Few Questions

[KarmannMarco]

Its about that time that I can finally upgrade my tires. First I should mention my truck is factory height with factory Gen 2 6 spoke wheels.
Seems like 33 x 10.5 x 15 BFG KM2s come highly recommended for our trucks. Before I pull the trigger I would like to get some opinions to see if these will fit what I am trying to achieve.
I use my Gen 2 as a daily driver so I would like a tire that I can live with on a day to day basis. This truck is also our vacation rig which we drive to 1000+ mile trips at least once or twice a year ( me , my wife , our 5 yr old and our soon to be born ). So something quiet and stable on the highway would be ideal. Obviously no 33 is going to be as quiet as a 265/70 ( at least I wouldn't assume so)
I do plan on taking the truck on some easy/moderate trails. Nothing too technical that should require a serious MT tire really.
That said should I consider instead the 33 BFG AT ? Other brand of 33s ?
I've even considered 31 x 10.5 x 15 and 32 x 11.5 x 15 ( maybe to wide for stock wheels? ) for the fact they are still an upgrade from factory and go easier on the bank account.
Any recommendations are appreciated.

Next ......
I REALLY love the look of Gen 2.5s...... are the front fenders a direct bolt on to a Gen 2 ?

Lastly ( for now ) .....
My truck burns about a quart of oil every 3-4 weeks. Though I know valve guide seals are a common issue and generally harmless this still annoys me.
Assuming I buy the parts myself and let a shop do the work how much should I budget for in total cost ?
Also from your guys experience how long does the process take about ? Reason I ask i that we will soon be relying on the Montero as our sole vehicle and I would like to know how long the process takes.
About the same issue.... I've owned other oil burning cars in the past and everyone burns black/blue smoke out of the tailpipe. Strangely the smoke coming from my tailpipe is white/gray.... this made me think of a blown head gasket but there is no coolant in the oil , no oil in the coolant , truck does not overheat or run rough and the power feels good (at least as good as it can be). There are no signs of a blown head gasket. Has anyone experienced this ? It's worth mentioning that one of my 02 sensors is in need of replacement but I didn't think on 02 sensor can cause white smoke.....
Again any ideas are welcome.

Thanks!

 

[Sabre]

Regarding the tire thing...

My Gen III is also my "family car" and daily driver (well, my motorcycle is actually the daily vehicle, but the Monty is my primary 4-wheel vehicle). My wife and I do the exact same thing you're talking about: trips of 1000+ miles once or twice a year, some with our two teenagers. I love the look of aggressive tires, but decided to compromise with an all-terrain and am very, very happy with them. The Gen III has 16-inch wheels, and I upgraded to a 265/70 AT from Les Schwab. They're larger than stock but remain completely comfortable for daily use and gave us enough added clearance for even some quite gnarly trails in Moab. I really hate noisy tires on the highway and was completely relieved when I heard how quiet these are. An added benefit was the stiffness of the sidewalls which really improved the on-pavement handling over the stock Yokohama Geolanders. No traction problems whatsoever in Moab's sand washes and, most surprisingly, they do a completely satisfactory job out here in the mud of the Pacific NorthWet. In fact, I even dropped by the shop to tell the manager how surprised and pleased I was with their performance in the slop. Further, the Monty is woefully underpowered, and when we travel the thing is loaded with an embarrassing mass of cargo. Taller and/or wider tires would only make it struggle more than it already does and drive the fuel economy even lower still.

My wife drives it, of course, and it was important to me that she be happy with the handling and noise as well. Yes, if it were just a play truck I'd go big and knobbly, but this compromise has made me very pleased with my decision.

 

[eurosonic]

If you use your rig is a DD I would not go with an MT tire. To be comfortable, max Id do is a 33 BFG AT. I really like those BFG ATs.

Blister fenders from a 2.5gen will bolt on to 2gen. But IMO it will look unproportional with the rear.

 

[KarmannMarco]

Thanks for the opinions guys.
Sabre , I read your write up on your trip to Moab a couple months ago and I found it very inspiring. Nice to see that you don't need monster tires to have some fun out there.
Im pretty sure an all terrain tire will suit me much better.
Now I have to decide weather to go with 33s or 31s.....

 

[ca18_sean]

I REALLY love the look of Gen 2.5s...... are the front fenders a direct bolt on to a Gen 2 ?

This guy did it, kinda hard to picture it all painted, but it might look OK.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3310676/1994-mitsubishi-montero/

 

[KarmannMarco]

I kind of dig it. Since mine is a LS it does not have the fat flares on the rear that would otherwise clash with the front fenders.
Thanks for the link!

On another note will 32 x 11.5 x 15 fit the stock wheels without any issues ? I prefer 33 x 10.5 x15 but i found a very good deal on a set of used 32s on CL.

 

[ca18_sean]

Stock LS wheels are 15x6 I believe... I'd say some shops might complain about trying to mount an 11.5 inch tire on a 6 inch rim. Doesn't mean it won't work, but you might have trouble finding someone willing to mount them.

Here's 32x11.5x15 on stock gen 1 montero wheels (edit, they're 15x7... oops) I found on 4x4wire.com

 

[off-roader]

If I recall correctly the stock Alloy Pomegranate rims are 15x7 while the stock steel rims are 15x6.

 

[ca18_sean]

If I recall correctly the stock Alloy Pomegranate rims are 15x7 while the stock steel rims are 15x6.

You're good! I see that posted in the thread I grabbed the pic from now! Oops.

 

[KarmannMarco]

So would a 15 x 6 too narrow ?
I live in the east Texas country where theres more lifted trucks then civics and corollas. lol I think I'll find a shop allright

 

[ca18_sean]

http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1274189&an=&page=&vc=1

and

http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1244863&page=0&fpart=all&vc=1

Both of those threads talk about tire size on stock wheels. It's for 1st gen Montero's, but I think the discussion is still relevant. One of the threads says the "pomegranate" wheels are 7" one says 6". Like I said, I know next to nothing about 1st gen trucks, so I really can't comment on that. Lol.

 

[jonniemonleone]

I have 5 pomegranates outside with these markings:

J15x6JJ
22
DOT

And:

6-JJx15
DF3X

 

[SoCalMonty]

I've lost count of the number of times I've been able to get past a tough section of trail in slippery terrain because I was on *A/T's* while several guys in the group on *M/T's* had traction issues...especially in snow and ice. The M/T's turned into ice skates. Unless the majority of your off-roading is in wet/sticky mud that will pack the tread blocks with no chance to spin them clean, I would highly recommend A/T's. No, they don't look as cool, and no, they don't make as much of a "WAH-WAH-WAH" on the highway - but more often than not (barring the sole exception I mentioned), they are the better choice for all-around wheeling, fuel consumption, and ride quality.

My personal choice has always been Pro-Comp A/T's in 33x12.5x15. I prefer the wider tire for more volume (useful when aired down) and more "float" over sandy terrain from the wider footprint. BFG's are also a good tire...assuming the same price, I'd go BFG, but I used to take advantage of 4WheelParts' "buy 3 get 1 free" on the Pro-Comps. Once I bought them and used them (http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/John_Bull_Trail , http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Deep_Creek_Trail , http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Pleasant_Canyon , http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Defense_Mine/_Cummings_Cutoff , http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Isham_Canyon ), I had no reason to try anything else.

Good luck!