Toyo Open Country Tires

[MuddyMudskipper]

Redline is one crazy ********.

This is a little off topic but I gotta say this:

When I first met Redline he mentioned loving tires. He even made reference to being the "Imelda Marcos of tires". I think James' obsession with all things vulcanized, grippy, and donut shaped goes far beyond love....it's an obsession. Thank you James! Your "tire kicking" and resulting posts are always detailed and informative.

 

[Redline]

Did you catch the music theme as the tires sing?

Ray Charles

Aretha Franklin

The Temptations

:rockon:

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Did you catch the music theme as the tires sing?

Ray Charles

Aretha Franklin

The Temptations

:rockon:

I certainly did. :beer:

The beauty is in the detail.

 

[obert272]

Because these tires are so heavy would I need new gears for my suburban? Stock tires are 32" and I am getting Toyo MTs about 33.5". I ahve 3.73 gears and most people who have Suburbans get new gears when they reach 35" tires but since these are supposedly very heavy would you think I need new gears orw ould I be fine with stock gears? Yall might not be able to answer this since you all have different trucks but maybe this could be answered.

 

[MuddyMudskipper]

Because these tires are so heavy would I need new gears for my suburban? Stock tires are 32" and I am getting Toyo MTs about 33.5". I ahve 3.73 gears and most people who have Suburbans get new gears when they reach 35" tires but since these are supposedly very heavy would you think I need new gears orw ould I be fine with stock gears? Yall might not be able to answer this since you all have different trucks but maybe this could be answered.

Changing the gears is (typically) not to gain strength but to compensate for the power loss from the larger diameter tires. Any time you change tire sizes you ultimately change the drive ratio to the wheels of your vehicle. The loss of power can be corrected by changing the ratio to accommodate the tire change. You shouldn't see a noticeable loss of power by going from a 32" tire to a 33.5" and you might see a slight loss of MPG.

You can calculate ideal gear ratios for tire size here.

EDIT: Axles are usually the first weak link to twist or break when big tires are used, especially with lockers.

 

[ashooter]

Redline,

I look forward to more of your impressions on these 255 Toyos!

No, I still haven't bought new tires yet. I decided to go ahead and pull all the f*%@! screws, rivets, etc that Toyota somehow decided to drill into these FJ80's to install the OEM roof rack, ribs, and fender flares......... But I digress. What I meant to say was that I decided to spend my money patching all those holes, Line-Xing the roof, and repainting my truck first, while letting guys like you (and others) try out the 255 Toyo M/T and possibly have a look at the BFG KM2 if/when it comes out in 255/85r16.

 

[89s rule]

I found a set of 4 305/70-16 with 90%+ tread for $550. Considering them to go on my new to me '93 fzj80.

I havent seen this size much is it an odd size or? The 80 is stock at this point, but will get an ARB or TJM bumper and might get a 2.5-3" lift.

Any advice would be great as an 80 is new to me. (I have a 62 now)

I just cant see paying $200+ per tire for tires! over $100 each for me is pushing it, but I know that new or almost new will last me forever.

 

[Rattler]

My Kumho MTs were $125 each for a 32x11.50 but I think the prices went up a bit but not much.

I just got a pair of the old Yokohama 35x12.50 Mud Diggers from a co-worker. I can't use them and they have been out of production for a bit but if you know anyone who wants some, PM me. Probably gonna have them inthe "For sale" stuff soon.

 

[Redline]

Strike Two

New Toyo LT255/85R16 causing tire pull

I knew when I purchased my new Toyo MT 255/85R16 tires that one feature I didn't care for was the firm ride. These tires are super rugged, 7-ply tread and 3-ply sidewalls, all quite stiff, more so than other E-range tires. I prefer a softer, more flexible tire on and off-highway. But tough tires have their positives and I like the relatively quiet tread and overall quality.

I have made recent changes to my gearing (4.88s) and upper A-Arms/ball joints that could have been causing the pulling to the right I have been experiencing. I was blaming the gears/torque steer. Wrong. It was my Toyo MT tires.

Not looking to improve the pulling to the right, a few days a go I did a tire rotation with the Toyos because they were scrubbed unevenly for several miles driving to the alignment shop after new A-Arms were installed. I did my normal, front tires crossed to the rear & rears straight forward on the same side rotation. Car still pulled to the right but I didn't suspect the tires so no improvement was expected.

Then I decided I wanted to experience the softer sidewall of one of my other sets of tires, both on and off-highway. We are leaving on a camping trip on Monday and I had planned to put the Toyos to the test, but... I put my Maxxis Bighorn MTs on and the ride over small bumps was again much better, even plush compared to the Toyos. And the pulling to the right was GONE. The car drives excellent, just like the perfect/recent alignment specs suggest it should.

It will take some more diagnosing in a few weeks to find the problem, which I suspect is one bad/heavy tire. When/if I isolate the tire and problem I can have it replaced, but the Maxxis Bighorns again look good. The Bighorns are louder, but offer good grip for the $$$, about $100.00 less per tire.

 

[hoser]

Take your wheels to the nearest shop with a GSP9700 that has the "StraightTrak LFM" ability and they will fix your pulling problem.

http://gsp9700.com/
http://gsp9700.com/pub/features/StraightTrak.cfm

 

[Hltoppr]

Since this isn't your first rodeo EW, I'm assuming that 17" tires are available in, say, Ecuador?

-H-

 

[Redline]

I'm not sure if it is the same machine (Hunter?), but my tire shop has a road force balancer. I think we checked the road force when the Toyos were new (just several weeks ago) and one had a high road force measurement. If they can figure it out, super. If they need to replace a bad tire, they can/will.

For now I'm enjoying the Maxxis Bighorns again. I just had the fronts re-balanced and they are running true and ready for a trip.

Take your wheels to the nearest shop with a GSP9700 that has the "StraightTrak LFM" ability and they will fix your pulling problem.

http://gsp9700.com/
http://gsp9700.com/pub/features/StraightTrak.cfm

 

[hoser]

It is the same Hunter machine but only some places have that added StraightTrak LFM capability. Ask your shop or click the "find GSP9700" link and enter your zip code. It'll tell you which shops have the added capability. The list might not be up to date though.

 

[ashooter]

New Toyo LT255/85R16 causing tire pull...

Hmm....

I still can't find anybody who can get 255 M/T's in the southwest half of Texas anyway, so I will wait a little and see what your verdict is.

M-55's are EASY to get in 255/85R16 compared to these things!... and that's saying something. You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard a B.S. story about 255/85R16 being "an obsolete size that all the manufacturers are discontinuing" as an excuse for not being able to find them.

 

[hoser]

Try Gateway Tire & Service. I actually bought a set from the Eric at the Texarkana location.