Tires or Lift

coyoteyz13 · 04-05-2007, 09:34 AM

I wanted to introduce myself. I purchased a yellow FJ last week. Traded my SRT-4 for it. The FJ is a little slower but can go a lot more places and keep me out of trouble. IE speeding tickets.

I want to upgrade the tires, but stay with the stock size. Should i lift it or buy the tires first? I am going to be doing some off roading.

Thanks

BamaBleach · 04-05-2007, 09:38 AM

Quote:

coyoteyz13 previously said:

I want to upgrade the tires, but stay with the stock size. Should i lift it or buy the tires first? I am going to be doing some off roading.

If you are set on staying with stock tire size then I would get new tires first and a lift second.

EDIT:
Welcome to the forums! You'll love it here.

smalls · 04-05-2007, 09:44 AM

Its a tough call. Kind of like the chicken and the egg.

Many would argue that that both at the same time is the best option. If you are somewhat financially inhibited regarding mods, like me, then this isn't an option.

I think many people on the boards would agree that you need to wheel your vehicle stock for a little bit to know what you need. After a few trips off road and a little more pavement miles on the odo. as well, you will know what tires will suit your needs best. Again. after a little more time you will know if you need a suspension upgrade (recommended) or just a cosmetic lift.

I would provide a little more info if you want some better feed back.

What terrian will you be on? How much offroad time will you see? Etc.

EDIT: I forgot to give you a welcome as well! WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!

BamaBleach · 04-05-2007, 09:52 AM

One more thing to consider,

The longer you drive the stock tires the less you will be able to get out of them when you go to upgrade.

If you were planning on going to a bigger size tire after the lift it makes your decision a little more tricky.

delmarva_fj · 04-05-2007, 09:58 AM

To me it seems a lift and bigger tires go hand in hand. Sure a lift will get the body a little higher but it does nothing to get the axles any higher. For that you need to get taller tires so the axle will clear bigger rocks.

My feeling is if you lift and keep stock tires you are raising your CG but are not gaining much. Thoughts?

Arturus · 04-05-2007, 10:38 AM

Great points by all - I got AT tires the day after I brought the FJ home - a year later I got the lift and bigger tires - all told I spent more in the long run - but it is really a decision that should be based on where and how much you drive offroad, how much clearance you need, etc...chrsmall had some great advice.

As for the SRT-4 - ha! I traded a silver one myself a year ago and I was sooo glad to get rid of it. I still remember it parked next to my FJ at the dealership as I unloaded my stuff from it - I looked back one last time, smiled and forgot all about the little car that I hated. Yeah it was quick and everything but I couldn't stand not being able to go over a speedbump without scraping the front bumper, not being able to see around vehicles, the wiiiide turning radius, that ridiculous looking wing in the back...er, I digress, I really hated my SRT4 not bashing yours...welcome to the forum and congrats on your FJ - go on a mild run offroad and see what kind of terrain you prefer to determine the type of tire AT/MT and if you really need the bigger tires/lift right now - it is a hefty investment when done right!

**helocat** · 04-05-2007, 10:46 AM

With the price of the cheep spacer lifts they are not bad upfront. I would try to do the two at the same time. If you go larger tires (to match a lift) you will have limited travel as they rub the body before the lift goes on.

Mark

coyoteyz13 · 04-05-2007, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Arturus previously said:

Great points by all - I got AT tires the day after I brought the FJ home - a year later I got the lift and bigger tires - all told I spent more in the long run - but it is really a decision that should be based on where and how much you drive offroad, how much clearance you need, etc...chrsmall had some great advice.

As for the SRT-4 - ha! I traded a silver one myself a year ago and I was sooo glad to get rid of it. I still remember it parked next to my FJ at the dealership as I unloaded my stuff from it - I looked back one last time, smiled and forgot all about the little car that I hated. Yeah it was quick and everything but I couldn't stand not being able to go over a speedbump without scraping the front bumper, not being able to see around vehicles, the wiiiide turning radius, that ridiculous looking wing in the back...er, I digress, I really hated my SRT4 not bashing yours...welcome to the forum and congrats on your FJ - go on a mild run offroad and see what kind of terrain you prefer to determine the type of tire AT/MT and if you really need the bigger tires/lift right now - it is a hefty investment when done right!

I loved my SRT. I ran it really hard. 30,000 miles and the motor was about to grenade. Fuel in the oil,burned a quart every 150 miles. and tons white smoke at WOT. I took great care of it maintenance wise. I loved when a U turn ended up being a W turn. It will be missed. I sold my stage 2, and that is going towards either a lift or new tires.

My wheeling will probably consist of basic trails for camping. Trails that will require 4 wheel drive, but nothing too crazy. I don't want to tear it up.

Arturus · 04-05-2007, 11:32 AM

Based on the type of terrain you described, I imagine you don't plan on major rock-crawling just yet - and if driven properly and with a spotter, no reason your FJ would get torn up (aside from pinstriping from brush on even the most modest trails)...so I'd suggest going with some good AT tires to start with - there are a lot out there and threads covering them. BFG, Goodyear, et.al all make great AT tires - you can stick with stock size initially...then if and when you decide to do a lift you can keep them on until they're ready to be replaced and get bigger ones (a lift without the bigger tires is more for appearance and not ground clearance in my opinion)...but be warned - once you start modding you will have a hard time stopping and with a lift and bigger tires you may start to consider full belly skids, sliders, a bumper, a winch, lights...oh the madness...I'm about $5K into mods on mine and I started out with the same intentions as you - moderate wheeling - but then I saw what the FJ can do and holy cow the rest is history!

Oh and one other thing - depending on the size of the lift and tires, take into consideration extended brake lines, regearing, stronger UCAs, etc...it adds up.

jfoobar · 04-05-2007, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Arturus previously said:

Great points by all - I got AT tires the day after I brought the FJ home - a year later I got the lift and bigger tires - all told I spent more in the long run - but it is really a decision that should be based on where and how much you drive offroad, how much clearance you need, etc...chrsmall had some great advice.

Yup. Be sure you know that stock size tires is what you want, even after the lift. Also be sure you are not going to want to move from 17" to 16" wheels either (unless you plan on owning two sets of tires, which many, including myself soon, do).

I think there was a thread in the wheels/tires forum not too long ago of someone seeking pics of lifted rigs with stock-sized tires, to which there were several responses. Be sure you like that "look" and are not going to be unhappy with the redcued axle/differential clearance inherent to running those shoes. Personally, I don't think 265s with anything more than a levelling lift looks as good as with 285/33" tires, and there are inherent offroad advantages to the larger shoes as well.

OTOH, the FJC is an offroad beast even with 265s (either 70-17s or 75-16s) and no lift at all, so there are few bad decisions you can make here.