Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum banner

OEM replacement tires?

11K views 35 replies 21 participants last post by  dedhed 
#1 ·
Our ‘13 auto 4wd has got 31xxx miles and I’m considering new tires before the snow flies
Use is local light hauling,400 mile round trips to the lake and most importantly as a
Snow hammer to ensure that us two oldies can get out of our 250ft
driveway in the worst upstate NY has to offer
No complaints about the OEM Bstone Duelers except they may not offer enough bite this winter
Recommendations appreciated
 
#2 ·
Well you could just get your self a good All Terrain tire. They handle snow easily they run quiet on the Highway. You can get them in original size which is 265/70/17. Hope that helps :)
 
#6 ·
+1 on the Duratracs for a snow rated AT tire. Others are BFG AT KO2s, Falken AT3W.

If you really want to get out, you might look for some Nokian Hakkapalita winter tires with studs (assuming NY allows studded tires). See here:

https://www.nokiantires.com/tires/suv-4x4-tyres/winter-tires/


General Tires also offers some studded winter snow tires
Winter | General Tire

I would shop at Discount Tire (a sponsor here and often have deals) and TireRack
 
#8 ·
I would love to have a 13 with 31000 miles. That's awesome. :grin My 07 has 93,000, which is not bad for as old as it is.

There are many good suggestions already that are solid tires for your needs one other to add to the mix is the Yokohama Geolandar G015. It is also snowflake approved.

Picking the right tire for you depends on many factors such as where and how you drive and what you are looking for in your next tire. Please let us know if we can help.
 
#14 · (Edited)
There are many good suggestions already that are solid tires for your needs one other to add to the mix is the Yokohama Geolandar G015. It is also snowflake approved.
I have the Geolandar G015 and love them. Nice ride and quiet on the highway. Purchased from Discount Tire. :wink Good price.

I tried the Nokian Rotiiva first. Terrible noise, had them rebalanced, twice. Awful. Nokian has a good reputation so maybe I had a bad set.
 
#12 ·
KO2's or Duratracs as stated. I have KO2's now, they are an excellent all around all-terrain tire, and handle the winter weather here in Colorado very well. The Duratracs are a bit better in the winter however, and will be my next set of tires.
 
#15 ·
unfortunately, New York doesn't allow studs (since the 1970s), so studded Nokians are out.

I put a set of Michelin X-Ice studless snows on painted black steel rims for winter and can go absolutely everywhere, at any time, and drive like there's no snow at all (except for taking concern for some idiot spinning out and running into me). The hassle of swapping summer for winter tires, and storing them in between seasons (my mechanic stores them for me), and of re-programming the TPMS each time (mechanic does that) is compensated for by the unbelievable amount of traction when it snows every day, like in western, or in north, central New York State.

N
 
#17 ·
unfortunately, New York doesn't allow studs (since the 1970s), so studded Nokians are out.
Bit of misinformation here...Studded tires are perfectly legal in NY from Oct 16 - Apr 30.

Another vote for the KO2s. I've had them for 55K miles now (albeit a 5 tire rotate, so more like 44K/tire) and they still look great. Just starting to get a touch noisy. They could probably go another 40-50K miles. I'll likely swap them out sooner than that while they're still Craigslist-able. The Duratracs I had before these got noisy in less than 20K so I sent them down the road. I'm also in Upstate NY and there's no perceptible difference in snow traction. I will go KO2 again when it's time for fresh rubber. Stock size, load C, from Discount Tire.
 
#18 ·
Just to clarify, Duratracs or any other replacement tire will be on the FJ year round until they wear out.


Noise for short trips not really an issue but could be a negative on the 400 mile highway lake trips.


OEM Bstones very quiet but I know they wont cut it in the snow this winter.
 
#24 ·
I would buy 5. If you ever get a flat on the rear or are in a place where you have to run in 4WD, you dont want to run a spare that has a different diameter than the other 3 wheels as this can cause a differential failure. Or, you dont want to have to move a new tire from front to rear and then have to put the spare on the front in order to deal with a smaller diameter spare (in 2WD this would work with an odd size spare).

However, one consideration is that if you go with a larger than stock size spare, the stock OEM tire cover (not the frisbee) will not fit. Depending on the wheel and tire size you select, it can make fitting the spare on the spare mount difficult or needing modification.
 
#26 ·
Sell it on Craigslist. You can probably get $40-$70 for that tire. It is a 5 to 6 year old tire now anyhow (recommended service life is 7 years...but I certainly go longer than that with some of my vehicles.)

This is also why I always put my spare into the tire rotation pattern.
 
#27 ·
Dueler spare has been under the cover since new, so no UV degradation.

I never rock crawl or even off road for fun. Dueler will be same diameter so good for short term use if necessary.

Have four Duratracs on order for later in the week.


Thanks everybody for the inputs
 
#29 ·
Even happier with the Duratracs now that they easily passed my big test.

I don't fun off road but I do drive out to the back barn occasionally. Our soil has a heavy clay content which means that it is hard as rock when dry but "bacon grease" when saturated like it is this week. We also enjoy some low spots and springs.

Would have been very iffy with the Bstones, no problem now.

Not even concerned with heavy snow now
 
#31 · (Edited)
Firestone Destination A/T's are the best truck tires out there. I put a full set on after the crap stock Bridgestones wore out at about 70K miles, and that was with rotating in the spare. I put 110k miles on that set, properly rotated of course, and probably could have put more but my front hub bearings were worn out. So once I replaced them I put another new set of the Destination A/T's on and they still look like new with 45k miles.

I also ran the them on a Dodge Ram 1500 with same good results so it's the only truck tires I've bought in >10 years. Obviously the more gravel in your travel the faster your tires will wear. My brother owns a commercial tree trimming business with about 10 trucks and he's also gone to the LE's.

Obviously they wear great, are quiet, durable, and good traction. I lived in Michigan for 8+ years and had no snow issues. I also mainly run them on MO county roads now.


That's why I run em but ymmv.
 
#32 ·
I’m currently running a set of Duratracs, 265/70-17, in a load/speed range 115S (SL load range). I’ve got about 32K miles on them, with a 4-way rotation. I’ll admit to not rotating them as often as I should have. They are starting to show their age, but still have serviceable tread. I imagine I could squeeze 40K out of them (maybe), but I’ll definitely new some new shoes by winter. I’ll probably be upsizing to 285’s when that happens.

I have been very happy with the performance of these tires - off road, on road, and in snow. I will say, they are getting pretty loud, however. They were pretty quiet until about 20K, then started to become progressively louder, to the point where they are now certifiably loud.

Moving up to 285’s does limit tire options a bit. Right now, I’m looking at Duratracs in a “D” load rating or KO 2’s in a “C” load rating. Whatever I get has to be good on snow/ice.

Pet peeve - wish tire posters would provide more details on tires they are running, specifically load ratings. SL and C load range tires are likely not going to perform or last exactly like E rated tires. For instance, I assume, when somebody claims crazy high mileage, they are rinning E’s. But, who knows?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top