Hello Everyone,
First time posting here. I have recently acquired a 1996 FZJ80 (with lockers yay) and I am currently in the process of building it up. Probably won't be able to buy them for at least another month, but I am going to need new tires for this truck. It currently has Michelin LTX M/S tires, which still have about 7/32" left so they are still OK. In the stock 275/70/R16 (31.2") and are SL rated. I have narrowed down my tire search to two tires that I have experience with: The Michelin Defender LTX and the BFGoodrich TA KO2.
I currently own 3 vehicles including the Land Cruiser. I have a 2004 Sequoia 4WD (not stock) with about 35k miles on a set of E rated KO2s I bought in 2018. These tires have been great in everything except mud, which is OK because I try to avoid mud as much as I can.
I also have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner 4WD, my daily driver, which is stock expect for a Bilstein 5100 level in the front. This has a set of E rated Defender LTX tires which have about 10k miles on them now. They are magnificent on road; noticeably quieter on the freeway than the KO2s on my Sequoia. I have never taken them off road (yet).
Until about a few weeks ago, I was dead set on buying KO2s for the 80. I have had other AT tires in the past and the KO2s are really my favorite. I always put Michelins on my daily drivers just because of the ride quality on the highway.
I took the 80 to Hollister Hills (about a week before CA State Parks got shut down) when it was raining, so there was a good bit of mud in some places. These half-worn Michelins did everything I wanted them to do. Sure they were not good in the mud, but with my lockers on I got through no problem. They did just fine in the dirt too, even the soft areas. I was hesitant with rocks given the SL rating, but I feel like an E rated Michelin would be OK. Honestly, I noticed very little difference in traction compared to my KO2s.
So now I'm unsure as to whether I should put on a set of Michelins or KO2s.
This Land Cruiser will be used primarily for overlanding. So for me, this means a lot of highway miles, a good amount of dirt roads and easy trails, and the occasional moderate trail/ tough obstacle.
I guess my question is whether or not anyone here uses Michelins on their overlanding/off-roading rig. Am I making a mistake if I put these on my truck for off road and overlanding use?
Either way I would get an E-rated tire. Still unsure as to which size I will go with; either a 265/75/R16 (31.6") or 285/75/R16 (32.8").
Feel free to share any thoughts or experiences you may have. Thank you in advance.
First time posting here. I have recently acquired a 1996 FZJ80 (with lockers yay) and I am currently in the process of building it up. Probably won't be able to buy them for at least another month, but I am going to need new tires for this truck. It currently has Michelin LTX M/S tires, which still have about 7/32" left so they are still OK. In the stock 275/70/R16 (31.2") and are SL rated. I have narrowed down my tire search to two tires that I have experience with: The Michelin Defender LTX and the BFGoodrich TA KO2.
I currently own 3 vehicles including the Land Cruiser. I have a 2004 Sequoia 4WD (not stock) with about 35k miles on a set of E rated KO2s I bought in 2018. These tires have been great in everything except mud, which is OK because I try to avoid mud as much as I can.
I also have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner 4WD, my daily driver, which is stock expect for a Bilstein 5100 level in the front. This has a set of E rated Defender LTX tires which have about 10k miles on them now. They are magnificent on road; noticeably quieter on the freeway than the KO2s on my Sequoia. I have never taken them off road (yet).
Until about a few weeks ago, I was dead set on buying KO2s for the 80. I have had other AT tires in the past and the KO2s are really my favorite. I always put Michelins on my daily drivers just because of the ride quality on the highway.
I took the 80 to Hollister Hills (about a week before CA State Parks got shut down) when it was raining, so there was a good bit of mud in some places. These half-worn Michelins did everything I wanted them to do. Sure they were not good in the mud, but with my lockers on I got through no problem. They did just fine in the dirt too, even the soft areas. I was hesitant with rocks given the SL rating, but I feel like an E rated Michelin would be OK. Honestly, I noticed very little difference in traction compared to my KO2s.
So now I'm unsure as to whether I should put on a set of Michelins or KO2s.
This Land Cruiser will be used primarily for overlanding. So for me, this means a lot of highway miles, a good amount of dirt roads and easy trails, and the occasional moderate trail/ tough obstacle.
I guess my question is whether or not anyone here uses Michelins on their overlanding/off-roading rig. Am I making a mistake if I put these on my truck for off road and overlanding use?
Either way I would get an E-rated tire. Still unsure as to which size I will go with; either a 265/75/R16 (31.6") or 285/75/R16 (32.8").
Feel free to share any thoughts or experiences you may have. Thank you in advance.
