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

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scottryana said:
Biggest reason is you are in Texas and he is in the PNW. Wheeling in Texas is 9 times out of 10 in dry conditions, lots of traction and grip. Wheeling in the PNW is 9 times out of 10 in wet conditions where wheel speed, momentum and bouncing all play a lot bigger part.
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Exactly the case for us up here, a great majority of why that 80 was in pieces either in the garage or a trail. The minority was me not having a degree in vehicle trajectory & bouncing through Walker Valley ORV park up here - just because you live 20 minutes from it doesn't mean it's a 20 minute return trip. Learned that the hard way(s).
 
VuickB6 said:
I'm in SETX and the only thing around here within 5 hours drive time is muddy stuff like you're talking about. We get over 2 feet of rain every year in this area.

Mine does it all and doesn't break. :meh:
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You're a better man than me then. Awesome for you!
 
LINUS said:
I'll toss this out as I've had a 80 on 37's & sold it.

Kept my longtimer that's just on 315's.

Those 37's will make you the fricking guenea pig for all who want to try something, then watch as you either make it, fail, or worse - break isht.

I learned alot, I wrenched alot. I sold that one & regained a hobby with all the time I don't spend on cardboard under it.

Now I smile, let other guys do crap & have yet to not leave a trail under my own power on 315's. Less balls, sure - no prob saying it. And that night I just go home & entertain myself however I choose, not have time dictated to me by what is wearing/worn/flat busted.

Find your balance of "I want big" & "balance in life" - if you have no other hobbies, no wife/kids, & enjoy turning ratchets then I bet the tire shop's got a set of 37's waiting for you. I've no real clue why, but it's "something" the jump to 37's is - you just need to decide if it's a crown on your head or cuffs on your wrists. My .02 on it all.
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That's practically poetry right there and the best part is that it makes perfect sense. It's all about the image we want to project. My guess it that most of us sport armor on the bottom side and an expensive winch on the front. What's wrong with actually using it a few times per year.
My last rig was not a Landcruiser but I had it for 15 years and it evolved from stock to a trailer queen on 40's with a 358:1 crawl ratio and zero straight sheet metal. The trail itself became boring and my winch rarely was used unless I purposely tried some insane lines or deep ass snow covered Rubicon. Maybe we just need to go that far to see if it's what we want.
I bought my 80 for its versatility and I run 35's for there all around versatility. When I graduated to 37's on my last vehicle I felt more confident but I started to have front axle issues until I went to one ton's which were costly and took a lot of time out my life and money out of my pocket to install. Then of course I had to have the 40's. Where does it end?
For me, the 80 in my signature is the balance point. Yes, I'm back to getting out to move a rock now and then I use my skid plates and winch on a regular basis, that's what they are for. I do consider 37's in the future but my mind keeps going back to cruisers and rovers I have seen in third world countries where these vehicles are operated out of necessity rather than pleasure and they don't have large tires but they do have recovery tools. Or how about the camel trophy Land Rovers? Men put those vehicles through the ringer and I don't remember 37"or even 35" tires being used but they had a great time using recovery equipment, team work, experience and ingenuity.
But ultimately, here in the USA, it always comes down to the image we choose to project.
 
Ran two different sets of 37's back in 2004
Fast forward 10 years now on 35's go the same places with a much lower price of admission
37's do have better rolling resistance but learn how drive and you will go the same places.
 
the "Force" is strong with the 37's crowd...lol....33's are what I use here for expedition, great for the hills (sierra nevada mts)...
gas mileage is not bad at all.....braking is well...overall a good size
 
I just got 315's on my truck and like it a lot. I was surprised that there really was not much of a difference in handling or power from moving from 285's. I do have a SC though. They fit the wheel wells much better with the 2 inch ome lift. I have a set of 1 inch coil spacers on order to give a little more room though. Once this suspension tires out I will get the J ome suspension. I won't ever go to 37's. This is not my first rodeo and I have already done the hardcore 4x4 thing with an FJ40 in my younger years. This truck is for family time wheeling and carrying everyone in comfort. I do have plans to go to 4.88's in the future when cash flow allows.

Looking forward to the rubithon in June with my daughter.
 
First up, I don't know wtf an "expo" rig is. I know that "ExPo" stands for Expedition Portal but otherwise I gots nothing.


Secondly, 35s all day long on an "overland" truck. Tire size is not going to have anything to do with the truck wandering like the OP is worried about in his first post. That has to do with caster, condition of steering and suspension components and yes also how aggressive the tire tread is not how big a tire is.

35's on my 80 in Baja, it is a long drive down there from Wyoming.

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Cheers
 
:deadhorse:

I run 265's because I drive I-70 a lot and I don't want to compromise my gearing one iota. Been there, done that, it sucked. Regear has always been out of reach budget-wise, but would be a possibility nowadays. I wheel my truck with 265's and it will get where I want it to go, it just usually scrapes and bashes it's way there.

Aside from the utter lack of power the best "overlanding" vehicle I've ever owned was also the best "crawling" vehicle I ever owned. A 1984 carbureted pickup truck with a camper shell, chevy springs, aussie and 31's. That truck could out-wheel any other vehicle I have owned or driven even with just a rear locker (as long as I didn't point the nose too high uphill--those of you who have owned a 22r know what I'm talking about). Moving from that into the 60 series, the only need for 33's was the fact that the 9.5" diff hangs down a lot lower than the 8". All of that is proof positive that 35's are not necessary for what I do.

But when the turbo goes on, I'll probably get them anyway because I'm shallow and they look good.
 
Box Rocket said:
No problems at all with 35's on my rig that's a daily driver/expo rig that gets 20K + miles a year. The guys suggesting 37's make me laugh. Only because they're probably right. I'm shopping for 37's for mine after almost 15 years of 35's. The only reason I've not done 37's already is the extra work needed to keep them from rubbing. I'm not a fan of limiting travel so much with bumpstops or having to cut the fenders a bunch to fit the 37's but I'm headed that way anyway.

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Adam, Did you regear to put 35s on your truck?
 
DanMedeiros said:
Adam, Did you regear to put 35s on your truck?
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No I didn't. I've been driving an 80 on 35's since 2000 and the entire time has been with stock gears. Until now! I've had a set of 4.88s for more than a year and have been getting them installed this week. I should be driving it tomorrow with the new gears.
 
I've wanted 37s for a long time, not because I *need* them but purely for aesthetic reasons. I just like how the look. I have never felt like 35s were holding me back. I like wheeling some difficult trails sometimes but I'm not running the super hardcore rocks. That's not what an 80 is best at so I'll leave that to buggies and crawlers.
As I've shopped for 37s again (even this week) it is nearly impossible to find any for 16" wheels anymore, so I'd have to change to 17",18" or 20" wheels which I have no interest in doing just to run a tire for looks. So I'll likely stick with 35s and feel completely satisfied.
 
@Box Rocket You sure you don't want to upgrade to 17's? Sooooo many more choices on tire size. I'd avoid 18's or 20's. 17 is the sweet spot.

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midfat said:
@Box Rocket You sure you don't want to upgrade to 17's? Sooooo many more choices on tire size. I'd avoid 18's or 20's. 17 is the sweet spot.

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It's not that I'm opposed to 17's, I just don't want to have to buy new wheels since I just recently got some SCS wheels that I really like that are 16's. A 16 to a 17 isn't a huge difference in size but in my opinion for OffRoad purposes, the more sidewall the better. And as wheel size goes up so does the price tag for tires.

So for me there is no reason to drop another ~$1000 for a set of new wheels and another $2500 on a full set of new tires only for the sake of aesthetics in my case.
The 35's on 16's have worked very well for me and I'm sure they'll continue to.
 
I think we need to mention 255/85's for the expedition rig.

Think of it like this, the Eiffel Tower has four large and very wide legs--the amount of pressure each base has on the ground is about as much as a man sitting in a chair, or 190lbs. The distribution of weight across the base is very wide. The same principles apply to tires, larger tires are typically wider and the distribution of weight becomes more evident in slippery conditions. I know, I know, skinnies are ugly and don't have the same appeal as say a Nitto or Cooper.

Skinnies are probably the least talked about; but, they are one of the most if not the best tire for a Land Cruiser, period. The amount of pressure per square inch becomes a factor in snow, ice, sleet and rain. You mentioned 90% would be on the road...you need to think of how a larger tire performs in these adverse conditions on a flat road. I'm sure 35's and 37's do great here too, but the the skinny is king.

Zona
 
The Expeditions 7 fleet went around the world on BFG KM2s 255/85/16.
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