What to go with 12.5's when i get new tires but have no power steering. are these wide of tires really that hard to steer. thanks if not does anybody have 4 they want to sell. thanks.
[quote author=Cruiserhead05 link=board=1;threadid=7135;start=msg59043#msg59043 date=1067999991] What to go with 12.5's when i get new tires but have no power steering. are these wide of tires really that hard to steer. thanks if not does anybody have 4 they want to sell. thanks. [/quote] if you have 33x12.5's now the 35x12.5 will be no better or worse. I have manaul steering on my fj45 wtih 35 MTR's its not all that bad......but not all that great John h
I've got 33x12.5 TSL radials. Steer easier than my old A/T style 31x11.5. I have manual steering. If you'd asked me at the right time I would have sold them to you and gone SOA, but you're just a little late, sorry. What really seems to matter is the tread design/density and tire pressure, more than width itself. So no go if they are 12.5 slicks, or streets, but an open design (like TSL's) at top pressure is not all that bad.
I switched from 33X12.50 BFG's to 33X13.50 Swamper LTB's and while I miss the BFG ride, the LTB's turn a LOT easier with larger tread. At least on pavement...well..no...off road too actually. Ah, yet another sacrifice to own the coolest ride on the road.
I had my 35 X 12.50s before I did my power steering and I was able to enjoy many miles on and off the road including a few runs to Moab. Even hells revenge was cake. Not saying the PS isn't the first mod I would recommend. Just saying you can get by without.
I agree with Hammerhead, the only time that I really had any trouble steering with 35X12.50's Baja Claws was with both axles locked on "some" terrain. Particularly if your crossed up or trying a 20 pt turn. Power steering is a definate plus.
Armstrong PS is okay on the street(as long as you don't bump the curb), but since I went to Saginaw PS I haven't once had the wheel yanked out of my hands and my knuckles "busted" driving in the rocks. I would recommend PS ahead of most mods. It makes driving alot more comfortable. You still may not be able to sit back in your seat, but you can relax your deathgrip on the wheel.
I was running 33x12.5's on 10" rims, then changed to an 8" rim. Huge difference in manual steering effort. Cheaper to change rims then tires.
All I can say is, its all about tire pressure. On the street, keep it HIGH. Don't wear out the center of your tires, but DO keep it high. I ran 33x12.50's on my FJ55 before the SOA. Haven't driven it with 35's yet but I anticipate no change. It really schools you on how to let the truck pick the lines, as long as they aren't gonna kill ya
Ok. thanks, most of my driving is on road anyways. i now i can do p/s with old toyota truck components and those can be found w/ease. one more thing. i have the original wheels on my 1982 fj40. same as 60and 62 series wheels but white. i've seen only one cruiser do this but a guy had 12.5's on those wheels. he said he had wheeled with them and didnt have any problems. he said the big problem was finding a tire place to atempt to put 12.5's on a 5 or 6 inch wheel. if this a bad idea i could just go with 11.5's on my stock wheels. i would like to keep original wheels if possible and would save money. thanks
wide tires on pizza cutter stock rims have a red neck beadlock effect. don't know about the cons of this though. my 76 fj40 wears bald 33 x 12.5 bfg all terrains, manual steering, and is doable
The only issue I ever had with no PS was on the trail. The truck sometimes decided on the wrong line and it was a major pain to get back on track. On the road was never an issue.
