New Tires for the FJ, what TO DO??

[nlk125]

Hey Guys,

I recently put new tires on the FJ. 285/70/17 Bridgestone Dueller A/T Revo 2's... I'm not totally happy with them, and I'm taking them back to try again. (30 day buy and Try with Bridgestone tires!) They make excellent traction it seems, they're quiet, and are a smooth riding tire, but they also feel like they "wiggle"... It's weird, and totally unsettling. It almost feels like a shockwave sets up in the tire when you hit a bump, and it just keeps wiggling, and they seem to Wander... The vendor tells me some of the wandering and "squish" is due to the new fresh rubber gripping absolutely everything on the road, and that as they wear it may diminish, however, I'm afraid the "wiggle" will never go away. Now, the dueller's are a much "softer" (Load range D) tire than the Firestone Destination MT's in a Load Range E than I'm getting out of, but the harder sidewalls on the Destinations felt much more secure. Yeah, they were a lot more rough, but they didn't "wiggle".

So, with that as a backgrounder, I'm on the hunt for new tires, and want your opinions.

I have 2 sets of rims for the FJ, both OEM 17"... Currently run winters on one set, and Summers on the other. I'm looking to replace the Summer Rubber. FJ has a bunch of extra weight on it... ARB Bumper, Warn 9.5XP winch with 100' Steel line, OEM Rock Sliders, Bud Built 4pc Skid (3/16" steel!) and eventually a Second Battery in the front end.

Intended use, realistically is about 95% (mileage wise) on road. 5% offroad. Offroad use is typical, don't go looking for mud, but inevitably find it. Plan to use the Truck as more of a longer distance wheeler (Moab/Death Valley, Alaska...) and a hauler for the quad / hauler for camping gear to hard to get to camp sites :) So long distance quiet, and comfort, and treadwear are higher priorities than total mud bogging traction if you know what I mean.

So... after that lengthy pre-amble... I have a few tires in mind, but what would you do? Oh, size limitation 33's. Let's hear it!

Cheers, And thanks in advance for the input.

[freeze]

Did the alignment come back with good numbers after you had the tires installed. That's a bummer they aren't performing too well. At least they allow a try out first.

The Mickey Thompson ATZ's are a pretty solid all round tire.

[Grandpa Smurf]

You could look at BFG All Terrain's, 285/70R17 spec out at 33" and with their tri-guard construction they are very stable. They have been a standard for years (actually the first true all terrain tire). Good price for a good tire. Check them out @ Costco in the south.

[CalgaryRider]

I have BFG All Terrains, and I love them. I have over 60K on them, mainly highway driving, with the good old jaunt off road too and they air down well and are holding up really well. I think I could probably get another 20k+ out of them due to the amount of tread I have left on them.

[Doc McCoy]

I love the BFG ATs that I had on my truck for a little over 2 years. They've been long haul wheeling tested as well ... doing Moab desert wheeling and Blacktail/Wild Bill Alpine winter wheeling on the same trip. And that was at the end of their life on my truck! Great tires.

[Skibby]

For myself iam running the Toyo AT tire and love it also. It has an E load rating and a triple ply polyester side wall and tread. Very stiff tire though and mine are a specialty size. But they have a very large selection of sizes and are very well priced. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[freeze]

One downside the BFG's (not the new KM2) are their side walls. Not the strongest of the bunch.

[nlk125]

For myself iam running the Toyo AT tire and love it also. It has an E load rating and a triple ply polyester side wall and tread. Very stiff tire though and mine are a specialty size. But they have a very large selection of sizes and are very well priced. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Hey Dave,
Been a while since we've been out together... If I recall your toyo's are a 34, that fit without rub right... What size exactly are they? And where did you get them... Wouldn't mind checking those out!

Cheers!

[nlk125]

One downside the BFG's (not the new KM2) are their side walls. Not the strongest of the bunch.

How 'bout the NEW Goodyear MT/R's... Anybody running those yet? Saw a set on a little Jeep today, looks like a sweet tire. Just wondering about road noise... Also, DIck Cepek FCII's... Anybody have experience on these?

I know the BFG AT's are tried and True, but they're a bit Tired... There's gotta be something better out there right? Then Again, those BFG's can be found anywhere if something goes wrong...

Thanks for the info, and keep it coming!

[nlk125]

Did the alignment come back with good numbers after you had the tires installed. That's a bummer they aren't performing too well. At least they allow a try out first.

The Mickey Thompson ATZ's are a pretty solid all round tire.

The alignment was never really OFF SPEC, and the truck still drives basically fine. The characteristics I described above are basically an A-B comparison between how it drove with either the Blizzak's (my winter wheels) or the Firestones, before I installed the Duellers... Wanted the Alignment done to just make sure I wouldn't have any problems. Still need to do the TC LCA's but life's been pretty expensive outside of truck stuff lately, so Just holding off for a bit more...

[Skibby]

Yeah the Toyos that i have are rated at a 34" tire height. The metric sizing is 285/75/17 and i have no rubbing issues at all. They cost me about $312 per tire installed from my local Kirk's Tire Shop. Like i said i love them.

[TOYREX]

I've read nothing but great things about the cooper SST 's
I'll be picking some up for the cruiser this summer.
Thanks for the ride this weekend, it was a blast.



Hey Guys,

I recently put new tires on the FJ. 285/70/17 Bridgestone Dueller A/T Revo 2's... I'm not totally happy with them, and I'm taking them back to try again. (30 day buy and Try with Bridgestone tires!) They make excellent traction it seems, they're quiet, and are a smooth riding tire, but they also feel like they "wiggle"... It's weird, and totally unsettling. It almost feels like a shockwave sets up in the tire when you hit a bump, and it just keeps wiggling, and they seem to Wander... The vendor tells me some of the wandering and "squish" is due to the new fresh rubber gripping absolutely everything on the road, and that as they wear it may diminish, however, I'm afraid the "wiggle" will never go away. Now, the dueller's are a much "softer" (Load range D) tire than the Firestone Destination MT's in a Load Range E than I'm getting out of, but the harder sidewalls on the Destinations felt much more secure. Yeah, they were a lot more rough, but they didn't "wiggle".

So, with that as a backgrounder, I'm on the hunt for new tires, and want your opinions.

I have 2 sets of rims for the FJ, both OEM 17"... Currently run winters on one set, and Summers on the other. I'm looking to replace the Summer Rubber. FJ has a bunch of extra weight on it... ARB Bumper, Warn 9.5XP winch with 100' Steel line, OEM Rock Sliders, Bud Built 4pc Skid (3/16" steel!) and eventually a Second Battery in the front end.

Intended use, realistically is about 95% (mileage wise) on road. 5% offroad. Offroad use is typical, don't go looking for mud, but inevitably find it. Plan to use the Truck as more of a longer distance wheeler (Moab/Death Valley, Alaska...) and a hauler for the quad / hauler for camping gear to hard to get to camp sites :) So long distance quiet, and comfort, and treadwear are higher priorities than total mud bogging traction if you know what I mean.

So... after that lengthy pre-amble... I have a few tires in mind, but what would you do? Oh, size limitation 33's. Let's hear it!

Cheers, And thanks in advance for the input.

[Grandpa Smurf]

Also check the tire pressure you are running. You must increase your pressure with a "LT" rated tire vs a "P" rated tire like your OEM P265/70R17. To carry the max load of your FJ you should run 47psi in your "LT" tires. You can adjust down from there when running empty. The higher pressure might take care of the squimish feeling. I run 42 front and 38 rear on LT 255/80R17 KM2's. The BFG AT are $242 @ costco and $15 for install. Until May 30 save $10 off that price. Same size as OEM. Slightly more for larger. Come see me at the South Calgary Store and ask for Blake.

[Brazenhead]

Noland,

Nitto Terra Grapplers 285/70/17's (5 tires) $983.85

Discount Tire Direct ships for free to our pick up spot.

Hard to argue with that price.

[nlk125]

I've read nothing but great things about the cooper SST 's
I'll be picking some up for the cruiser this summer.
Thanks for the ride this weekend, it was a blast.

"Blast", not literally thankfully... Unlike some of your previous adventures! ;) Get your cruiser trail ready already!! I need a ride in that thing!

Yeah, I like the look of the SST's as well, however I've heard they CHIP badly on gravel. So I'm staying away from those. Still intend to do more of an AT than an M/T... I still have my destination MT's but they're not suitable for highway, or daily use. I do want to put them on some steel Rims though and keep them available for incident's like last weekend. I haven't totally given up on them yet!

[Tacorossa]

Have you investigated the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac? They are an AT, and seem to get great reviews everywhere I look. Plus, they have the added advantage of looking bad-ass!

I'm surprised to hear about your Revo's. I'm on my second set of GenI Revo's and have been very impressed with their performance on and offroad. Haven't tried the Revo 2's yet, but they seem to get better reviews than the Revo 1's that I have. Could one of them have lateral runout?

[nlk125]

Have you investigated the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac? They are an AT, and seem to get great reviews everywhere I look. Plus, they have the added advantage of looking bad-ass!

I'm surprised to hear about your Revo's. I'm on my second set of GenI Revo's and have been very impressed with their performance on and offroad. Haven't tried the Revo 2's yet, but they seem to get better reviews than the Revo 1's that I have. Could one of them have lateral runout?

yeah, actually, Iam surprised too. From all i'd read about them, I figured they were the right tire to go with. However, they were only a D load rated tire, I suspect the E load would have been better. Oh well, They're off now, and as soon as they came off, and my blizzaks went back on the truck felt normal again...

I would really like to try that Duratrac, but it's only available in a D load range in the size I want, and the tire dealer I've been working with doesn't carry goodyear. He's taken pretty good care of me on past deals, so I'd like to work with him to find something that works.

He's got Toyo, Bridgestone/Firestone, Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson... He's pushing the Dick Cepek FCII's right now. Figures that is the right tire for me... I'm close, but I'm not totally there yet as it is still only a D load rated tire. Also, I like the availability of the BFG AT's, as well as the range of sizes available with it, but still feel it's way outdated... I like the Toyo Open Country AT, and MT, and would like to do the MT for it's durability and traction, but I'm concerned about noise. Anybody running the Toyo MT's want to take me for a ride this weekend so I can judge for myself if they're too loud? :) Also, size wise I think only available in a D in the size I want... The AT however is available in an LT285/70/17 with a 10 ply casing load rated E, so I might end up going that way by default...I think I'm making this difficult for myself... I'll give it the weekend or more to ponder it... In the mean time, the blizzaks back on the truck are good timing, 20cm of snow forecast for tonight... crazy.

[Tacorossa]

Nathan mentioned the Mickey Thompson ATZ's as an option. I know a few guys in the association are running them with much success. I believe the are a Load Range E for the size you are looking at as well. Would they be an option for you at all?

I've been looking at the ATZ's and the DuraTrac's to replace my Revo's when they wear a little more.

[nlk125]

Nathan mentioned the Mickey Thompson ATZ's as an option. I know a few guys in the association are running them with much success. I believe the are a Load Range E for the size you are looking at as well. Would they be an option for you at all?

I've been looking at the ATZ's and the DuraTrac's to replace my Revo's when they wear a little more.

Thanks for the reminder... just doing a spreadsheet now to review the options. I'll check them out.

Cheers!

[Tacorossa]

Thanks for the reminder... just doing a spreadsheet now to review the options. I'll check them out.

Cheers!

A spreadsheet! haha.... that sounds like me. I always put together a spreadsheet of things I need and want, then apply a weighted average to each need/want and apply a score to all of the options. Also known as a decision matrix.

I better put my pocket protector and calculator away before everyone figures out that I'm really a nerd.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Grandpa Smurf]

How 'bout the NEW Goodyear MT/R's... Anybody running those yet? Saw a set on a little Jeep today, looks like a sweet tire. Just wondering about road noise... Also, DIck Cepek FCII's... Anybody have experience on these?

I know the BFG AT's are tried and True, but they're a bit Tired... There's gotta be something better out there right? Then Again, those BFG's can be found anywhere if something goes wrong...

Thanks for the info, and keep it coming!

Although the BFG's seem like an old design, they were updated a few years back with the AT KO. Also they haven't changed much because they work. "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

[keener]

How 'bout the NEW Goodyear MT/R's... Anybody running those yet? Saw a set on a little Jeep today, looks like a sweet tire. Just wondering about road noise... Also, DIck Cepek FCII's... Anybody have experience on these?

I know the BFG AT's are tried and True, but they're a bit Tired... There's gotta be something better out there right? Then Again, those BFG's can be found anywhere if something goes wrong...

Thanks for the info, and keep it coming!


I have a set of 285/70/R17 Kevlar(new) MT/Rs on my Tacoma, and love them so far. If you're in the market for an all terrain I wouldn't recomend them, as they are a bit louder, and have a bit more rolling resistance(they are a heavy tire). But if you wheel your truck a few times a month and don't mind a nice tire humm, I say go for it. They perform amazing on the trail, (I've run 37" origional MT/Rs, 36" Iroks, 38" TSL SXs on my 4Runner, and these new MT/Rs perform better than my old 37s, and damn near as good as my Iroks). I have about 8000 kms on them so far, and they don't show any signs of wear yet.

I know BFG A/Ts have been unchanged for a long time, but its for a good reason, they just work.

[nlk125]

So I think I may have solved my Dillema... Why compromise, Just buy more rims, and tires, and have a set for every occasion! Probably going to pick up some Steel rims this weekend, put my old MT's (still lots of tread left) on those to use for the local, short truck Wheeling trips... Buy some AT's, probably Toyo Open country AT's to mount of the Alloys, and keep a set of Blizzaks mounted on Alloys for winter... Overkill? Maybe. Will it work? We'll see if I'm motivated enough to change the tires for the conditions or not :)

[freeze]

you're not the only one with the tire/wheel fetish as Victor cited about his 4Runner! Hey that'll totally work great... plus you'll have an amazingly long tread life between all three.

[Max Magnet]

The BFG A/Ts are obviously a well loved tire, reliable almost everywhere - how about in slick mud, am I "safe"? I hrd they gum up and spin. Thanks in advance.
marc

[Krazie Sj]

They totally gum up and spin in the gumbo.

In everything else they work very well though. Mud just seems to be their Achilles heel.

[City_Rider]

I am REALLY looking forward to testing out my Dura-Trac's.

Hoping they stand the test of time, as for performance, in my mind they are a good compromise between AT and MT.

On the Tacoma I was running Toyo AT's and they performed pretty well - might not last as long as the BFG AT KO's but for the price difference they are certainly an option. Plus a wide variety of sizes doesn't hurt!