How are 35" on a 80 for a expo rig?

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I recommend going with the smallest tires that still allow you to safely navigate your intended terrain. Lower weight, lower center of gravity, better mpg, better on-road handling, less vehicle stress, and better braking are your friend. At 20,000 miles per year of mostly highway, pick a tire that suits you 90% of the time. It sounds like you can keep up with the Joneses with your driving skills, you don't need bigger tires.
 
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Qball said:
Too much work! For 35s I really didn't have to do anything except 2 inch lift.
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too much work?!!! all you need to fit 37's is 3" J springs and the right wheel and a little plastic trimming

putting a fridge in the minivan is too much work!
 
jtwopark said:
too much work?!!! all you need to fit 37's is 3" J springs and the right wheel and a little plastic trimming

putting a fridge in the minivan is too much work!
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Now I have to change springs again!!! And need shocks.....again!!!
 
no shocks needed just new tires
and springs...just order from john's depot!
 
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I drove across Canada and back with 35" open country mts. There is definitely a bit of road noise, but that is what the volume knob is for.

All in all the open country is a great tire: Wears like steel and looks really badass. I think, performs best on muddy lease, or forestry service roads.
 
Kumho 35's on now. Fabulous tires on road and very good off road as well. Cosmetically, I prefer the Toyo MT's I had on previously. The Toyo's are more square with more tire on the road. The only thing I didn't like is they got stiff and noisy after a few years and squirrely if the road had grooves or ruts. Still hemming about 37's or not. As is though...I'd world tour this rig with no reservations.
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I went from Belgium to Mongolia and back last year (google map it if you don't know where any of these countries are ;))
I had 285/75/16 but a lot of Mongolian cars in the gobi dessert had 315/75/16 or 35"ers. So next set of tires I also went for 35"ers and I haven't regretted it for 1 sec. (but I do have a 1HD-T engine, so I didn't regear or anything, works perfect)
 
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I have 315 Toyo MTs. Great tire but heavy especially with the OEM steelies. A buddy has same truck with 2" lift, but runs 285 (not sure of brand). He can go everywhere I can go, albeit with a bit more difficulty. Personally, I just like the look of the 35s, but I don't think anything larger than 285s is really necessary for 95% of the trails we run. As someone mentioned, goal should be to keep it as close to stk as possible, with mods only absolutely necessary to accomplish what it is you want to do.
 
Only pink panty mall cruisers keep it stock.
 
VuickB6 said:
Not much work at all. I have the Slee 4" lift along with their radius arms. Wheels are 17x8 & 4.5" BS and it only rubs a liiiiiiiiiiitle bit on my Slee rear bumper. No cutting needed on mine.


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are those actually 37's or the 345's? the 345's are a bit shorter.
 
Biggest difference I have noticed between 35's and 37's was winter wheeling in deep snow. The 80's on 35's had a tough time in deep snow where the little bit difference in clearance mattered. They have since upgraded to 37's. Really in dry conditions probably doesn't matter as much.
 
I DD mine on 35's and the next set will be 37's
 
Plus-size tires over 33 inches really require steeper gearing to retain driveability.

At least 4.56 for 35, 4.88 for 36 and 5.29 for 37. Mine with 4.88s, 35s and a blower is very driveable. My wife's NA truck with 35s and 5.29s is also very driveable but it is not at all happy at speeds above 65 mph with that diameter/ gear ratio combo.
 
There are a lot of rigs out here in AZ that are not regeared and drive just fine with 37s. Six that I can think of just off the top of my head.

Sure it's slower, but have you ever driven up into the mountains with a pack of Jeeps? I think we went 30-35 through one climb? I usually shove it into 2nd and run about 70mph at around 4,000rpm.
 
rc51kid said:
I have a 94 FZJ80 that is my DD and my travel/exploring rig. I put about 20,000 miles a year on her traveling around the country and exploring trails and wheeling. Most of it is highway driving but when i get where i am going i enjoy being off road. Nothing really crazy but i like a good challenge. I currently have 285/75/16 and with a few inches of lift and lockers it goes everywhere i have wanted at this point. When i wheel with some other locked 80s with 35s i do have to work a little harder than they do. Also my KOs do give me a little trouble when things get muddy.

It will be time for new tires soon and i am pretty well set on Toyo Open Country MT. I was set on 285/75/16 because my current setup really works well. But i have been thinking that 315/75/16 really would be nice off road. The topic of gearing is pretty well covered. What i want to know about is the other aspects of driving. How are the other things like handling, brakes and tracking with 315/7/16? I am not really concerned about things like noise. But i do care about safety feeling or how they do over road grooves and imperfections. It is hard to put in long days driving cross country if you feel like you are fighting with the truck all the time. What do you guys think about 35" on a expo rig? Should i just stick with the 33" because "if it aint broke dont fix it"?
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So there you have it! Do as you damn well please because it's your 80 and you make the rules.
 
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