[granger]

If the word comes down from up high and the BFG AT's are not offered at launch here is what I plan to do.

first: talk to my dealer. When I bought my second jeep I wanted BFG AT's and the dealer was willing to "buy back" the stock tires at their cost and "sell" me BFG AT's at their cost. I only paid the difference and the tires were on the jeep when I picked it up.

second: if the dealer I decide on will/can not do this I will contact local tire stores that sell both the tire that comes on the FJ and the tire I want. At this time I am undecided between the BFG and the AT Revo. This what I did with my first jeep. As long as my jeep had less then 100 miles on it they were willing to swap them. I ended up paying a litte more then when I went through the dealer but it was still better then buying them outright.

third: No dice with the dealer and if I can't find a tire installer willing to work with me. I will probably end up buying the tire I want and sell the "new" tires on ebay. Not the best situation financially but I still get the tire I want and am able to recover some of the money from the "new" tires that came on my FJ

fourth: If none of these situations seem to work out or if I decide that I want a set of rims and tires for offroad and a set for on road, I'll end up getting steel rims and new tires and just swap them out. This is the most expensive option but it also gives me the most flexability.

Current Tire Prices per Tirerack.com (I have not shopped around yet so if you know of a better deal please let us all know)

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO
Size: 265/70QR17
Price: $166.00

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo
Size: 265/70SR17
Price: $118.00


Not everyone knows that some dealers/tire sellers are willing to work with you so I hope this helps.

-Granger

 

[Pancho]

Anybody other than me noticed the tires on the FJC at the top of this page?

 

[granger]

Anybody other than me noticed the tires on the FJC at the top of this page?

Yes, I think just about everyone has noticed that the picture above has BFG AT's. Also, I think a lot of us have seen the pics of the FJ on the Rubicon with BFG ATs. However, the FJ's that have been spotted on the road and the ones at the events (with the exception of the heavily modded one at SEMA) have not had BFGs. Also, a recent post detailed the options list and again there was no mention of BFGs. http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160

I hope that the FJ comes from the factory with AT tires but if they don't people should be aware that there are other options.

 

[cheazhd]

Granger,
I was thinking about selling the factory tires right away as well. Thanks for offering up some options. I was gonna go down the lame "ad in the newspaper" route....

I'm still hoping that Toyota isn't foolish enough to believe they should not offer an optional AT tire.

 

[fletcher]

Sorry to threadjack... but anyone know what those crazy tires on the concept car were? Tread pattern looked pretty slick...

IE these...

http://www.h8b4l.com/teclog/archives/ty.jpg

 

[granger]

cheazhd,
Let me know if you have any luck with your dealer or with a tire seller. I am going to start asking around come Feb.

And I agree the BFG's should come on the FJ from Toyota. Hopefully I am just reading into things too much.....


Fletcher,
A lot of tires used on concept cars are handcarved one-offs designed for looks over performance, I think that was the case with these.

 

[Percy]

Sorry to threadjack... but anyone know what those crazy tires on the concept car were? Tread pattern looked pretty slick...

IE these...

http://www.h8b4l.com/teclog/archives/ty.jpg

I loved the tires on the concept. It looked like it was designed for exploration on other planets. They looked very cool. I am bummed that they aren't actually available. Too bad, they couldn't be made production. But then, the guys are right - they would probably perform very poorly for actual use.

 

[EJR]

Saw the tire thread, this reminded me,..... look at the clearance on the rear bumper for the stock tire. (Go to my member gallery....the file kept coming up too big)there isn't much room there. Jordan and I had a conversation regarding some aftermarket genius making a rack to push the spare back off of the bumper to allow for a bigger spare.

 

[cheazhd]

Saw the tire thread, this reminded me,..... look at the clearance on the rear bumper for the stock tire. (Go to my member gallery....the file kept coming up too big)there isn't much room there. Jordan and I had a conversation regarding some aftermarket genius making a rack to push the spare back off of the bumper to allow for a bigger spare.

I was thinking that same exact thing once i saw your photo!

 

[yoyoyo]

Saw the tire thread, this reminded me,..... look at the clearance on the rear bumper for the stock tire. (Go to my member gallery....the file kept coming up too big)there isn't much room there. Jordan and I had a conversation regarding some aftermarket genius making a rack to push the spare back off of the bumper to allow for a bigger spare.

i remember a long time ago someone commenting that ya couldn't put a big tire on the rear as you wouldn't be able to open up the rear window. the bigger tire would block it. i'm not certain if it would be possible but i wonder if you can put longer bolts on the mounting rack and then use a bolt or two for spacers to push the tire back more. this way you can open the window. the key here is the bolts need to be real long. not certain if it would work, just an idea.

 

[Pancho]

Someone pointed out in another thread (I can't find anything around here anymore) that the spare on the blue SEMA FJC was more vertical than standard equipped FJCs. I don't think anyone has confirmed it but it looks like they had to do something like what your talking about for the 285/17R17 tires on that one.

 

[n6opv]

Someone pointed out in another thread (I can't find anything around here anymore) that the spare on the blue SEMA FJC was more vertical than standard equipped FJCs. I don't think anyone has confirmed it but it looks like they had to do something like what your talking about for the 285/17R17 tires on that one.

That was me. I remember reading somewhere about a bracket to position the tire vertical and up a little so the larger size would fit. If you look at a picture of that SEMA FJC, it's definitely not the stock mounting.

Jason

 

[Percy]

I think the one on the SEMA vehicle also had a bracket for a jerry can, so you're right, probaby not the stock mount.

 

[yoyoyo]

That was me. I remember reading somewhere about a bracket to position the tire vertical and up a little so the larger size would fit. If you look at a picture of that SEMA FJC, it's definitely not the stock mounting.

Jason

i'll try to check into it this saturday in greenville.

 

[HamsFJ]

I have Bridgestone Dueler A/T (non-Revo's) on my Bronco and I really am impressed with them. I've been in the mud, snow, rain, and they don't complain one bit. They are also really quiet unlike the Yokohama's that it wore before. They also wear pretty evenly. The mileage warranty is also nice. I think it's a 40K mile warranty. Gotta check my invoice to make sure. If it came down to getting another set, I'll have no qualms with the Duelers.

 

[granger]

Thanks Hams! I appreciate the feedback on the Bridgestones

 

[happy trails]

I'm sure hoping the FJ can be had with BFG AT KO's. I had a set of bridgestone Duellers on my 4x4 taco and while they were fine for the
street and mild trail running, they didn't cut it when the going got rough
offroad. I'm back with the BFG's and these tires, providing you rotate
every 5000 miles and watch your pressure are the best of both worlds,
good on the hwy and very good offroad. If my FJ comes with a mild tire
like dueller's, off they go.

 

[DocAltie]

Pushing the spare tire out from the back to fit a bigger tire/wheel:

Go to autozone and ask for a "Wheel-spacer". It adds offset to your rim. Off-roaders and customizers have been using them for decades to get a wider stance or to fit bigger wheels.

 

[4703SE]

What I've done with other new cars and trucks lately:

- A few weeks before the new rig arrives, research tire upgrades from places like Tire Rack and enthusiast sites.

- Search the web for best pricing, print out for reference.

- Go to local tire shop that sells both types and show printout. Start negotiations for trade credit on OEM rubber and road hazard warranty.

- Within a day or two of new rig arrival, have tire dealer M&B new tires and pay the difference.

For example, I did this again last month on a new car. The total net cost was $180 including a REPLACEMENT ROAD HAZARD WARRANTY. That's the icing not available with OEM tires, and it only added $8/tire. Plus I think a good tire is the best bang-for-the-buck mod, and amortized over the tire life is well worth the cost for improved (fill in the blanks).

 

[HamsFJ]

I agree happy trails. If you do more off roading than on, then the BFG's will probably be a better choice. The Load Range on the Duelers are only rated at C. For my particular application, that's all I need as I go off road only a couple of times per year.