Stock Tire size - 1975 Toyota FJ40 and 1964 Toyota FJ45
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oregon fj
Serial rescuer of old vehicles
My pleasure...
Comparing those Super Traxion tires to the Power King Super Traction II/Deestone D503 tires that others are using, which are the recommended ones (pros/cons)? The Super Traxion is a 6-ply rated tire while the Power King/Deestone are 8-ply rated. I would think the Super Traxion would be quieter but not as strong.
oregon fj
Serial rescuer of old vehicles
The original tires on 40s (7.60-15 & H78-15) were 4-ply rated. Both 6- and 8-ply rated choices are far stronger than the stock tires.
The Super Traxion is also available in an 8-ply version, should you need it. You may need to buy those from Coker direct, not from the less expensive resellers.
I can't say for sure with these tires, but in the old days when I sold this type of thing new, the only difference between 6- and 8-ply rated tires was not in the number or strength of the body plies, but in the wire beads that the sidewall plies anchor to, in order to support the higher air pressure the 8-ply tires allow. I suspect that is still the case, my 6-ply rated tires have only 4 actual plies. Since you probably don't want to run much more than 28 PSI in your tires on an FJ40, the choice here is moot.
I doubt there is much difference in road noise between the two brands, nothing that you could notice on my soft top FJ40. The rest of the rig is too noisy to allow such fine comparisons.
I looked at the Power King before buying the Traxions. To me, the prime difference was in appearance. The Power Kings are directional (which I tend to dislike) and appear to be much narrower on the actual tread face. The Traxions have a beefier look. And while I wanted skinny tires, I also wanted them to look tough.
In sum, with my old school background in tires, I'm certain that either one will do fine on one of our rigs. Buy the ones you like the appearance of the best, because beyond that they are functionally equivalent.
The Super Traxion is also available in an 8-ply version, should you need it. You may need to buy those from Coker direct, not from the less expensive resellers.
I can't say for sure with these tires, but in the old days when I sold this type of thing new, the only difference between 6- and 8-ply rated tires was not in the number or strength of the body plies, but in the wire beads that the sidewall plies anchor to, in order to support the higher air pressure the 8-ply tires allow. I suspect that is still the case, my 6-ply rated tires have only 4 actual plies. Since you probably don't want to run much more than 28 PSI in your tires on an FJ40, the choice here is moot.
I doubt there is much difference in road noise between the two brands, nothing that you could notice on my soft top FJ40. The rest of the rig is too noisy to allow such fine comparisons.
I looked at the Power King before buying the Traxions. To me, the prime difference was in appearance. The Power Kings are directional (which I tend to dislike) and appear to be much narrower on the actual tread face. The Traxions have a beefier look. And while I wanted skinny tires, I also wanted them to look tough.
In sum, with my old school background in tires, I'm certain that either one will do fine on one of our rigs. Buy the ones you like the appearance of the best, because beyond that they are functionally equivalent.
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Thanks OregonFJ for your detailed response.
To add some more recent experience with these types of tires (sorry not Cruiser specific..) I recently put a set of the Power King 7.00-15 Tires on an old pickup (traction tires in rear and hwy rib on front.) they were $336 for all four, shipped, from simpletire.com.
As previously noted they do thump/flat spot the first few minutes of driving but once that’s over they are fine. People told me I was crazy and that the truck would be all over the road with the bias ply tires (vs 235/75R15 radials that were on it) but they were wrong. It drives fine and steers so much better (manual steering).
I have run it up to 65-70 mph and it’s totally fine. I suspect traction in the rain would suffer with these but I’m happy with them given the application (great price for a period correct look on an old truck that isn’t driven fast or far.)
They certainly do sing above about 35-40 mph though!
As previously noted they do thump/flat spot the first few minutes of driving but once that’s over they are fine. People told me I was crazy and that the truck would be all over the road with the bias ply tires (vs 235/75R15 radials that were on it) but they were wrong. It drives fine and steers so much better (manual steering).
I have run it up to 65-70 mph and it’s totally fine. I suspect traction in the rain would suffer with these but I’m happy with them given the application (great price for a period correct look on an old truck that isn’t driven fast or far.)
They certainly do sing above about 35-40 mph though!
The tires even look "tall" mounted on your truck. Nice.
My son did put the Power Kings on his FJ40 and he loves the ride. Another positive that I know of, using the skinny tires, is that going over a large puddle on the street will not splash water all over the windshield. He just plowed through with no problems whereas when I go through it, with my 33 x 10.5s, water splashes all over the windshield making me blind for awhile and pulls the 40 to the side. Very dangerous.
My son did put the Power Kings on his FJ40 and he loves the ride. Another positive that I know of, using the skinny tires, is that going over a large puddle on the street will not splash water all over the windshield. He just plowed through with no problems whereas when I go through it, with my 33 x 10.5s, water splashes all over the windshield making me blind for awhile and pulls the 40 to the side. Very dangerous.
Yes that is another good point! Fenders do their intended job with OE sized tires! The old Ford doesn’t get muddy or dirty like a lot of vehicles (even new pickups with stock tires) as the tires are nicely tucked into the wheel wells.