Joined the 285 club; Revo 2 ATs (1 Viewer)

[BManning`]

In a close race edging out the Nitto TG, I went with Bridgestone Revo 2 ATs in LT285/75R16 E-rated.

Had some reservations...now I'm thrilled I did it! The ride quality didn't suffer IMO because I don't mind a more 'truckish' ride anyway; the tires are virtually silent (realizing that'll change later); I gained around 1" ground clearance; braking, handling, acceleration were less negatively effected than I was prepared for.

Love the look- fenderwells are filled in now- and I feel like the LC 'graduated' to the next level today. Tires will be in place when I lift it, which is another bonus.

Can't wait to head north to Sedona and see how they grip the red rock...

 

[drmwvr]

Nice, enjoy your "new" ride!

 

[fl4031003]

Goodyear Silent Armours worked for me.

I sold her 2 years ago and miss it. I have always had a LC since 1991 (6 total) these past 2 years were tough without one. I just picked up an LX and will post pics soon.

 

[2000UZJ]

Sounds like you made the right choice. Post some pictures and give us a review! Pronto

 

[100 TD]

Maybe a mod can move this to your existing thread so it follows on and doesn't leave the other one sitting there without a finish, and this one without the run up.

 

[mcewan13]

Were 16" wheels stock on your '02? ...or did you downsize the wheel?

 

[LCHardriver_02]

16s are standard on the 02.

 

[bluejack]

How about some pics? I have been considering doing the same thing but had some reservations. I'm glad to hear you like the upgrade. In reference to the silent now, not later, is that due to the fact that uneven wear on those tires may amplify any road noise?

 

[BManning`]

Thanks for all the replies; yeah, I should've tied this in to my "help me decide" thread...oops. You know how it is when you're excited about a new toy

Pics will come later today; what a difference from a few months ago when it was sportin' running boards & the LTXs! Boards off helped a ton, the 285s are a huge improvement-- a coupla inches of lift will be the icing on the cake!

And I'll definitely post my thoughts on the new rubber as I go. Curious to compare my MPG- I was at 13-14 mixed driving in Phoenix- and I can't wait to see how they grip the rocky trails out here.

Lots more to come...

 

[BManning`]

Coupla pics of the Bridgestone Revo 2 285's; not sure if it comes through in the pics but I love that little bit of extra clearance the taller tires give.

 

[gotmud]

Wish they made the Revo's in larger sizes for my 80. Awesome tires.

 

[nautilus]

I know it's only been a few days... but
Do you still like the revos?
Have they gotten louder?
How much worse is your fuel economy?
I'm torn between these, Nitto TG's and the BFG at's, also torn between 285's and 295's (don't plan on lifting any time soon)

We wouldn't mind at all if you wanted to post some more pictures...
Like a full truck side, front, and rear view.

 

[BManning`]

Happy to post some more pics tomorrow; I can't get over how much better (IMO) the truck looks minus running boards & sitting on 285s.

Still love the Revos; I'm fueling up tomorrow so when I post pics I'll also let you know about the MPG difference...I did a 'mini' comparison (based on 50mi or so IIRC) and I was mid-13s, which is down only about .5mpg from the stock size Michelins.

The tires do drive much heavier, as they are E-rated, but I happen to not mind that stuck-to-the-road, heavy truck feeling. Honestly, my 100 now reminds me of a far more refined version of my old 91 FJ80, which rode on BFG ATs (33", 15" wheels). They feel incredibly grippy on-and-off road, and I honestly don't think I'd have gotten out of the desert ditch I was foolishly playing in last week on the stock Michelins (which are great tires in their own right).

A pleasant surprise is the handling; I'm running 42psi and it seems to be a real nice balance between ride comfort, good steering response, and solid cornering.

Verdict-- I'd buy them again in a heartbeat! I'm going up to Sedona to do Broken Arrow this Saturday (out of the way, tour Jeeps!) so I'll see them how they grip slick rock...have a feeling they'll do great.

More pics, MPG info tomorrow evening...

Just for fun, one of my old 80, side view (not a very good pic) of the 100, and a tire shot...

 

[BManning`]

A few more pics...

Another Revo pic and a few misc...

 

[nautilus]

Thanks for taking the time to help me decide.

I never even considered load ratings for the revos, it looks like you can't even get the D rating for that size.

That might be the deal breaker for me, from everything I've read they aren't any where near as smooth on the road, don't air down as well, are heavier (bad acceleration and mpg), and are worse in the snow.

How does you feel about the above factors?

They do look good though!
A lot more aggressive than I had thought.

 

[BManning`]

I'm pretty picky when it comes to a nice ride- the stock Michelins were downright velvety- but I am happy with the ride of the Revos, even being E-rated. They do ride like a truck tire, but to me that's not really unpleasant; as I mentioned I don't mind the heavier, more planted feel they provide.

And yes, I did lose some degree of acceleration and braking takes a tad longer; what I'd say here is that if you like to drive 'sporty' they may not be the best choice. I am lucky: if I want to have some sporty fun I steal the wife's new Fusion, so I don't mind my LC riding more like a truck. It's really all in what driving experience you want to achieve.

As far as how well they air down, I'll let you know next week; I'm planning on heading to Broken Arrow this weekend to see how they do on the red rock. Saturday will tell how they perform at 25psi. I am a bit curious to see if their E-rating and HD nature make them fickle to run at low PSI...we'll see.

As far as snow, that's a non-issue for me in Phoenix, but a member here whose name is escaping me has 285 Revos, lives in Colorado, and is happy with them, so I figured snow performance would be at least adequate. Plus there's plenty of siping, so my eyes tell me they'd do OK.

MPG is TBD...I didn't make my fill-up stop today yet. I have a strong suspicion that I lost 0.5-1mpg-- I don't think it'll be any worse than that, but I will report the results.

Hope this helps...more to come as I get to know them better...

Oh, almost forgot, very happy with noise levels...any additional road noise is very minimal at best.

 

[nautilus]

This is very helpful, I appreciate you taking the time to write it all up.
Sorry if I've kinda hi jacked your thread.

I'm making the transition from the BMW to the Cruiser, so I'm still getting used to how much of a slow heavy fuel guzzler tank the 100 is, and it's my daily driver so I don't want to make it much worse, but the Michelins are just too small, and aren't acceptable offroad so a compromise has to be made.

Enjoy Broken Arrow and be sure to report back.

 

[BigBlue99]

Glad to hear your experience is similar to mine with the Revo 2s.

I went 265/75/R16 ( I know, wimpy, wimpy, wimpy) as I don't do much real wheeling and really just wanted something aggressive for year-round Chicago weather. With the 265 size we get exactly 11 mpg in the stop and go traffic. Although reading this thread it seems that I'm running them a bit low on pressure (36 psi where max is 44) and bumping it up to 40 could maybe improve that a bit. They feel stuck to the road in a good way and I've noticed no additional road noise (and neither has the wife who turned in her Infiniti for the Cruiser and that was a huge relief).

I offer this up not as a hijack but as another data point on the Revo 2s for a different size.

 

[NMuzj100]

A Bridgestone engineer (Their commercial line "tire doctor") calculated the psi for the 100 using the standard tire load tables for 285/75R16 and recommended 38 psi to me. I've run that for over four years now and have had perfect wear and performance.

The Revo 2s are excellent in snow. I got mine at the beginning of the winter and have been very pleased with them. They aren't a dedicated snow tire so you don't get that level of performance on snow and ice but on the front range we drive a lot of dry winter roads too and a snow tire won't last long in those conditions.

 

[BManning`]

Fueled up; Very Nice Surprise!

Just discovered an exciting benefit of 285/75s: my MPG went up fairly significantly! Zeroing out my trip meter and using my GPS, I've discovered that my odometer is off by .06; my GPS logged 280.26mi, while my trip meter read 264.4.

Just topped off the tank; it took 18.92 gallons. 280.26/18.92= 14.8mpg...about 1 full mpg better than I was getting in identical driving conditions (my commute in Phoenix, AC on 75% of the time) on my stock Michelins!

I guess it's not shocking since larger tire diameter has the same effect as more conservative gearing, but I assumed the more aggressive tread and much heavier mass of the Revo 2's would bring down my MPG, not send it upward.

Now I really like these tires...(actually I did before too)

(I run 91oct religiously for those curious...)