KZJ78W Questions from a Newb (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

BTV

Joined
Feb 12, 2022
Threads
12
Messages
61
Location
Vancouver Island
G'day folks.
So I just won an auction on a 95 Prado SX Wide after many many failed attempts. I'll save you the time of asking why I didn't go with the 4.2... I couldn't afford it.
Knowing that when it gets to Canada, at minimum I'll have to put new rubber on it as it doesn't meet the three dot system we have here.
Since I'm going to have to put new rubber on it right away, should I look at putting a slight lift on it and avoid having to re-rubber afterwards?
I probably won't be doing any serious off roading or crazy crawling, mostly heading up to a few remote ski resorts here on Vancouver Island, and getting off the beaten path to get some salmon on the fly. Can the 3.0 handle 33's without losing too much power?
On top of the off road practicality of the lift, I do love the look of the SX wide's with slightly bigger rubber and a bit higher off the ground.
Recommendations on rubber size, all knowing brethren?
Ohh, and feel free to throw any other tidbits my way.
Mucho appreciate-o.

PHOTO-2022-02-09-17-01-02.jpg


PHOTO-2022-02-09-16-55-34.jpg
 
First, congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the madness! The KZJ78 is a great choice. With respect to your tire/lift question, are you planning on getting new wheels also, or just tires? Those look to me like the 15x7 version of that rim rather than the 16x6, which may limit your tire options somewhat. 33x10.5R15 would be a great choice and should just fit with no rubbing. You could also go with a 33x12.5, but the wider tires will eat more power and reduce your fuel economy. A mild lift isn't a bad idea especially if the suspension is still all original, since you'd probably be replacing shocks soon anyway. Old Man Emu, Dobinsons and Ironman all make lift kits for those.
 
First, congratulations on the purchase and welcome to the madness! The KZJ78 is a great choice. With respect to your tire/lift question, are you planning on getting new wheels also, or just tires? Those look to me like the 15x7 version of that rim rather than the 16x6, which may limit your tire options somewhat. 33x10.5R15 would be a great choice and should just fit with no rubbing. You could also go with a 33x12.5, but the wider tires will eat more power and reduce your fuel economy. A mild lift isn't a bad idea especially if the suspension is still all original, since you'd probably be replacing shocks soon anyway. Old Man Emu, Dobinsons and Ironman all make lift kits for those.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply.
To be honest, I'm not sure what wheels are on the rig right now. I have asked, but no reply... maybe because they don't know at the auction house?
If I was to buy some new wheels to go with the new rubber, anything come to mind as the obvious choice?
And thanks for the lift recommendations... those are the names that come up often when I look into the matter. Nothing drastic, just a 2 or 3 inch...
B
 
Mine has 33x12.5x15. I can't compare driving it with other sized tires as it's had that size since I got it, but I don't notice any performance issues from the tire size. Being a relatively low powered 4 cylinder I was expecting it to be a bit of a dog, but it performs better than I was expecting... much sportier feeling than my HDJ81 was... better power to weight ratio I suppose. The 12.5 wide tire looks fine with the wider fender flares like yours has. I think the 10.5 would look good too. There is a wider selection for the 33x12.5 than 10.5 size if you're looking for something more unique than the K02.

Your JDM is almost certainly going to need a new stereo (no English language option plus Japan uses different FM frequencies) and many models are backordered right now, so you might want to think about picking and ordering a head unit before your car arrives. Plan on the battery being dead and the fuel tank empty on arrival.
 
ive got a 2 inch ironman lift and 32x11.5's. they fit really nicely with only a very slight rub at full turn. I personally wouldn't go any bigger than these because of the size of the engine.

View attachment 2928329
I love the look of your rig! The wheels and color matched wheel arches are fantastic, and the sombrero grille emblem looks great.
 
I’m reasonably confident that I ran the same rims as yours and in my opinion a 33”x10.50”x15” tire is near perfect.
9BF03AEE-5D4D-43A1-B501-1AE8CE68C639.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I think KZJ78 prados have 16X6" (same style) with ET of 0. HZJ77 is 15X7 with ET of -20. I find most of them like that anyways if they still have their original wheels from the JDM perspective.
 
I think KZJ78 prados have 16X6" (same style) with ET of 0. HZJ77 is 15X7 with ET of -20. I find most of them like that anyways if they still have their original wheels from the JDM perspective.
I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure this style rim that came on the KZJ's are 15x7 with a -22 backset. Thats what came on my JDM KZJ78.
 
Mine has 33x12.5x15. I can't compare driving it with other sized tires as it's had that size since I got it, but I don't notice any performance issues from the tire size. Being a relatively low powered 4 cylinder I was expecting it to be a bit of a dog, but it performs better than I was expecting... much sportier feeling than my HDJ81 was... better power to weight ratio I suppose. The 12.5 wide tire looks fine with the wider fender flares like yours has. I think the 10.5 would look good too. There is a wider selection for the 33x12.5 than 10.5 size if you're looking for something more unique than the K02.

Your JDM is almost certainly going to need a new stereo (no English language option plus Japan uses different FM frequencies) and many models are backordered right now, so you might want to think about picking and ordering a head unit before your car arrives. Plan on the battery being dead and the fuel tank empty on arrival.
Thanks for the info!
I have imported 2 JDM's already, so I'm used to the dead battery and empty tank scenario. First time doing it I was on my own, and on foot, so it created A LOT of unwanted walking and cab hailing from the port.
I do love the look of a wider tire on these, and since I won't be daily driving it, the extra cost of the weekend fuel won't be a huge factor for me.
I'm thinking that I will likely put the KO2 on there, as they seem like a smooth running, quiet, capable tire for someone who lives on Vancouver Island. We get snow, but not that often, so this one seems to cover the bases well and isn't going to empty my pocket or require a second set depending on the season.
Thanks for the reply, and feel free to throw any other tidbits my way if they come to mind. Any info is good info from people with experience.
 
Thanks for the info!
I have imported 2 JDM's already, so I'm used to the dead battery and empty tank scenario. First time doing it I was on my own, and on foot, so it created A LOT of unwanted walking and cab hailing from the port.
I do love the look of a wider tire on these, and since I won't be daily driving it, the extra cost of the weekend fuel won't be a huge factor for me.
I'm thinking that I will likely put the KO2 on there, as they seem like a smooth running, quiet, capable tire for someone who lives on Vancouver Island. We get snow, but not that often, so this one seems to cover the bases well and isn't going to empty my pocket or require a second set depending on the season.
Thanks for the reply, and feel free to throw any other tidbits my way if they come to mind. Any info is good info from people with experience.
Mine has 33x12.5x15. I can't compare driving it with other sized tires as it's had that size since I got it, but I don't notice any performance issues from the tire size. Being a relatively low powered 4 cylinder I was expecting it to be a bit of a dog, but it performs better than I was expecting... much sportier feeling than my HDJ81 was... better power to weight ratio I suppose. The 12.5 wide tire looks fine with the wider fender flares like yours has. I think the 10.5 would look good too. There is a wider selection for the 33x12.5 than 10.5 size if you're looking for something more unique than the K02.

Your JDM is almost certainly going to need a new stereo (no English language option plus Japan uses different FM frequencies) and many models are backordered right now, so you might want to think about picking and ordering a head unit before your car arrives. Plan on the battery being dead and the fuel tank empty on arrival.
And also, fantastic looking fish!!!
 
ive got a 2 inch ironman lift and 32x11.5's. they fit really nicely with only a very slight rub at full turn. I personally wouldn't go any bigger than these because of the size of the engine.

View attachment 2928329
That is a fantastic looking setup! Nicely built without going full steroid. Super clean.
Love those wheels on there.
I'm leaning towards a 2-3 inch lift, and 285/295's (33's), still debating between 10.5-12.5. I do like a wider looking stance on these rigs, especially with the wider fenders.
Where did you source your lift from? Any complaints with quality or price, and would you lean another way knowing what you know now?
Mucho Thank you-o.
 
@BTV Congrats! that is the exact same vehicle I just picked up a couple months ago from a JDM dealer in California. I think you will really like this cruiser, quite a bit more powerful than I expected so it is fun to drive. What mileage and if you don't mind, what did you pay for it? Some thoughts from my perspective, having just obtained the same in stock form from Japan. Your suspension is likely going to be shot due to age and use. I only had 3/4" to 1" of travel before hitting bump stops so it was kind of comical and I knew right away suspension had to be #1 priority. OME, Ironman, Dobinsons are all options. I went with Ironman foamcell due to cost and availability. I'm happy with the lift, it fixed the factory sag and gave me 2-3 more inches lift which ended up netting more like a 5" lift from the way it sat before. If you want to keep those wheels and do the lift, 33x10.5 would be an excellent choice for tires. If you are thinking 33 x 12.5 you probably want to consider wider wheels as 8" is the recommended minimum wheel width with 12.5" tires. There are not that many aftermarket wheel options for this rig due to the negative offset required to get your wheels to stick out more into the wheel arch with the wide flares in addition to the hub bore required for your locking hubs. You could run the spidertrax 1.5" spacers with your stock wheels and it would poke those wheels out a little more and look awesome. I have seen others do FJcruiser 17"x 7.5" steel wheels with 285 70 R17 tires for a similar profile but different wheel style (this is what I am doing), or I believe aftermarket wheels by Vision are available in 16"x8" or 17"x8" sizes with a -6 offset, that is about it that I know of for wheel options. I'll just put this Maltec 70 series here for inspiration.

HDJ76L 94 MALTEC web ready011.jpg
 
Last edited:
I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure this style rim that came on the KZJ's are 15x7 with a -22 backset. Thats what came on my JDM KZJ78.

That wheel style comes in all kinds of sizing. You see that style on the 70 series, 80 series, 4runner, Toyota pickups, etc. I have never seen 15X7 -22 offset myself but I wouldn't be surprised if it exists.
 
I’m reasonably confident that I ran the same rims as yours and in my opinion a 33”x10.50”x15” tire is near perfect.View attachment 2928469
Holy smokes, that is a beauty!
From the glimpse I can see, they do look like the same wheel.
Do you have a side profile pic so I can admire it from the side?
How big of a lift did you throw in there?
And that bumper setup... sweet Jesus...
 
ive got a 2 inch ironman lift and 32x11.5's. they fit really nicely with only a very slight rub at full turn. I personally wouldn't go any bigger than these because of the size of the engine.

View attachment 2928329
I bought mine with 33x12.50 15 under it with I believe a 2 inch ome lift. my tires rub on the control arms at full steering lock. I really don't like the 33s. I would not go bigger than the 33s. I am thinking I am going to change the tires and rims out this summer for either the 235 85 16 tires or 255 85 16s, Maybe 33x10.50s. I like the tall skinny tires. I have seen quite a few of these Cruisers with the 235 85s that look good and I feel like this size would have better road characteristics than my 33s.
 
That wheel style comes in all kinds of sizing. You see that style on the 70 series, 80 series, 4runner, Toyota pickups, etc. I have never seen 15X7 -22 offset myself but I wouldn't be surprised if it exists.
You are correct, that wheel did come on many different vehicles from Toyota during the late 80's and 90's in the US and other markets. I was surprised too as I assumed they were all the same, but they are not. You will know by looking at the numbers printed down in the wheel openings. Correction, -20, not -22 offset. Since I don't have my wheels in front of me, I'll reference this website and photos. Credit to www.garanincorp.com

KZJ wheel.jpg
 
15X7 ET-20 (Same thing as offset.) is what I mentioned earlier in this thread and do have this specific size on my own HZJ77. It is a very common JDM size for the 77 series.

I didn't like these wheels at first but they have grown on me now. www.garanincorp.com wants way too much for theirs though IMHO.
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom