Sidewall

[lozina]

I'm planning to get a new vehicle this summer and one of my top contenders is the Toyota 4Runner. Main reason being I do alot of outdoor stuff where I end up driving on unpaved roads parking in the middle of no where lugging loads of camping gear, kayaks, bikes, etc...

So while the 4Runner would excel at that role it would be my only car so it would also need to take me to work everyday and alot of the places I end up camping in are quite far - meaning lots of road time on highways too. So I also want a car that is comfortable to ride.

I believe that one drawback the 4Runner has for that role is its large tires with wide sidewalls. I think that would mean it would take turns pretty sloppily which would be pretty uncomfortable for my regular traveling.

I was wondering does that belief hold any water or am I totally wrong on that?

If it would be a potential problem, would it make a significant difference if I bought a second set of tires which were more performance tires with narrower sidewalls and those would be the tires I usually drive on but when it's camping season switch over to the regular more off-roadish tires?

Does that make any sense?

 

[JCH13]

If you're worried about sidewall flexure for handling performance in a Toyota 4Runner, you're doing it wrong.

I'm sure something like a BGF All-Terrain would do just fine for everything you'd want to do short of super-serial off-roading.

 

[jlee]

If you're worried about sidewall flexure for handling performance in a Toyota 4Runner, you're doing it wrong.

I'm sure something like a BGF All-Terrain would do just fine for everything you'd want to do short of super-serial off-roading.

Yep. They'll also last for ~50k miles (or more). Road manners are perfectly fine for daily driving and they'll be able to handle more offroading than the vast majority of people will ever do.

 

[Ferzerp]

Err, sidewall issues only really come in to play with some serious cornering. For normal driving you aren't going to notice. (Unless those are some seriously high tires)

It's a truck, let it have its truck tires.

As someone with low profile tires, I recognize that most of the time, all they do is give you a rougher ride, and make you accelerate slower (due to high angular mass). It's only when severely cornering do they do anything positive.


edit: Also remember if you change the tires, you're going to have to change the wheel size as well, or deal with recalibrating everything that you must do when you change tire diameter twice a year.

 

[Zenmervolt]

It's a truck. You'll flip the damn thing over before sidewall flex becomes anything even remotely resembling a problem.

Sidewall flex gets a lot of talk from people who like to spend their time bench racing but have never seen a track, but the reality is that on the street there's just no situation where you're realistically going to need to worry about it. On a track, sure, but if you're tracking a 4Runner, you're doing it wrong.

ZV

 

[lozina]

Great, thanks for the input fellas!

I'm in no way knowledgeable on this topic, so that's why I come asking for help. Im glad to hear it shouldn't be any concern.

 

[Scout80]

I'd go with one set of wheels/tires and stick with the stock size. It will give you a decent ride on pavement while still allowing for good flex when wheeling.

If you want a less expensive all-terrain tire I can personally recommend Hankook's Dynapro ATM. I couldn't afford BFG AT's when my F150 needed new tires (I had to replace the upper/lower ball joints too) so I decided to try the Hankooks. I like them so much I will be putting a set on my next vehicle. Tread-life and traction are great with little road-noise.

 

[Throckmorton]

It's a truck, it's not going to handle that well no matter what tires you put on. Low profile tires will flex less but increasing grip also increases your chance of rollover.

How much ground clearance do you need? Maybe a vehicle with independent suspension like the Grand Cherokee would be better.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I use my truck for similar purposes.. I would say it's 80% on the road/highway, 10% gravel/packed dirt, with some occasional snow/mud mixed in.

Personally I'm not a fan of most of the "all terrain" type tires for this stuff. I'm not using 4wd, not going 'mudding/offroading', and tires that work well for that stuff are HORRIBLE on the road.

I'm just about set on michelin ltx m/s as my next truck tire. They're excellent on the road, gravel, and packed dirt and are acceptable in mud and snow.

 

[Scout80]

I use my truck for similar purposes.. I would say it's 80% on the road/highway, 10% gravel/packed dirt, with some occasional snow/mud mixed in.
...

That's a good point. If you spend most of your time on pavement/gravel/packed dirt and don't encounter deep mud or deep snow I wouldn't bother with an all-terrain tire.

If driven properly, a capable four-wheel drive vehicle (like the 4Runner) shouldn't need aggressive tires to meet your needs.

 

[Squisher]

I was scared this thread was going to be about inflating to sidewall.

 

[jlee]

It's a truck, it's not going to handle that well no matter what tires you put on. Low profile tires will flex less but increasing grip also increases your chance of rollover.

How much ground clearance do you need? Maybe a vehicle with independent suspension like the Grand Cherokee would be better.

Like the Toyota 4Runner? /facepalm

 

[MovingTarget]

I was scared this thread was going to be about inflating to sidewall.

You weren't alone in that... :whiste:

But yeah, unless you are doing something seriously unorthodox for your vehicle, give it the stock type of tire it deserves. A Rav4/4Runner or whatever isn't going to need some sort of all-terrain (i.e. 'muddin'!) tire or a low-profile tire for cornering. All they will do is give you a worse ride/handling quality.

 

[Throckmorton]

Like the Toyota 4Runner? /facepalm

The 4Runner has IFS but a solid axle in the back. /facepalm

 

[Throckmorton]

You weren't alone in that... :whiste:

But yeah, unless you are doing something seriously unorthodox for your vehicle, give it the stock type of tire it deserves. A Rav4/4Runner or whatever isn't going to need some sort of all-terrain (i.e. 'muddin'!) tire or a low-profile tire for cornering. All they will do is give you a worse ride/handling quality.

There are lots of good all terrain tires that are good on on the road. BFG AT KO for example. It came stock on Hummers.

 

[Greenman]

I thought this was going to be about air pressure.

 

[slugg]

I thought this was going to be about air pressure.

I herd an rumor that u r suppoze to inflate to sidewall?

 

[jagec]

I herd an rumor that u r suppoze to inflate to sidewall?

Only if you want to save gas and have better handling!

 

[jlee]

The 4Runner has IFS but a solid axle in the back. /facepalm

Ah, indeed. Coil springs vs leaf springs on a Tacoma..that's the difference of which I was thinking. There's nothing wrong with solid rear axle on a truck/SUV...from what I can find, the Grand Cherokee had solid front and rear axles through 2004. FWIW, solid axles are typically preferred for offroad use.

There are lots of good all terrain tires that are good on on the road. BFG AT KO for example. It came stock on Hummers.

I've had BFG AT KOs on all of my trucks - I love them.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Ah, indeed. Coil springs vs leaf springs on a Tacoma..that's the difference of which I was thinking. There's nothing wrong with solid rear axle on a truck/SUV...from what I can find, the Grand Cherokee had solid front and rear axles through 2004. FWIW, solid axles are typically preferred for offroad use.



I've had BFG AT KOs on all of my trucks - I love them.

How is the highway ride? I've read that they're noisy, lots of rolling resistance, that they're great if you want one tire that will do difficult mud situations but otherwise to stick with a road tire.

BFG AT KO:

Michelin LTX:

 

[Scout80]

Goodyear Wrangler ATs are also a great choice. I think they came stock on Tahoe Z71s for a while. They have a quiet ride, I have seen them last over 70k miles, and they should more than meet all of your needs.

 

[herm0016]

the ltx ms2 is a good tire, check out the michelin at2 for a bit better off road performance and still great highway performance.

the bfg is a good tire, but i think it is over hyped. there are tires out there that will do better for light off road and mostly highway. the ms2 is a great winter tire for example, and the bfg is not nearly as good on ice.

I have done extensive tire research and am looking at the general at2, the michelin at2 and just a couple others for my next purchase. I also have a work truck, an f350 that gets driven off road about 30% of the time in all conditions and all seasons.

 

[jlee]

How is the highway ride? I've read that they're noisy, lots of rolling resistance, that they're great if you want one tire that will do difficult mud situations but otherwise to stick with a road tire.

BFG AT KO:

Michelin LTX:

From what I've heard, they ride way better than a mud tire. I haven't ran anything else on my trucks, but I bought mine for playing in the desert so I am not interested in a road tire.

the ltx ms2 is a good tire, check out the michelin at2 for a bit better off road performance and still great highway performance.

the bfg is a good tire, but i think it is over hyped. there are tires out there that will do better for light off road and mostly highway. the ms2 is a great winter tire for example, and the bfg is not nearly as good on ice.

I have done extensive tire research and am looking at the general at2, the michelin at2 and just a couple others for my next purchase. I also have a work truck, an f350 that gets driven off road about 30% of the time in all conditions and all seasons.

I'd consider the AT2 but they don't make tall/skinny ones...I'm looking for 33x10.50.