Tire Recommendations?

P

PWRHungry

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I have the OEM Bridgestone H/T tires on my '03 V8 SR5 and am toying with the idea of going to a somewhat more A/T setup, possibly an inch larger and preferably with white lettering.

What does this forum recommend? Assume lots of road driving with occasional snow/ice and a little offroad.

Thanks!
 
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Two good AT tires:

1. BFG AT KO...probably the better of the two in off-roading (due to thicker side walls and more plies)

2. Bridgestone Dueler A/T REVO...probably the better of the two for on-road handling and wet weather.

BFG is very proven and is a favorite for many SUV/truck owners who do take their vehicles off-road. It looks REALLY agressive! I find them to be very quiet on the highway (easily on par with Dueler AT REVOs). However, it is very expensive.

Dueler AT REVOs just came out late last year. It has all of the latest Bridgestone's technologies. I tried this tire already on my 4runner. It is a very good tire...but more pavement oriented. It does well off-road too, but it's sidewall (2 plies) is a bit more vulnerable than BFG (3 plies). It should last longer than BFG.

Here is a thread on BFG AT KO tires:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226

Here is a thread on Dueler AT REVO tires:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=174

Hope this helps.
 
Another AT tire that has been in the magazines lately is the NITTO TERRA GRAPPLER AT. It has pretty good treadwear rating (500), on par with Dueler AT REVO. Recently, an off-roading magazine (forgot which one) reviewed it and got good comments. It has only a 2-ply sidewall but the magazine noted that there was no damage to tire during off-roading.

Here is the link to the manufacturer's site:

http://www.nittotire.com/tire_ntterragrappler_overview.asp

I think it is a compromise between the BFG AT KO and Dueler REVO...however, it is a brand new tire from a company that mainly makes high-performance tires for cars.

It is relatively expensive though.
tires_feature_b_ntterragrappler.jpg
 
One thing I noticed is that the original Bridgestone Duelers that came on my limited are only about $84 each at tirerack.com right now. Seems like a steal to me!
 
good tires are not cheap! :)

don't forget what you're riding on... if your tires suck, you're screwed!!!!

those duelers are good :)

I'll be gettin the dueler m/t's soon :) woo hoo!
 
The Dueler that you guys have are Dueler H/Ts, which is the bottom feeder in the Dueler range. A/Ts are more expensive.
 
I ran around in deep sand on the beach last weekend with the H/Ts and they barely got me back to the pavement, 4LO, locked center and all. I was swimming, baby ;)
 
Unfortunately, the LEAST aggressive tire is the BEST tire for sand. If you have an aggressive tire (esp. Mud-Terrains), your tire will dig and dig itself into the sand, thus, you will sink like the Titanic! Just think of them as shovels!

With a street-biased tire (like Dueler H/Ts or Michelin LTX M/S), there is not so much digging; thus, you just glide over the sand instead of digging. Street-biased tires are the best for sand.

All-terrains tires are in between the two above categories. Therefore, they are probably NOT any better than Dueler H/Ts in sand, but should be a lot better than mud-terrains.
 
Also, you may NOT want to be in LOW range when driving on sand. LOW range multiplies your torque...you are not likely to need this when driving on sand. Further, the low range will limit your speed; thus, you have to go slow. When you go slow in sand, you are at high risk of losing momentum...and when you lose momentum, you sink! In sand, you want to go fast enough (without losing momentum) and still be able to spin your tires.

Thus, if you're gonna drving in sand for a long time, you should leave it in HIGH range. MOMENTUM is key in sand driving.

BTW, you should LOCK your center diff (PWRHungry did the right thing). VSC will kill you in sand! :(

Lastly, ALWAYS clean your 4runner very thoroughly after sand driving to get out all salt-deposits! Salt kills!

For further sand driving techniques:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17

(Just scroll down to see the post for it.)
 
Excellent info as usual, Thai :)

I started out in 4HI on the way out , center unlocked, then on the way back (prob 1/2 mile altogether) I had switched to 4LO and locked the center. She did OK both ways, but since the sand was very deep and loose I was fishtailing all over the place no matter what mode I was in ;)
 
I switched to the A/T Revos yesterday and they ride and look GREAT! The Firestone dealer I went to gave me $40 in trade for each of my H/Ts, so the price wasn't bad either.

The size is 265 70 17, so the girl is riding a little higher (presumably .5"), but everything looks A-OK.
 
The spare comes in on Thursday.

Hey, if I actually get a flat before then I'll just lower the PSI on my 3 Revos to 20 and raise the spare to 30 ;)
 
Dunlop vs Michelin

Been looking real hard at the V8 Limiteds. The OEM tires on some are the Dunlop AT20 GrandTrek and others are the Michelin CrossTerrains. Any suggestions or comments? I'm a Michelin man but if these Dunlops are comparable I won't push for a swap.
need help.....thanks!
 
None of these tires are good for off-roading.

If you're not into off-roading, then definitely try and get the 4Runner with Michelin Cross-Terrains. These tires are supposedly top-of-the-line highway tires...real good in rain and light snow. They are also very quiet and comfortable and lasts a long time (very long time!). They are also VERY expensive if you buy them aftermarket.

I have seen mostly Dunlops on the '03 4Runners/GX470 i have ran across. The tread pattern looks good. I do think they are probably better (in terms of ride, etc.) than the Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts on some other 4Runners. They "look" better (more aggressive tread) than the Michelin CTs; however, i am sure they are not as good as the Michelins.

So, try and get the 4Runner with the Michelins. That in itself will be worth $100-200 bucks over the other 4Runners with other (inferior?) tires. :hat: You also do not have to change tires either because the Michelin CTs will last easily past 80,000 miles. In my opinion, you're lucky to have a chance to buy a 4Runner with Cross-Terrains. :)

Good luck.
 
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