 rebate on the sa according to tirerack so that may play a role in your decision as well.