TS86

So.. I am in need of some new tires and was thinking of going bigger then the 235/75r15 that are currently on my 86' 4runner.

Is there anyone out there who still drives a stock 1st gen? If so, what size of tires are you using? I have been searching the past while and am finding some mixed opinions on the subject. I have read some posts saying that 31x10.5's will fit and some saying they wont.

I will not be doing any mods in the near future so I want to make sure the tires I buy will not require me to do so (ie. regearing, lifting).

Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks.

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

Here is my 86 with 31's. No other mods except new bumper at the time of this pic. I've had no issues whatsoever running these tires. I have since put on a 1" BL, but not out of necessity.

Mike

TS86

Thanks Mike, nice truck!

Good to hear that you have had no problems... I assume those are the 10.5" BFG AT's? I think I may be heading that way as well.

So did you notice a difference in power or gas mileage when you changed to 31's? Or have you always ran with a bigger tire?

Since you mentioned your 1" BL, can I ask where you got it from? I would like to do that as well.. But as I said in my first post it probably wont happen in the near future.

Thanks again!

jimbo74

any manufacturers bodylift is fine really... however, a lot of memebers here love the roger brown www.4crawler.com bodylift.... my truck does have his bl, but does have a custom spacer made by him for my trucks application, hes a good guy and knows his stuff.... check out all the mods he has on his truck, im jealous

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

Hey TS,
Yes 31/10.5/15 BFG AT's. I have the stock 4:10 gearing. And yes I've had similar tires on ever since purchase. It came with BFG AT pretty well used up but went another 20k or so, used up another set, then 80k on a set of Michelins. Just put these on about 4k ago. The Michelins were more of a highway tread but mpg has been about the same all along with both brands. About 20mpg with the 4 banger. Yeah, it's slow. Slower than the stock tires I can't say cuz I don't have a basis for comparison. I usually have to shift down to 3rd on long uphill grades unless I can hit it at about 70mph and never have to back off. (But then I have to know it's coming cuz it takes awhile to get up to 70) Oh well, I have a car for going fast.

Like most others on this board I have the Roger Brown 1" body lift. It was a very easy install and did not require any other big adjustments. The only "problem" is that what starts out as an $85 mod turns into a couple hundred. But thats my own fault. It goes something like this:

Hmm... $85 lift kit, maybe I'll get the ultimate. Yeah. Guess I'll get the bumper bracket too, and yeah I live in the desert so I'll get that radiator bracket too. Can't maximize your cooling too much out here. Hmm... might as well get the heavy duty hardware while I'm at it. Oh yeah, shipping and BINGO $119. Jeez, as long as I'm tearing it all apart, I really should put in new body mount bushings so thats another $62. HEY!!! how did this job get to be 180 bucks. Do I have a jack thats tall enough for this....?

You get the idea. Anyways, I'm happy with the lift but I really don't NEED it can't really justify it. Except maybe for the 18y/o bushings part.

TS86

I totally understand how $85 can turn into $200. Too bad it doesn't ever happen the opposite way.... I dont really need the 1" lift either.. I guess I would be more interested in getting rid of a saggin rear end to start. 1" total body lift wont help me out there.

How do you find the BFG AT's on the highway? Do they handle ok?
My choice is between an all terrain tire and something a bit more conservative. I do a fair bit of highway driving so I do want something that will do well on pavement, but it is nice to have something that will be more then adequate in the snow and off road.

Trev

Fink

The BFG A/T KO's sound perfect for you, and it sounds like the 31's will fit. I just wanted to chime in about the body lift, I've got the 1" Roger Brown lift as well and its great, and yes, that $85 base price does climb up pretty quickly but its WELL worth it!

Fink

mike_d

my '89 4runner came with 235's and i have 31's on there now. no mods at all. everything is fine. the guy who owned it before me said he fit 32's on there with no rubbing. i can't tell you about the loss of power or anything because i never ran it with 235's, but i can say that when i put my winter tires on, which are 30's, it feels a bunch more powerful.

235's are 28", so going to 31" is an increase of about 10% in radius, and since the torque applied to the road is proportional to radius, as a first approximation you can estimate that it will feel like you have 10% less power. but don't worry about it, 22re's were never really meant to go very fast.

TS86

I guess 10% less of not much power is still not much power!

So he was able to fit 32's on stock! Wow.
Looks like there should be no problem with the 31's.
Thanks.

shiftless89

Mike, have you cranked your bars at all? if not could you measure the distance between your rim and the fender? I'm trying to get a baseline. When I bought mine I think the bars had been cranked as the rear has add-a-leaf's.
Thanks,
Mike

sorry, not a thread jack! I run 31x10.50x15's on factory rims

89-4run

I run 31's on my 89 4runner. It runs pretty good through the mountains. I have a v6 though. I've been running bfg all terrains for about 6 years now. Great tire, never had any issues (knock on wood). My tires fit with plenty of space to give... everyone asks me if I have a lift but all I did was put some shackles in the back to level the truck

Now I'm interested in the RB 1" lift...

nmtoy

You will love the way the handling improves with the 31's but you will probably be sad about how slow it is. My 86 4runner came with the 235's and I put 31's on it last year, they fit fine with no lift. I have since added a 2 1/4 inch catback exhaust, header, high flow air cleaner, 1.5 inch balljoint spacers, longer rear shackles and add a leafs. The truck is still pretty slow but it is very fun to drive. The next mods will be a new 22re with low end cam, 4.88 gears and lockers, and 33 inch tires. Once you start changing things it's hard to stop. Enjoy your truck!

85TurboRunner

heres my 85 with 33's and saggy worn out old springs, they fit fine and only rubbed when offroading, i did have to trim a little on the pinch weld tho.

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

TS86-Yes they handle nicely on the highway. As 4x4Fink said, I think you would be happy with them as an all purpose tire. The Michelins were excellent on the road but would have been iffy for heavy wheeling. (I wasn't doing much of that when I had those tires)

Shiftless89-No t bar crank and 14 inches rim to fender.

Mike

TS86

Well I wont be doing any heavy wheeling either.. So I may have to look at a bit more conservative tire, although I do want it to be able to handle snow!
Thanks for all the help guys. What ever tire I get at least I know I can fit the 31's!

4RunnerLVR86

I got a stock 86 With 31-10.5 BFG Muds.

cackalak han

I predict the Pittsburgh Steelers to take it this season!

bob200587

OK, here's the way it is....you do have the 22RE right? I'm pretty sure they didn't make the 3.0 till a little later but if somehow you did have it, I don't think it would make much difference anwyays....especially if its an automatic tranny.... either way you'll loose a significant amount of power when you go to 31s. Regearing is optimal for that much of a change

31x10.50 will fit
32x11.50 should fit with only a little rubbing
33x10.50 will fit
33x12.50 might fit but will definatley rub

If you have stock 6" wide rims you won't be able to fit wider than a 10.50 so no need to even bother with the sizes that rub.

It is driveable with 31s but it's not fun, and I wish I had the money to regear. Around town is liveable but on the highway it takes some know how to keep your speed up.

It looks so much better with 31s that it's almost worth it based just on that. But just be aware that you will lose a good bit of power, and that your mileage should suffer. I didn't keep track of my mileage before I had 31s so I don't know how much. Right now I average a little over 18, so I'd say if I regeared it might go up a mpg or 2, maybe more, just depends.

Good luck whatever you do.

cackalak han

Good info, but if you notice, this thread is almost two years old. Not sure if the OP is still on here.

bob200587

hmm, I didn't notice....it was under new posts so i just went at it. oh well, maybe somebody will be helped.