Hi everyone,
I've been lurking and reading many threads on larger tires, and I pulled the trigger on a set of Goodyear Silent Armor. I just want to provide my own thoughts about questions I had when making the decision.
First, I have a 2006 Sport Edition 4Runner. I bought it used and it had different front and rear road tires, all 265/65r17. I always thought they made the 4Runner look like it was designed to grab groceries so I wanted to go up to 265/70r17 for a tougher look.
I read all the threads and decided on GYSA because I don't really off road, but I like the idea of having a slightly more capable tire for snow or whatever situation I may encounter.
The 265/70r17 fits fine without a lift. Here are two comparison pictures. I think the after picture exaggerates the "stuffed" look in the wheel well. In real life I think they look clean and "stock". I would describe it as "aggressive stock."
Before:
After:
The car drives so much better with these tires. It feels more "solid." Holds the road better, turns are tighter, steering wheel feels more responsive and slightly harder to turn. They take bumps in the road like a champ too. There is road construction near my house and some of the bumps/holes in the road felt fairly violent if I didn't slow down. These tires go right over them. At idle, the car barely moves. It requires a little more gas than I'm used to to get the car moving, so the decrease in torque at the wheel is noticeable, but doesn't really impact driving. Once I'm used to it I'll forget the way it was before anyway.
As far as I can tell, the speedometer is not affected at all. I was prepared for the 3.4% difference in speed, but GPS confirms the speedometer is still accurate. I took it out today and went 70 on the highway to confirm and speedometer and GPS both read exactly the same. I read another thread that said 2006 and above would compensate for larger tires. Not sure how that is possible (and the thread didn't explain either) but it appears to be the case in my vehicle.
Not sure about MPG yet. Honestly, I don't believe in the 1-2 MPG hit with a 1 inch larger tire. I don't think those calculations account for inaccuracy in the odometer i.e. if you used 20 gallons and the odometer says 350 miles, you would calculate 17.5 mpg, but you need to adjust the odometer by 3.4% so you really went 362 miles and your mpg is 18.1.
Anyway, thanks to this forum for helping me make the decision. Next step is getting FJC coils and bilstein 5100 to lift the front up a little. I'll get some more use out of the X-REAS before I do that though.
I've been lurking and reading many threads on larger tires, and I pulled the trigger on a set of Goodyear Silent Armor. I just want to provide my own thoughts about questions I had when making the decision.
First, I have a 2006 Sport Edition 4Runner. I bought it used and it had different front and rear road tires, all 265/65r17. I always thought they made the 4Runner look like it was designed to grab groceries so I wanted to go up to 265/70r17 for a tougher look.
I read all the threads and decided on GYSA because I don't really off road, but I like the idea of having a slightly more capable tire for snow or whatever situation I may encounter.
The 265/70r17 fits fine without a lift. Here are two comparison pictures. I think the after picture exaggerates the "stuffed" look in the wheel well. In real life I think they look clean and "stock". I would describe it as "aggressive stock."
Before:
After:
The car drives so much better with these tires. It feels more "solid." Holds the road better, turns are tighter, steering wheel feels more responsive and slightly harder to turn. They take bumps in the road like a champ too. There is road construction near my house and some of the bumps/holes in the road felt fairly violent if I didn't slow down. These tires go right over them. At idle, the car barely moves. It requires a little more gas than I'm used to to get the car moving, so the decrease in torque at the wheel is noticeable, but doesn't really impact driving. Once I'm used to it I'll forget the way it was before anyway.
As far as I can tell, the speedometer is not affected at all. I was prepared for the 3.4% difference in speed, but GPS confirms the speedometer is still accurate. I took it out today and went 70 on the highway to confirm and speedometer and GPS both read exactly the same. I read another thread that said 2006 and above would compensate for larger tires. Not sure how that is possible (and the thread didn't explain either) but it appears to be the case in my vehicle.
Not sure about MPG yet. Honestly, I don't believe in the 1-2 MPG hit with a 1 inch larger tire. I don't think those calculations account for inaccuracy in the odometer i.e. if you used 20 gallons and the odometer says 350 miles, you would calculate 17.5 mpg, but you need to adjust the odometer by 3.4% so you really went 362 miles and your mpg is 18.1.
Anyway, thanks to this forum for helping me make the decision. Next step is getting FJC coils and bilstein 5100 to lift the front up a little. I'll get some more use out of the X-REAS before I do that though.
