was hoping I can get some input from any one who wants to give me their two cents
Either this week or the following Im going to have a 3" Toytec BOSS lift on my '02 Ltd. Runner. My almost 4 year old BFG 275/?/? KOs have been wearing pretty unevenly for the past year and I have two that are almost bald in the middle of the tire. I need new tires and I also want to go a little bigger. I'm pretty positive I will go with the 33" Toyo open country m/ts, as I have read mostly sweet reviews and they are just a nasty tires. Rubbing issues? Power loss? open to any opions, ideas, what have you...

Any feedback on what I'm most likely going to purchase this week would be much appreciated

PS- I live in CO and do most of my wheeling in the Rockys

 

I had a set of toyo open country 33's and than 35's (traded 33 for 35's) and didn't like them. I didn't feel they were good in th e mud or snow.

 

with a 22re, the weight of the tire ended up being a big factor for me... toyo m/t's are one of the heaviest tires out there, but if i had a bigger engine, they would have been one of my top picks.

i ended up with 37" mt/r's, which are one of the lightest tires out there, but the sidewall durability is controversial... no regrets so far, they were a huge improvement over the hammered 35's that i was running.

since 37's are so expensive, i went with discount tire, because of the no questions replacement warranty... which i've already had to use :-/ because i somehow got a box cutter blade through the middle of the tread.

it was $77 to replace the tire, and $55 for another warranty for it... still much cheaper than the $440(?) that i paid for the tire.

 

i currently have 33" Toyo MTs on my 93. i just happened to find an almost brand new set off CL for $600 and couldn't pass up the deal. my tired old 22re definitely noticed putting them on, but since i'm geared for them it doesn't struggle that much. the tires are definitely heavy, mainly because of the thick sidewall lugs adding extra weight.

i have had them in light snow and light ice, rocks, sand, dirt, etc, just not in mud because i don't want to clean it off my rig. so far, they have done everything i'd expect any tire to do without any issues. due to sidewall beef they need to be aired down a few more psi than other brands to get the flex outta them. on-road I think they are fairly smooth considering how aggressive they are. if you compare tread patterns between tires, you'll notice the Toyos have a relatively close-knit pattern, thus they will be quieter on the road and wear slightly better than say an interco tire.

i have seen that Toyos do quite well as a DD/weekend warrior tire due to good road manners, good wear, and fairly bulletproof construction for lots of people. it's also one of the tires that seem to last a bit under the big diesels that run them on the street and never see dirt.


as for putting them on your rig, you may want to look and search for people who are running this tire on that much lift for your rig. i know that the sidewall lugs protrude quite a bit, so you'll need to find out if you need extra work to make them fit without rubbing if putting them on stock wheels, etc. my tires just barely clear everything and I had to get specific backspacing wheels, lift slightly, cut metal, and pound with a BFH to make them not rub at full stuff while turning.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I went ahead an purchased the 33" open country M/T's for my stock 16" rims. I think they will be fine with my 3.4L. I will regear it down the road if need be, but I should be ok. Im not to worried about the gas mileage, because I want a tough tough tire for these rocky CO trails. Was debating between these Toyo's I purchased and the BFG KM2's but head that they do absolutely awful in the snow/ice. So the lift goes on with the 33s, the appropriate spacers, and some new ceramic brakes! Super excited. Thanks for the feed back dudes!

 

I'm having all the work done by probably the best 4X4 shop in Denver (High Country Performance 4X4) and the guy went through everything and told me with the spacers they will not rub. I wanted to get a 1" body lift in addition to the 3" suspension lift, but the guy at the shop says he doesn't advise it. I'm an idiot and didn't ask why, but I drop it off this Thursday, so I have a couple days to call and ask before I drop it off. Why would he think that's not the best idea?

 

A lot of guys just don't like body lifts for what ever reason. There not bad just most feel suspension lifts are better. That being said if you have ever changed a fuel filter on a 22re you will appreciate a body lift from what I understand. I just moved my filter to the passenger fender well because I don't have a body lift. They are easy enough to put on so if you want to add it later its no that big of a deal just take tools and time.
Hope this helps

 

1" BL can be a practical addition if you need it. it can give you needed clearance without many of the negatives that tall BLs get bad rep for, and can sometimes be achieved without extensions on items like steering, shifters, brake lines, etc. 1" is the max that i would personally put on my rig before putting the lift into the suspension. you can always add it later down the road too, say if you have rubbing and don't want more suspension lift (and it doesn't have to be 1" either, it can be less). the one thing to consider is that if you put on the 1" lift, there will be gaps on items like front/rear bumpers, sliders, etc to the body - and it's kinda too short of a lift to make an easy adapter bracket to raise these items back up.

 

bl is probably a bit more complicated on your '02 runner than it was on my first gen 4runner.

the other reason that some people don't do it any more than is necessary is because it'll always raise your center of gravity... not good when you are sideways on a steep hill, in the middle of nowhere.

I wouldn't do it unless you really need it.

 

I loved my Toyos. I had them on my 94 22re reg cab with a 5 inch lift and no gears. I live in a relatively flat area but the truck did fine around town and the highway as well as beach driving. I had 33x12.5