tc

My tires are getting marginally scary on snow and ice, so I'm shopping for new. This is a DD, snow covered road is probably the most "wheeling" I'll see for a while since I live in the most wheeling free area in the nation apparently...I have 1.5" springs in the back, which basically just fixed the saggy butt. Nothing at all in the front, but I'm considering BJ spacers. I have the Sr5 15x7 rims.

Search says I should be able to fit 32x11.50 or 33x10.50 with little/no problem. I want NO rubbing, and am willing to trim. I also see several people who have done it. Just want to make sure before I put tires on order and get all excited! (Would prefer the 33's I think)

Seem to be few tires in these sizes - any recommendations? I am thinking BFG A/T, Dunlop Radial Rover RVXT, or Michelin LTX AT (not MS). Quiet, long life with good snow/ice traction is most important to me.

Thanks!

Fink

I'd go Dueler Revo's. I would just go with some 32's, you'll have to do some trimming with the 33's, I had to completely cut off the pinch weld in the fender well and plasma cut some other stuff and I had a 1" body lift.

If not the Dueler Revo's I have heard the BFG's are pretty good in the snow/ice but I have no first-hand experience.

Revo's are always a good choice!

Fink

ThomasJ

Revos are not offered in 32x11.50

I can say from personal experience that the Michelin LTX ATs will last FOREVER. But they are not available in 32x11.50. I had 31x10.5s. They are great in the snow and exellent on dry pavment. They are not the greatest in the mud but thats not what they were made for.


I now have 32x11.50 Yokohama Geolander AT+ll's. Probably the best AT tire Ive used in the mud. We just got 8 inches of snow and they work excellent in the snow. They have a pretty deep and aggressive tread. They have a 19/32 tread depth vs 17/32 for any other AT in this size. Best of all they are only $105 each.

I dont think you will fit 33s with no lift. 32s will be tight. I have BJ spacers, Downey coils, coil spacers and a 15 inch fender to rim height.

Here is a large version of my avatar pic. I also have 15x8 3.75 backspacing wheels so they will appear wider and stick out a little more than the stock wheels. Its a crappy picture but it will give you an idea of how the 32s will look. If I remember correctly from a different thread your runner is setting at about 13.5 fender to rim. So I think the 32s will be as big as you can go.

click the thumbnail for a full size pic.

Localmotion

Nitto Terra Grapplers!

www.barretire.com

ThomasJ

33x12.50 is the smallest they make for 15 inch wheels.

tc

I can't open the bigger photo ThomasJ. You are correct in that I don't want them to stick out much at all - just never really liked that look too much.

It sounds like maybe I should get some BJ spacers and spring spacers on order...

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

I have some tire size vs. lift info on the web page below:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...it.shtml#FAQ10

ThomasJ

I changed the host for the picture so it is working now.

They dont stick out too much. About 1 inch difference. I actually think it looks better.

You may want to consider some manual hubs also. This will save your CV's. I got the Superwinch ones from summitracing for 88 bucks shipped. If they are not in your budget right now then you can go with out the BJ spacers. Just use the torsion bars to get the lift you need and then back them down when you get the BJ spacer. Thats what I did.

tc

Thanks Roger - that post is what got my hopes up in the first place!

I guess my biggest question is - Would the 32's look bigger enough to notice? Otherwise, we're only talking an additional 1/2" of ground clearance right?

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

Never run that size tire, but yes, it would be 1/2" clearance over a 31 and 1/2" less than a 33 and would be an inch wider than a 10.50 tire. Fitting a 33x10.50 tire is much easier than a 12.50 and you have the advantage you can keep your stock wheels. 33x10.50 will give you the same diameter as a 33x12.50 but just a bit narrower. In fitting tires it is both the height and the width (both the tire width and the wheel width *and* offset) that get you. A wider tire and/or wider wheel is much harder to fit than the same diameter in a narrower wheel/tire. More chances for rubbing the wider you go.

A 33x10.50 tires costs less, gets better milage, does not require new wheels, won't require fender flares, needs less lift and works just as good as a 33x12.50. I have run 33x9.50 and 10.50 tires for many, many years and love them. Easier driving on the road and most of the time off-road they work as good, if not better than a wider tire in most situations.

Snorkeldepth

Roger, at some point I hope I have the opportunty to shake your hand. You are a gentleman . . .. . well a gentleman among offroad Toyota enthusiasts anyway! Thanks for your perpetual help to everyone in this forum!!

4Crawler

iTrader: (3)

No problem, glad to help. I learned most of this stuff the hard way and once you figure out the "why" and "how to" it can save others the hassles of learning the hard way as well. The narrower the tires the easier it is to fit. I used to run both 33x9.50 tires on 6" wheels and 33x15.50 tires on 10" wide wheels and I can vouch for the amount of work to fit the 9.50s w/o rubbing (took a 1" body lift on top of my 3.5" suspension lift) while it took me about 2 more years of work to stop the 15.50 wide tires from rubbing. By the time I got the 33x15.50s to fit, they were worn out and I decided I liked skinnier tires better. Funny thing is that 35x12.50s fit fine on my truck, probably even have room for 36s or 37s, but all that work was needed to fit those wide tires.

tc

Hmmmm .... starting to think I'll need to try them on and see what they're like. Wish I could find somewhere that had them in stock - hate to have them order some and then not fit! Maybe others will chime in during the week ...

Randomness

Go with 33x10.5's! I wish I had. I'm at about 14.75" fender to rim, and I clear my 32's by a mile. 33x10.5's would clear without problems. You might need to trim the front valence, if anything, just to make sure that nothing rubs going lock-to-lock.

You'll notice the difference between the stockers and 32's, but no matter what tire you get, no matter what size, they'll shrink every time you look at them

BFG ATko's are great. MarcP has them in the 33x10.5 flavor on his 2nd gen with BJ spacers and Downey coils. Those Yokohama Geolander AT II's looked pretty awesome too, and I've heard good things about them. I dunno if they come in 33x10.5.

Racer944

Ryan, good to hear that my 33's that I should be getting soon will fit. My t-bars were cranked by the prev. owner and just got some PP springs that leveled it out.

Randomness

Yeah, I'd be pretty surprised if they didn't. Here's mine on 32's. Plenty of room for a skinnier, 1" bigger diameter tire... this is uncranked t-bars, just the OME coils + shocks.

tc

Wow Randomness - I was considering polishing my SR5 rims til I saw yours painted black .... hmmmm another thing for the "mod list" .... What kind of paint did you use, and how is it holding up?

Thanks for the input fellas. I have no trouble cutting the valance (mine is plastic - thought they were steel?!?) if necessary. Hopefully, I can adjust the Tbars without too much trouble - 12 yrs in the salt has most everything underneath locked up pretty good.

I know what you mean about them shrinking - that's one reason I want to go to 33's. The cost of the lift required to go bigger should be a deterrent from premature tire replacement!

Randomness

I just used some gloss black spray paint, forget what kind, though. But before that I sanded them down, cleaned them, primered them, then painted them. The wheels are holding up really well. Some chips, but that's to be expected. It did take a day or two for the paint to fully harden. I know they make spray paint specifically for wheels, VHT or something, but I have no idea if it's actually different, or a marketing gimmick. Christian, 96runner, used it on his wheels, I think.

Yeah, 33's will look better, and the difference in cost between 32x11.5's and 33x10.5's is only like a couple bucks per tire, IIRC.

Toyofast

On my truck I was runng 33x10.5 Swamper radials, decent and fit with zero problems. Here is how it looked with the 33's......







I am now running the 35x10.5 SSR's which measure out to a real 35" tall... also running no lift of any kind. Only slight rubbing at rear of front fenders but just have to remove that pinch weld and trim a bit off lower rear part of fender. So far these SSR's are real nice. Quiet and nice wet pavement traction. Gearing is needed once you go to 35's though. My 4.56's work but I'd rather have 4.88's to help push the tires.

Fink

That looks awesome man...I have never heard of anybody running 35's with no lift, good work!

Fink