Hey folks!
Like many, I spend an inordinate amount of time fantasizing about what I would/should do to my truck, and recently I've been fixating on tires. And not just any tires... BIGGER tires.
Now, we have a 5th gen 4Runner, so realistically the largest tire we are going to run is at or around a 32 or 33. On a LC150 platform, a 33 is about as big as you can go without chopping body mounts. As a family man, who carries not only myself, but my wife and our precious little @-holes...errrr kids, I mean our kids, around, I don't want to mess with anything that might impact the integrity of the vehicle in an accident.
SO...that leaves me with a few options, each with pros and cons.
285/70r17 - about 33" tall... these will be the biggest/heaviest
255/80r17 - also about 33" tall and a little narrower. That means lighter weight, and less wheel scrub... BUT*
275/70r17 - about 32.5" tall, a nice size that should fit pretty easily with a minor lift...BUT*
255/75r17 - about 32.25" tall, so bigger than stock, and the lightest plus size.
So what's with the BUTS*?
In truth... I'm most excited about the BUT* sizes, however there are limitations. Specifically, choice and availability. These are both odd ducks... with about 5 or so different tire options each. That means they run a little more expensive, and if I were ever in Small Townsville, USA and needed to replace a tire, Ye Ole' Tire Shoppe most likely will NOT have one in stock.
Where as the 285/70 and the 255/75 are FAR more common (the 255/75 being the stock tire size on a Jeep Wrangler), so the options are more plentiful, and in the 255 size anyway, are actually pretty cheap. Here though, there are drawbacks too... specifically size and weight. A 285/70 LT tire can be a bit of a pig weight wise, and will require a taller lift to where I might need to change my Upper Control Arms too. Meanwhile, the 255/75 is taller than my stock size, but not a whole lot and isn't going to give me too much lift for my pumpkin, which truth be told, is one of the main reasons why I'm interested in doing this to begin with.
SO... here's the question for the folks who've upsized their tires (or anyone who feels like sharing their opinion) - when you all picked your tire size, was replacement accessibility something that weighed on your decision? Am I over thinking this? Is there something I'm not thinking enough about?
Inquiring minds want to know-
Cheers
EDIT for Dirt Road Tax
FathersDay2016DSC_0117 by scottybell1313, on Flickr
Like many, I spend an inordinate amount of time fantasizing about what I would/should do to my truck, and recently I've been fixating on tires. And not just any tires... BIGGER tires.
Now, we have a 5th gen 4Runner, so realistically the largest tire we are going to run is at or around a 32 or 33. On a LC150 platform, a 33 is about as big as you can go without chopping body mounts. As a family man, who carries not only myself, but my wife and our precious little @-holes...errrr kids, I mean our kids, around, I don't want to mess with anything that might impact the integrity of the vehicle in an accident.
SO...that leaves me with a few options, each with pros and cons.
285/70r17 - about 33" tall... these will be the biggest/heaviest
255/80r17 - also about 33" tall and a little narrower. That means lighter weight, and less wheel scrub... BUT*
275/70r17 - about 32.5" tall, a nice size that should fit pretty easily with a minor lift...BUT*
255/75r17 - about 32.25" tall, so bigger than stock, and the lightest plus size.
So what's with the BUTS*?
In truth... I'm most excited about the BUT* sizes, however there are limitations. Specifically, choice and availability. These are both odd ducks... with about 5 or so different tire options each. That means they run a little more expensive, and if I were ever in Small Townsville, USA and needed to replace a tire, Ye Ole' Tire Shoppe most likely will NOT have one in stock.
Where as the 285/70 and the 255/75 are FAR more common (the 255/75 being the stock tire size on a Jeep Wrangler), so the options are more plentiful, and in the 255 size anyway, are actually pretty cheap. Here though, there are drawbacks too... specifically size and weight. A 285/70 LT tire can be a bit of a pig weight wise, and will require a taller lift to where I might need to change my Upper Control Arms too. Meanwhile, the 255/75 is taller than my stock size, but not a whole lot and isn't going to give me too much lift for my pumpkin, which truth be told, is one of the main reasons why I'm interested in doing this to begin with.
SO... here's the question for the folks who've upsized their tires (or anyone who feels like sharing their opinion) - when you all picked your tire size, was replacement accessibility something that weighed on your decision? Am I over thinking this? Is there something I'm not thinking enough about?
Inquiring minds want to know-
Cheers
EDIT for Dirt Road Tax
FathersDay2016DSC_0117 by scottybell1313, on Flickr
