Hi Everyone,

I am new here, but have been reading and searching your forum for some time, and am amazed by the collective knowledge and friendliness of everyone here.

I recently bought a 2003 4Runner Sport and want some advice on simple affordable mods that will improve off road with minimal loss in highway performance. It is not a daily city driver, but definitely puts in a lot of highway miles on long road trips. Most trips see at least some time on gravel and rough logging roads, and I am slowly learning to venture even further with it.

Unfortunately it came with bran new street tires (Michelin Cross Terrain 265/65 17) which are great on pavement, but probably not ideal overall, so the first thing I want to do is replace tires. This raises the question of increasing tire size and getting a lift. I am considering a 2.5” Daystar lift with the biggest tires I can fit on my stock rims (maybe 31 or 32” tall).

What I hope to gain is more ground clearance and better approach, departure and breakover (and a more rugged look). Concerns I have are:

Having to re-gear
Recalibrate speedo and odo
Increased chance of rollover due to higher centre of gravity
Reduced breaking power and acceleration
Compatibility with VSC
Voiding my warranty (I have a 3 year ECP)
Reduced steering/handling from taller sidewalls
I also want to get a spare the same size, and want it is to fit where the current spare is

Based on experience, are these legitimate concerns, and are there any more that will affect highway handling? If the larger tire size is too much a problem, what about just the lift with stock tire size, or will that just look too funny?

The second consideration is tire model. Because of the climate I live in, I need a tire that performs well on wet pavement, and in slushy snow. Between the BGF AT KO and the Bridgestone Dueler Revo AT, I think the Revo is overall better suited to my driving. I think the BFG is stronger and provides more rim protection, and I think it looks better, but I suspect it is more prone to hydroplaning, and not as good in snow. A good deal of the off-pavement driving I do is in snow. Any input on my tire choice?

thanks

 

First of all, welcome!!! This forum has tons of knowledge and you can pretty much find any kind of info concerning you vehicle. I had the same concerns when the time comes for me to get a new set of tires. Right now, I have the Bridgestone H/L Alenza and they are very nice. I have been in all kinds of road conditions with these tires and I am very impressed. When I went to visit my girlfriend's folks in Colorado, I drove through snow, ice, slush, rain, and mud and they held up pretty nice. When the time comes for new tires, I am leaning toward the Bridgestone Dueler Revo AT. I think the Alenza were designed for mostly highway but they were great in all conditions. They are very quiet for highway driving as well which is a plus.