Expedition Wheels and Tires for FZJ80 (Read not Rock Crawling) (1 Viewer)

[elum]

Seeing as there is quite a wealth of knowledge I wanted to ask the question.

It seems there is a general consensus to run 31x10.5 tires. This being mainly b/c of the ease of finding replacements if need be. (Yes we should still be bringing a spare or two on an expedition. Correct me if I'm wrong but when we talk 31s we are normally referring to the one on a 15" wheel.

Everything I've read says a 15" wheel won't fit over the Rear Brakes?

What am I missing here?

 

[elum]

I'm guessing that to make this possible.. you'd have to "Modify" the rear brakes of a FZJ80. I really wouldn't want to do that.. but I'm wondering "what if?"

I don't know why the rear brakes would be a problem and not the front as I'm used to seeing larger brakes up front.. but could you retrofit a set of front brakes to the rear axle and then fit 15" wheels on all around?

 

[harveya]

You might want to retrofit brake assemblies from a pre - 93 FJ80 which alreadu had 15 inch wheels all round. Think it was 93 that the 16 inch wheels and larger rotor/calipers were fitted. Not sure how much of a job it will be and you will lose ABS if you have it.

Alternative would be to get some 16 inch steels made for tubed tyres and carry some spare tubes with you. That would be my route on an expedition. Go for the Michelin XZL tyres that are pretty much indestructable, made for fitting with tubes and last forever, has been heard of doing trans afric journeys without a single puncture. They don't have that agressive pattern so not great for mud but good for general expedition use.

 

[MutleyFJ62]

Experience here in Australia, I have run the Dick Cepek FCII's on 16 X 8 stock l'cruiser rims. 3 - 4000 miles of solid dirt roads,tracks, desert grasses, no punctures, no worries. Buy quality, buy trusted brands. Remember to check tyres pressures every morning you are on trek, this can save a lot of hassles later in the day.

 

[RavenTai]

when you clearance the rear brakes for 15" tires the caliper flexes under pressure.

 

[elum]

Hmmnn.. sounds like a combination of (1) Good Tires and (2) Tubes will be what I'll need to do. I really don't want to sacrifice ABS or really have to deal with the hassle of changing out the rear brakes... Thanks to all

 

[harveya]

Hmmnn.. sounds like a combination of (1) Good Tires and (2) Tubes will be what I'll need to do. I really don't want to sacrifice ABS or really have to deal with the hassle of changing out the rear brakes... Thanks to all

Just looked around the web, tyre to have is 7.50x16 Michelin XZY and it is available in the US. Tubeless but regarded as the rolls royce of off road tyres, very tough steel belted radial that is very resistant to punctures and has a nice off road agressive tread.

 

[sleeoffroad]

It seems there is a general consensus to run 31x10.5 tires. This being mainly b/c of the ease of finding replacements if need be.

Where are you going that you think you can not find 16" tire?

 

[Kalawang]

Seeing as there is quite a wealth of knowledge I wanted to ask the question.

It seems there is a general consensus to run 31x10.5 tires. This being mainly b/c of the ease of finding replacements if need be. (Yes we should still be bringing a spare or two on an expedition. Correct me if I'm wrong but when we talk 31s we are normally referring to the one on a 15" wheel.

Everything I've read says a 15" wheel won't fit over the Rear Brakes?

What am I missing here?

Very old LC's like mine came with smaller rotors and 15" rims as stock. Newer LC's like yours came stock with 16" rims and slightly larger rotors. 15" rims won't fit on the new cruisers without a lot of modification. There's no gain in downsizing. You should be alright with tires that size or close to it on 16" rims.


Kalawang

 

[clownmidget]

Go for the Michelin XZL tyres .... They don't have that agressive pattern so not great for mud but good for general expedition use.

You obviously haven't had these mounted on an 80!

The tread depth on these when new is 1" in the 9.0R16 size. Also, these are not available in the US except from a few people that have been hoarding a couple of sets here and there. I've never seen the XZY's in the 16" size either.

I'd personally go with a readily available size of tire so replacements can be had locally as the AWD will not want any odd size tire, carry two spares to begin with and all the necessary patch/repair equipment.

 

[hks3sgte]

Go for the Michelin XZL tyres that are pretty much indestructable, made for fitting with tubes and last forever, has been heard of doing trans afric journeys without a single puncture. They don't have that agressive pattern so not great for mud but good for general expedition use.

Ditto that. Your tire size will also depend on where you will be traveling. Most common size would be a 7.50R16.

 

[semlin]

define expedition? where are you going and what kind of driving conditions do you expect to encounter and how hard will it be to order 16" tires?

the 91-92s fit a 15" but have drum brakes semi floaters on the back. retrofitting those is a big expensive ridiculous sacrifice not worth considering. grinding the stock rear calipers seems like it might be a bad idea for an expedition rig although it can be done afaik, especially if you choose your rims carefully.

I would not want to drop down to 31s given the sacrifice in ground clearance over say 33s. the difference in entry and exit angles alone is huge and extremely noticable on rough roads when crossing ditches, fording creeks etcetera. if replacements are a problem I would think a better answer is to carry multiple spares, including a couple without rims on the roofrack to save weight. Remember that you can't just throw on any tire of roughly the right size that may be available locally anyway because of the fulltime 4wd system. You will burn out your VC if there is a significant difference in tire size or performance.

 

[elum]

Where are you going that you think you can not find 16" tire?

Initially up and down Baja and eventually to Central America hopefully...

 

[IdahoDoug]

Just to clarify something. Never put tubes into a tire not specifically designed for it to gain puncture resistance. There will be problems with the tube/tire interface.

As for tires, I personally would go with a 10 ply well known and easily (relatively) found tire such as the BFG M/T or similar, and toss in a nice field tire repair kit. This is far lighter and cheaper than multiple spares, and also requires a fraction the space - all keys to successful expedition kitting. Extra spares will be an unbelievable pain in the ass to work around vs a shoebox-size tire kit.

DougM

 

[Rusty Phillips]

sorry for the tangent, but has anyone tried the toyota 16" FJ40 split rims on FZJ's?


just saw that the split rims are only for tubes..... forget that


just ran across these (6x5.5 bolt pattern inner / 16.5" hummer outer)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/6-Lu...989729904QQcategoryZ43956QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Rusty Phillips]

You obviously haven't had these mounted on an 80!

The tread depth on these when new is 1" in the 9.0R16 size. Also, these are not available in the US except from a few people that have been hoarding a couple of sets here and there. I've never seen the XZY's in the 16" size either.

I'd personally go with a readily available size of tire so replacements can be had locally as the AWD will not want any odd size tire, carry two spares to begin with and all the necessary patch/repair equipment.

ditto to the idea to stick with common sizes and might make sense to go to a 265 or a 285 as they are everywhere


FWIW I just happened to find this set of Michelins while cruising ebay - nice to look at but.....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MIch...989864100QQcategoryZ66474QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

if I had a rig tall enough to run a 36 - 37 inch tire I think Id get some 16.5 inch hummer tires & wheels (either convert axles to 8 lug or go the custom center route)..... tires are cheap and readily available - just heavy & hard to balance