Tire recommendation on a stock Fj for slight off road adventures?

1207 Views 35 Replies 19 Participants Last post by FJ-Sun, 2 d ago

Papatoon3

Discussion Starter · 11 d ago

Hey all, have a 2012, bilstein 5100 front and rear, front set 1 notch up to help level it current tire 265/70/17. Everything else is stock. Most of the time it's driven on pavement. But often on some dirt roads when I go for adventures.

It is time for me to get new tires and I'm looking for a tire that it capable of doing some other trails, inclines, decline, smaller rocks ( not boulders ) and so on. but then can jump right back into my daily use when done.

Any recommendations would greatly be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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darksidetourist57

· #2 · 10 d ago

Something like the BFG All Terrain TA KO2, Falken Wildpeak A/T 3W, Toyo Open Country A/T III or any of the dozen or so all terrain tires around will take you almost anywhere you want to go offroad and still have reasonable street manners for every day driving- my '08 FJ is on BFG KO2's (285/75/17) and these are the 3rd or 4th set I've had on a vehicle over the years. If you're worried about your every day driving make sure to go with a 'C' load rated tire. The KO2's I'm running are E rated and while they ride a wee bit rougher on the street, the peace of mind the heavier carcass gives when in the loose sharp rocks in the mountains around here is something not to be denied. You could go with something a touch milder like the BFG Trail Terrain TA's but you might find that as you get more confident and adventurous that they're not doing it any more.
Are you dead set on sticking with stock size (265/70-17's) or are you open to moving up in size (275/70 or even 285-70) a bit?

Reactions: 1

Papatoon3

Discussion Starter · #3 · 10 d ago

Yeah, interested in bumping a size without having to do any other mods. Just don't want to deal with rubbing.

Some threads have 285/70 rubbing and others don't. If I increase my size, will my set up resolve that?
bilstein 5100 front and rear, front set 1 notch

Luke09

· #4 · 10 d ago

I agree with @darksidetourist57 … and would throw the Goodyear Duratracs in the mix. Great tire in my experience.

darksidetourist57

· #5 · 10 d ago (Edited)

I don't think I've heard of or read about anyone having issues when moving up to 275/70-17's- that's not to say it couldn't happen, but after 3 1/2 or 4 years of lurking and then being a member here it's (I think) very unlikely. Now, while we both know that the same can't be said of 285/70's, I believe the main complaint is touching the body mount when turning, which is not a big deal and easily solved by cutting the offending part back (and why it's called the body mount chop, or bmc). No one has reported any ill effects from doing this modification. Check between the inner sidewall of the tires that are there now and the upper control arm at straight ahead, full left and then full right turn and if you've got more than 3/8" clearance you should have no problems, as (iIrc) people have occasionally reported contact with the uca as well. Mine do just touch occasionally with stock rims, even with SPC arms, but after 45,000 kms (almost 30,000 miles) between the 285/70's and /75's there's no sidewall damage and the paint isn't even scuffed off the arms, so that's why I say it just touches occasionally.

275/70-17's will give just over 1/4" more height and will add about 13% more tread on the ground, depending on the brand. 285/70-17's will give 6/10" more height and have about 20% more tread, so there are some great benefits to bigger tires- that's why I recently more up from 285/70-17's to 285/75's. 1.15" more ground clearance and 25% more tread on the ground (compared to the stock Dunlop 265/70-17's) ain't nothin' to sneeze at, as when offroad, GROUND CLEARANCE IS EVERTHING!!!

(you'll find this more and more as you tackle more difficult terrain)

And I do agree with you, @Luke09- the Duratracs are great tires as well! I didn't mention them because they weren't in the first 3 in the list on Tirerack...

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iwashmycar

· #6 · 10 d ago

255/80r17 - take your pick

Reactions: 1

darksidetourist57

· #7 · 10 d ago

Papatoon3 said:
Yeah, interested in bumping a size without having to do any other mods. Just don't want to deal with rubbing.

Some threads have 285/70 rubbing and others don't. If I increase my size, will my set up resolve that?
bilstein 5100 front and rear, front set 1 notch

The short answer is not necessarily.

jimmy-buffett

· #8 · 10 d ago

Papatoon3 said:
It is time for me to get new tires and I'm looking for a tire that it capable of doing some other trails, inclines, decline, smaller rocks ( not boulders ) and so on. but then can jump right back into my daily use when done.

Where do you live, what kind of non-pavement terrain are we talking exactly? Rocky, muddy, dry?

Sparky of NWO

· #9 · 10 d ago

darksidetourist57 said:
I don't think I've heard of or read about anyone having issues when moving up to 275/70-17's- that's not to say it couldn't happen, but after 3 1/2 or 4 years of lurking and then being a member here it's (I think) very unlikely. Now, while we both know that the same can't be said of 285/70's, I believe the main complaint is touching the body mount when turning, which is not a big deal and easily solved by cutting the offending part back (and why it's called the body mount chop, or bmc). No one has reported any ill effects from doing this modification. Check between the inner sidewall of the tires that are there now and the upper control arm at straight ahead, full left and then full right turn and if you've got more than 3/8" clearance you should have no problems, as (iIrc) people have occasionally reported contact with the uca as well. Mine do just touch occasionally with stock rims, even with SPC arms, but after 45,000 kms (almost 30,000 miles) between the 285/70's and /75's there's no sidewall damage and the paint isn't even scuffed off the arms, so that's why I say it just touches occasionally.

275/70-17's will give just over 1/4" more height and will add about 13% more tread on the ground, depending on the brand. 285/70-17's will give 6/10" more height and have about 20% more tread, so there are some great benefits to bigger tires- that's why I recently more up from 285/70-17's to 285/75's. 1.15" more ground clearance and 25% more tread on the ground (compared to the stock Dunlop 265/70-17's) ain't nothin' to sneeze at, as when offroad, GROUND CLEARANCE IS EVERTHING!!! (you'll find this more and more as you tackle more difficult terrain)

And I do agree with you, @Luke09- the Duratracs are great tires as well! I didn't mention them because they weren't in the first 3 in the list on Tirerack...

DuraTrash were the worst tires I have ever owned since my first off road vehicle in 1975.

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Reactions: 1

darksidetourist57

· #10 · 10 d ago

Sparky of NWO said:
DuraTrash were the worst tires I have ever owned since my first off road vehicle in 1975.

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I've never run Duratracs myself, but over the years I've known guys who both really liked and not so much liked them- like most tires out there.

Reactions: 2

FJ-Sun

· #11 · 10 d ago

I love the BFG AT's I have. They wear very well, and take any thing that the roads around me seem to dish out. They are quiet, durable, beefy, and good for it all. But YDY...

They run higher pressures so can be a rougher ride, but, IMO, they are an excellent all round tire. (The county I live in has been converting some area roads to gravel/chipseal because they can't apparently raise taxes on the multinational corporation that runs heavy trucks all over the place to pay to maintain the pavement, so we have to live with stones tossed all over, and dusty roads, and the AT's just eat it up. And the raised white letters are pretty nice too)

EDIT: We got Goodyears for the wife, and they were the hardest to balance and get running without a dancing steering wheel. We ended up junking them. I couldn't get a straight answer for what the problem was. The dealer even sold them, but didn't recommend them (can't remember the model) so whatever)

Papatoon3

Discussion Starter · #12 · 10 d ago

jimmy-buffett said:
Where do you live, what kind of non-pavement terrain are we talking exactly? Rocky, muddy, dry?

Location is Central Florida. Looking to head over to a location called Hard Rock in Ocala. The terrain there is a mixture off all. Well, from the videos I seen on YouTube.

NoClutch

· #13 · 10 d ago

I run BFG All Terrain TA KO2 35x12.5x18 and they work well with a psi at 40. Great on road as well as off, They ha a 50K warranty as well. The best snow tires I have ever had.

Reactions: 1

FatMatt

· #14 · 10 d ago

With 5100s on and adjustable, you should be able to go up to 285s without rubbing. Alignment will help that some. If you really only lightly off-road, the 285s will put a cramp in your felt power and really hit your already lacking MPGs... 275s will be a little better and 265s with a better tread pattern would be best on the wallet and butt dyno. My last set of BFG KO2s lasted 80k miles. Now all 3 of our vehcles have a new set. The FJ is running 285s and the 4Runner and GX460 all have 265s. A co-worker has some Falken Wildpeaks on his new cheby and they look good, but his truck is a mall crawler, so I have no data on how long they'll last.

darksidetourist57

· #15 · 10 d ago

NoClutch said:
I run BFG All Terrain TA KO2 35x12.5x18 and they work well with a psi at 40. Great on road as well as off, They have a 50K warranty as well. The best snow tires I have ever had.

I'm guessing they're E load rated? The KO2 285/75-17's on my FJ are E rated and I run them at 40 psi on the street as well. We air down to 20 psi as soon as we hit the dirt and my brother says it's so much easier on his back! I've had them down to 12 psi in the snow and my son (when he'd borrowed the FJ for a day) spun/de-beaded a tire at 7-8 psi (again, in the snow), so I think the limit for non beadlock assisted is probably about 10. A VIAIR portable compressor gets the tires re-inflated once we're back on pavement. I tried running 36 and then 38 psi on the street with the 285/70-17's (also E rated)- steering was heavy, it wallowed in the corners and mileage sucked big time. You might get away with a couple psi less with bigger tires, but that's something to try should I ever put 35's (37's would be so-o-o coool!) but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...

I have a friend with a 2022 4Runner who's come out with us a couple of times now and while this is not his first 4wd vehicle (and has done a fair bit of offroad exploring over the years), had never 'aired down' before. I convinced him to try it and he was amazed at how much smoother the ride was at even 27-28 psi.(down from 32 or 35- it would be interesting to see what they look like at about 22 psi). After trying airing up with the little 'compressor' he has for pool floaties/bike tires (he said it was written it would fill a 33" tire on the box

) and losing 1psi after 2 minutes re-inflating a tire he now happily trips to the nearest gas station down the road at the end of the day.

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Justkelvin

· #16 · 9 d ago

darksidetourist57 said:
I've never run Duratracs myself, but over the years I've known guys who both really liked and not so much liked them- like most tires out there.

Have to agree with Sparky, got a set on right now, the longevity is good but worthless on anything but dry pavement

Sparky of NWO

· #17 · 9 d ago

Justkelvin said:
Have to agree with Sparky, got a set on right now, the longevity is good but worthless on anything but dry pavement

I could not keep air in mine

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NoClutch

· #18 · 9 d ago

Mine are E rated, I don't air down unless I'm in sand cuz I'm. to lazy to air them back up. The price of tires are going through the roof, Mine were 295$ 2 yrs ago and now there 450$

Reactions: 1

Papatoon3

Discussion Starter · #19 · 9 d ago

So, Falken wildpeaks LT265/70/17 121S E1 RBl, good for daily and slight off road adventures?

FJ-Sun

· #20 · 9 d ago (Edited)

Papatoon3 said:
So, Falken wildpeaks LT265/70/17 121S E1 RBl, good for daily and slight off road adventures?

Just get the BFG AT's.😆

This is the way...

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