Sooo...any reason NOT to go 285's?

[SAC-CA-Runner]

I'm going to be doing my Toytec Ultimate lift shortly along with some LR UCA's. I'm also going to be throwing on a 231 Tundra Brake upgrade with some All Pro 1.25" spacers. I will be upgrading my tires and my plan is to go with Goodyear Duratracs as they seem to get good reviews. Is there any reason not to go with 285/75/16 tires on my stock 16x7 wheels (soon to be painted anthracite)? Seen a couple guys running them and I don't mind a bit of trimming if need be. But will I have any other issues I should be warned about? Thanks all!!!

And yes, I searched but couldn't find any definite answers. Unless I'm a **** and didn't put something in right!

 

[Clemsonfan15]

Loss of power and lower MPG.

 

[JohnsD90]

Lower MPG, higher tire cost, more stress on some of the front drivetrain/suspension which could cause the parts to wear sooner... and stuff like that, those things are a big deal to me, but if your ok with it, by all means do it.

 

[durrell]

I got 285's and am mostly happy. I do hate the constant downshifts. MPG has really not been that big of an issue. I was getting 18-19 and am now down to 16-17 with the 285's.

As John said, if the few cons don't sway you then go for it.

 

[98_4runnerSR5]

Power loss is my biggest thing but that still doesn't have me regretting 285's. They are worth in in my opinion b/c they look bad*** and fill those wells especially with a lift.

 

[Jon]

There's no sense in doing the lift and not getting 33's! It will be pointless w/o them.

 

[SAC-CA-Runner]

Thanks guys for all your input...anything I should upgrade as well while in there? Obviously going Toytec and LR UCA along with the brakes. Going to upgrade the sway bar bushings as well as I like a tight ride. Will also be doing my steering rack bushings as well. Wheel bearings? Other bushings? Might as well do it while I'm in there.

 

[kball]

LBJ's!

I just did the Toytec lift and went with 32's. I've noticed a slight loss of power.

What I've noticed the most so far though is that driving to work with cruise on used to be a set it and forget that it's on. Now it downshifts on even the smallest hills on the frwy. It's not just the size I think but the rolling resistance of the new tread.

But like the guys above said, go big and be happy if you can live with it.

 

[brian2sun]

285/75/16s are the most common size it seems for lifted 4runners. 265/75/16s look a little small with a lift IMO, but that's personal taste and they by no means look ridiculous or anything, just a little bit small. Like the others mentioned, you'll loose power and mpgs with bigger tires, but that's always the trade off when building off roaders. Another tire option is 255/85/16 (~33.5x10"). They will fit without needing wheel spacers (although you may still need the spacers for your Tundra brakes depending on what wheels you have). 255s are what I have and I like em.

 

[Spish]

There's no sense in doing the lift and not getting 33's! It will be pointless w/o them.

This is what I was thinking too, even though my MPG's are crap, it looks good and is very offroad capable

 

[MAD 69]

I wouldn't even think of using 285's unless I re-geared, I couldn't handle the loss of power and poor gas mileage

 

[chris360hawks]

Before my Runner was supercharged the power loss wasn't that big of a deal. You learn to drive to avoid the downshifts. The only time it would have to downshift was on really big hills at speed on the highway 70+. Now with the supercharger it never downshifts on the highway unless I floor it. With a 5 speed non supercharged the power loss is not noticeable.

 

[Mr. Leary]

It all boils down to how much money you want to spend. Off roading is kinda like driving fast... "speed is money, how fast do you want to go?"

If you want to have a truck that safely pushes the truck within its stock capabilities, then go with a 2" lift (no body lift), a rear locker, and 265/75/R16 tires with an aggressive tread pattern. This will get you down level 3 trails with ease and you will not have to worry about re-gearing or breaking drivetrain components. This is the route I would recommend... and it is the route I recommend to my customers. It requires far less investment and pushes the truck capability right to the limit of diminishing returns. Pass that level of build and you are getting less and less in terms of additional performance at a rapidly increasing $$$ amount.

To run 33s, there are several modifications that need to be made if you are trying to achieve something other then a mall crawler (i.e. "looks badass"). A re-gear should be considered to reduce strain on the rest of the drivetrain components (without it the RPMs will be a little below the power band at highway speed). Simply putting bigger tires on will not infer traction gains, however more aggressive tires will. 33" tires and you will be much more likely to break stuff... plain and simple... big tires to turn means axles go snap. Likewise, big tires will not prevent you from damaging your drivetrain on obstacles (skid plates and slider will). The body lift that is "required" to run 33s does not give you extra clearance, so the only performance advatage you will have is that extra 0.5" to 0.75" of clearance from the taller tires. When this comes at the penalty of drivetrain vulnerability and gearing that is no longer properly suited to the tire size, its not a win.

Unless you are ready to spend the money to properly prepare the trucks to run 33s, then you are not really netting a performance improvement and its not worth it. 265/75/R16s are a much better size for a mild build.

Your choice, but my advice is to do it right or don't do it at all. Builds with a foot in both camps (33s without additional work) are less capable then either camp.

I have built a 3rd gen 4Runner pretty much as far as possible, and would keep it closer to stock if I could start over.

Your choice, your truck. Best of luck with your build.

Leary

 

[JohnsD90]

It all boils down to how much money you want to spend. Off roading is kinda like driving fast... "speed is money, how fast do you want to go?"

If you want to have a truck that safely pushes the truck within its stock capabilities, then go with a 2" lift (no body lift), a rear locker, and 265/75/R16 tires with an aggressive tread pattern. This will get you down level 3 trails with ease and you will not have to worry about re-gearing or breaking drivetrain components. This is the route I would recommend... and it is the route I recommend to my customers. It requires far less investment and pushes the truck capability right to the limit of diminishing returns. Pass that level of build and you are getting less and less in terms of additional performance at a rapidly increasing $$$ amount.

To run 33s, there are several modifications that need to be made if you are trying to achieve something other then a mall crawler (i.e. "looks badass"). A re-gear should be considered to reduce strain on the rest of the drivetrain components (without it the RPMs will be a little below the power band at highway speed). Simply putting bigger tires on will not infer traction gains, however more aggressive tires will. 33" tires and you will be much more likely to break stuff... plain and simple... big tires to turn means axles go snap. Likewise, big tires will not prevent you from damaging your drivetrain on obstacles (skid plates and slider will). The body lift that is "required" to run 33s does not give you extra clearance, so the only performance advatage you will have is that extra 0.5" to 0.75" of clearance from the taller tires. When this comes at the penalty of drivetrain vulnerability and gearing that is no longer properly suited to the tire size, its not a win.

Unless you are ready to spend the money to properly prepare the trucks to run 33s, then you are not really netting a performance improvement and its not worth it. 265/75/R16s are a much better size for a mild build.

Your choice, but my advice is to do it right or don't do it at all. Builds with a foot in both camps (33s without additional work) are less capable then either camp.

I have built a 3rd gen 4Runner pretty much as far as possible, and would keep it closer to stock if I could start over.

Your choice, your truck. Best of luck with your build.

Leary

Yeah i always thought similar to this, but don't have the skill offroading or knowledge of the 4runner well enough to confirm this.

 

[brian2sun]

Builds with a foot in both camps (33s without additional work) are less capable then either camp.

That about sums it up^^. It really depends on what kind of wheeling you want to do to. Without all my heavy mods, I would not be able to run many of the trails around here so it was completely worth it for me to go as far as I have. But it wasn't cheap or easy. Like Mr. Leary said, unless you dive in head first and go for it, a mild build will be better than a 1/2 assed bigger build.

 

[Gerdo]

I'm running 3"+ and 265/75-16 Yokohama AT/S tires on stock wheels and spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers. The Yokos are taller than most. I don't have a body lift, just suspension. It front ToyTec COs and out back 891 w/10mm packer. My tires will fully stuff, front and rear. I wheeled this exact setup minus the wheel spacers and had some front tire rubbing. It was limited to just full stuff touching the top of the inner fender. With the spacers? The front tires rub the inner fender on top, the top of the front flares and also when turned along the entire rear of the front wheel wells. The rears still don't rub. Even at full stuff I have ~1" before they touch.

Wheel spacers cause the front wheels to have a wider arc when turning (steering, not spinning). This has increased my rubbing ten fold. It's not bad. I took a heat gun to the inner fender plastic and pushed it in, problem solved.

Why am I telling you about my 32"ers? Because If I get this much rubbing on 32s, 33s will rub more still. If I went to 33s I would need a body lift to keep the front flares on.

Mine is a 5 speed and I live and drive at altitude. I notice some power loss and do have to shift more in the mountains.

 

[Jake.e]

It all boils down to how much money you want to spend. Off roading is kinda like driving fast... "speed is money, how fast do you want to go?"

If you want to have a truck that safely pushes the truck within its stock capabilities, then go with a 2" lift (no body lift), a rear locker, and 265/75/R16 tires with an aggressive tread pattern. This will get you down level 3 trails with ease and you will not have to worry about re-gearing or breaking drivetrain components. This is the route I would recommend... and it is the route I recommend to my customers. It requires far less investment and pushes the truck capability right to the limit of diminishing returns. Pass that level of build and you are getting less and less in terms of additional performance at a rapidly increasing $$$ amount.

To run 33s, there are several modifications that need to be made if you are trying to achieve something other then a mall crawler (i.e. "looks badass"). A re-gear should be considered to reduce strain on the rest of the drivetrain components (without it the RPMs will be a little below the power band at highway speed). Simply putting bigger tires on will not infer traction gains, however more aggressive tires will. 33" tires and you will be much more likely to break stuff... plain and simple... big tires to turn means axles go snap. Likewise, big tires will not prevent you from damaging your drivetrain on obstacles (skid plates and slider will). The body lift that is "required" to run 33s does not give you extra clearance, so the only performance advatage you will have is that extra 0.5" to 0.75" of clearance from the taller tires. When this comes at the penalty of drivetrain vulnerability and gearing that is no longer properly suited to the tire size, its not a win.

Unless you are ready to spend the money to properly prepare the trucks to run 33s, then you are not really netting a performance improvement and its not worth it. 265/75/R16s are a much better size for a mild build.

Your choice, but my advice is to do it right or don't do it at all. Builds with a foot in both camps (33s without additional work) are less capable then either camp.

I have built a 3rd gen 4Runner pretty much as far as possible, and would keep it closer to stock if I could start over.

Your choice, your truck. Best of luck with your build.

Leary

Old thread but thank you so much i needed to hear this, I'm getting new tires and was torn between 285/75r16 and 265/75r16, after reading this im going to go with the latter. Thanks again