4runner tire question

[4runner4dakar]

Hello everyone!

I just have a tire question from a newbie here...How large could i go with tires without affecting any gear ratio or speedometer stock settings? the stock tires for my 2006 V64runner is 265/65/17... i want to stay on stock settings...im on a budget right now so lifts and suspension upgrade would be out of the question now..any tire brands you guys would recommend for weekend desert offroading and on road performance? wont be doing any rockcrawling ..mainly desert /dune offroading . More power to this wonderfull site! thanks!

Pao.

[bulldog]

If you fit a bigger tire it will affect your speedo and gear ratio. That said most folsk who run 265/70/17 notice very little effect in terms of power or braking. I run 265/70/17 and barely noticed the difference in terms of power and braking, my speedo underreads by 2% and the odo by 5% now. That is not bad at all.

Also the 265/70/17 will fit in the spare location.

For desert/sand driving a good A/T tires probably a good bet. They also work well for highway driving. Agressive mud tires tend to dig into san and not do that well.

A couple of good choices will be the Bridgstone A/T Revos, Nitto Terragrappler A/Ts and probably the BFG A/T KOs. Teh bridgestoen and Nitto will do better on the higway though, most users tend to love them. There might be other A/T choices in your area you migth want to look at as well.

[4runner4dakar]

Thanks buddy! that's a very well said advice...looking forward in getting those 265/70/17 revos. Just wondering buddy..this might sound like a stupid question. forgive my ignorance...i saw the stock tires of fjcruiser and it said 265/70/17, i checked out the fjs axle ratio and found out its the same as the4runner..does it mean the fj's speedo also underreads? or is there something that makes it accurate other than the gear ratio?

thanks

[bulldog]

Yep that is teh stock size on the FJC. I believe the FJC speedo and odo did get recalibrated though. The AT FJC uses the same drivetrain as the 4Runner in terms of gearbox and axle ratios.

[4runner4dakar]

Oh OK..thanks for the info buddy! im sure i will come out with newbie questions again=) have a good one!

[expat]

Just to throw this out at ya...

(I hate doing things over!)

Considering your on a budget....If you were interested in a mild lift you could buy spacers pretty cheap. This would give you a wider range of tire sizes to consider. Buying new tires now means you'll have them for a few years so if you wanted to put in some lift you might then feel like you wished you'd waited and saved a little extra cash then got a bigger tire.

Remember spacers can be had for a little over $100 secondhand likely.

Just a thought.

Cheers
Mark

[4runner4dakar]

Thanks for the advice expat...and what brand of spacers would you recommend? i guess 100 buck plus is within the budget..also is it easy to install by yourself? Also what is the largest tire size that you could do with just spacers for the 4runner?

[expat]

Originally Posted by 4runner4dakar

Thanks for the advice expat...and what brand of spacers would you recommend? i guess 100 buck plus is within the budget..also is it easy to install by yourself? Also what is the largest tire size that you could do with just spacers for the 4runner?

Cornfed or Daystar spacers (I've used Daystar that were 3rd hand from people on this board)

I saw a set of Daystar spacers (2.5" lift) for sale for $120 a couple of weeks ago. Joel (this forum) has some Cornfed's for sale for $170 right now.

Many of us have installed the spacers ourselves, but usually with a few people to lend a hand. Definitely a back yard mechanic job. Search the tech section for "how to"

With spacers at around 2"-3" you'll be able to stuff a MTR 285x70x17 with some rubbing or MTR 275x70x17 with nil to minor rubbing. You will need to cut the plastic triangle on the wheel well liner in front of the tire but they serve no major purpose. Again, you'll see all that mentioned in the tech section.

Be aware tho. that this is not in line with your first post criteria which was to stay with stock wheel sizes. What I have just explained is in reply to largest tire senario. If you go to either of the largest sizes I just quoted you will notice a slight variance in your speedometer. Gearing is pretty much a non-issue, although some do report they notice a slight variation in pickup.

Personally I think a spacer lift and a slightly bigger tire is an excellent improvement over stock and gets you into the world of modifications with very few $$ and nothing that you can't change back easily. Once your into swapping out springs and coilovers and (depending upon model) dumping the XREAS then your talking lots of $$ and little going backwards.

If you have more questions, keep asking. Most people on this baord have been thru. exactly what you are doing and you will find what is right for you by asking a lot and reading a lot. I can guarentee you most people started off with a simple spacer lift to get their "feet wet". Its cheap and easy to instal and improves offroading ability a lot!

Cheers
Mark

[Untamed]

This may help you on figuring tire sizes and what effect it will have on gear ratio, speedometer, etc.

Here is a formula to calculate the tire diameter in inches from a metric size tire:

TireDiameter = ((2 x SectionWidth x AspectRatio) / 2540) + WheelDiameter.

For a 265/70-17 tire, the equation would look like this:

((2 x 265 x 70) / 2540) + 17 = ~31.6".

Keep in mind this can be slightly different per manufacture but this will get you close.

Effective axle gearing, and engine rpm, change by the same percent as the change in tire diameter. The speedometer and odometer will change by this as well assuming it was accurate to begin with.

Swapping from an ~30.56" tire (stock size) to an ~31.6" tire is a change of 30.56 / 31.6 = ~0.9671. 1 - 0.9671 = ~0.0329, or ~3.29%.

If your stock gear ratio is 3.70, then 3.70 x 0.9671 = ~3.578. Your truck's effective axle ratio after the tire swap would be ~3.58. Not a huge differnce; but apply that to a 33" tire and it would be 3.70 x .9261 = ~3.43 gear ratio, which would not be so good if you tow.

[4runner4dakar]

thanks thanks a bunch expat and untamed!! that was a helluva usefull and practical info you threw at me...thanks buddies! =) the toyota wisdom within you guys are undeniable=)