I'd like to upgrade the the Michlin "all terrain" tires on my stock '03 SR5 4WD to something a little more agressive. The BFG All Terrain KO seems to be a good choice, but it isn't made in my stock size of 265/65R17. I'm thinking I could change to 16x8 wheels, with my factory 5.5" backspace, and run 265/70R16 tires. This should keep the same width, with about 1" of diameter increase. I'm hoping that these would fit directly, or worst case with an inch or so of body lift.

Can anyone comment on this, or offer other ideas or suggestions? Any way to get tires suitable for infrequent light trail (Big Bend, the Maze, etc) use without suspension or body mods? This is my wife's driver and for some reason she's not too keen on 6" lifts and low gears - yet.

Thanks,
Brad

 

EDIT: a 265.70R16 is essentially the same diameter as a 265.65R17, just for the record.

BFG A/T's come in a 265.70R17, which would be a 1" increase in diameter over what you have, and you wouldn't have to buy new rims or anything like that. If you were already thinking about increasing your tire diameter one inch, this is probably a better way to go IMO
BFG A/T KO on Discount Tire

Alternatively, the BFG Long-Trail T/A does come in a 265.65R17, so you could get those if you wanted. They are a less agressive tread but an overall ok tire. (They are a lot cheaper too...)
BFG Long-Trail T/A on Discount Tire

Lastly, the Yokohama Geolander AT+II are good tires, and they come in a 275.65R17, which would be about a half inch larger in diameter and a little wider too. Good tires, and they're pretty cheap.
Yokohama Geolander AT+II on Discount Tire

BTW, Discount Tire can order pretty much any tire you can think of, so if you find one you like they don't have on their website, chances are they can still get it. And the Discount Tire "Certificates" are WAY worth the money.

 

Brian, thanks for the detailed reply.

I had considered the BFG 265/70R17. But the little woman is reluctant to get scratches on her shiny 17" alloys, so we were thinking of a second set of wheels and tires for our occasional trail use. And 16" wheels are easier to find used and offer more tire choices. I'm really wondering how much clearance trouble I'll have with a one-inch diameter increase. I hope to hear from someone who has done this on a gen4 4Runner.

The Long-Trail and the Geolander treads don't seem, in the photos, to be much more agressive then the Michlins I have now. The Michlins have been fine for street and dirt-road use, but I'm looking for something better suited for sand and rougher trails.

Brad

 

I had the Geolandars on my '97 and they are a decent meaty tread even if they don't appear so and I liked them but my Nittos seem to have a little better hard cornering control on the pavement and they seem to be wearing better than the Yoks and the Nittos are much better on the street in the wet or dry than the previous 3 sets of BFGs I've driven on. BFGs still are the better choice for off road but the Nittos are pretty close and much cheaper.

 

I put the 265/70-17 Revo's on my '03... They replaced the OEM Mich "All Terrain."

I love them, great tire.

 

Another vote for the 265/70-17 Nitto Terragrappler. :bigclap:

A great tire on and off-road with an excellent price.

YMMV

 

265/70/17 or 265/75/16's will give you a slightly larger look and feel. with these tires you won't need to lift at all.

good luck

 

"with these tires you won't need to lift at all"

Just what I was hoping to hear. Now I'll take another look at the Terragrappler.

Many thanks to everyone for the inputs.

Brad

 

i run a set of the geolanger AT+II on my '04. great tires all around. very smooth and quiet and good on & off the highway. very inexpensive at tirerack.com

 

I'm going to be getting Revo's in 265/65/17's before the winter. I have heard nothing but good about these tires.

 

I have a set of 275/70/16 Revos mounted on the OEM steel wheels for my winter tires. They are barely 1" larger in diameter than the 265/65/17 OEM Bridgestone H/Ts I use in summer. I have no clearance problems at all, and probably could have gone with 285s.

 

According to the tire size calculator,

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

going from a 265/65/17 to 265/70/17, there is exactly 1" increase in diameter. im thinking about going to this size on the 03 sport V8 just because im getting a good deal on them.

some of you went to this size too, and i just wanted to make sure i wont experience any rubbing, please let me know if there are any issues, the truck is completely stock...for now.

 

I have a V8 limited, it came with 265/70R18.
I'm kinda started a off-road...so I need some aggrasive tire. BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/AŽ KO tire comes to mind...But problem is as mention above stock tire size is 265/70R18...BFG tire comes in 18' wheel size is 285/65R18. Would It fit my car without rubbing issue? As same time I'm gonna install a 3' Cornfed lift kit. So can this work on my T4R? How far can I go with 3' lift?

A BFG MT T/A KM tire, looks good and good at mud but winter and wet situation that kinda alittle behind of traction than AT.

Has any of you have a exprience with the Nitto Terra Grappler AT?

Plz help..^ ^
Thx.

 

285's on the 3" lift will work nicely. Just expect LOTs of rubbing if you're planning to reuse your stock wheels. The offset/backspacing on the stock wheels are not friendly when you upsize that much.

If you really want 285's you'll want to get aftermarket wheels. And if you do this, I highly recommend you get 285's in the 17" wheel instead of the 18" wheel so you gain that 1" of sidewall (total).

Good luck

 

With a 3 foot lift? Just about any tire you want!!

My friend has a 2.5" lift with 285/65/18's (aftermarket wheels) and he doesn't rub, unless the wheel is cranked and he's going over a bump. Like Good Times said, I'd go 17's or 16's (if those fit on the 4th Gen) for the extra sidewall and I think cheaper tires.

 

Mkool,

Do it! I think for our purposes the BFG A/T's will be ok. I've had them on all my trucks since day one. I didn't know BFG's came in 18's yet. I'm thinking I might try the REVO's though. I heard alot of things about them. does anyone know if they make this size yet?

 

I think BFG's are your only choice in that size (285/65/18). They do make 275/65/18's in the REVO's. Bit pricey, though.

 

The original post never mentioned what his vehicle is (unless I missed it). Remember, if you have the sport edition, it comes with the bigger brake calipers, and you'll never get 16" rims on it. The limited might have those calipers as well. Let us know exactly the vehicle you have.

 

Not all tires are created equal, though. I recommend using the "compare" feature on www.tirerack.com, as they'll list the actual diameter of each tire in question. You'll see that different brands will have different diameters (a few tenths of an inch) for the same size tire.

 

His first post says "SR5" in the first sentance.