New 80 Series owner with Tire Predicament.. Need Your Help

Sharky1528

Observer
Guys,
New to Forum but not new to wheeling, I have been away for about 10 years and just bought a 1997 LX 450 that I want to set up as a Expedition Truck since I know how Amazing the Land Cruiser 80 Series are. I got a great deal on the LX because it needed tires and some general maintenance with that said the Michelin LTX's are 11 years old on her and in the stock size 275/70R16 there are few choices for replacement tires.

I wish I had the extra money for a lift right now ( future mod ) but I don't so wanted to see if there was a optional tire size I can look at the will still be ok for the stock suspension?? I plan on bumpers and a RTT at some point so not sure if I should be looking for load range " E " tires ??

Oh.... I guess I'm looking for a AT tire with good on and off road performance, the Cooper S/T Maxx has caught my eye..

Any direction would be appreciated!!!
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Here she is the day I bought her !!!

YKLSv9.jpg


Sharky
 
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eflatlander

Observer
80 Tires

I have a set of Toyo Open Country A/T's 295/75 r16 load range E on my 97 and love them.
I put them on with stock 179,000 mile springs and I did not have any rubbing issues, I have since replaced the springs with
OME stock height springs and 15mm spring packers and the look is great.
 

Upland80

Adventurer
X2 on the Toyos...I run 315s and they're great in all elements, especially rocks. Only downside is the weight.
 

Dazrin

Adventurer
You don't even need the spring spacers for 285/75R16, they should fit without rubbing on stock suspension. Most people say you can get up to about a 295/75R16 with stock suspension. Personally, I didn't want to get quite that close and went 285/75R16. Or you can get some 285/55R16 tires but selection is limited for that size. The 285/75 tires have the best selection of these sizes and going 265/75 would open up a couple more options and is still slightly taller than stock (1/2").

You will probably end up with an E-rated tire just because that is what is mostly available. Finding a D-rated tire is much harder than it used to be. For an expo rig, I don't see E-rated as a bad thing. If you were doing serious rock crawling a more flexible D-rated tire would be more critical.

The Cooper ST/Maxx, BFG AT/KO2, Goodyear Duratracs are all very well reviewed and trusted all-around offroad tires. None of them are great in mud though. Only the BFG and Duratracs have the Mountain/Snowflake symbol sometimes required in order to use them as snow tires. I have heard the ST/Maxx is decent in snow too though if that isn't a requirement in your area. In Oregon, when traction devices are required your tires only count if they have the symbol so I that was a big factor for me when I got the KO2s. Nitto and Toyo also have some good AT tires. All of these manufacturers offer good some mud terrain options too if you want more aggressive (I am liking the Cooper STT Pros right now.)
 

calicamper

Expedition Leader
I ran 285/r75/16's on mine in 100% stock form zero rubbing. Just a warning at 285 the gearing vs power starts to press the old 4.6L go through your cooling dont be surprised if the radiator is junk and needs replacing. I never had HG issues, but I also understood the I6 wasnt a big v8 and drove it with an eye on temp anytime we were facing big head winds, long climbs or long hot high speed trips. Yes you can get it hot if you dont pay attention to running conditions.

Outside of that great rig. Typical valve cover leaking off the back side of the block old car fix will probably be needed. Also be sure to grease the front knuckles.
Google "the pesky water hose" yup its called that.

285s resulted in a very solid 12mpg. I used a wilco tire gate for the spare stowage during road trips. Local stuff the whole kit sat in the side yard shed.
I ran bfg KOs the new 2nd gen KO would be my top choice. The old J80 handled great with them. I put 70,000 on the KOs
 

Sharky1528

Observer
Thanks for all the info guys... After looking around at all the options and spending way to much time reading about tires I did go with the Cooper S/T Maxx. Calicamper thanks for the info and have been on MUD researching the PHH " Pesky Heater Hose " and looking to do a Cooling system overhaul once I pick up all the parts I need Radiator, All Hoses Etc..
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Here they are:
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