16 Inch Rims on 120 prado - pluses and minuses & what tyre?!

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

Sooo.... im fairly new to 4wd - like last week new.....
Im looking to upgrade my tyres so something in the all terrain vicinity, as the ones currently on it are terrible offroad.

I have been tossing up between BFG AT's, Cooper ST Maxx & Dueler 697's as I want something that isn't a total pig on the road but will be very capable offroad.
I don't really want to go for anything in the mud category, as my car is used primarily for road driving with weekend offroading.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what tyre would be the best? I have been trying my hardest to digest all the info on here for the last few days & only seem to be getting more and more confused! haha

Lastly, what is the advantage of dropping down to a 16 inch steel rim - like a sunraysia?
Am I possibly better off just ditching the prado 17 and doing this?

[Guest Close Guest]

Stick with the 17" rims. There are plenty of choices now and also at good prices. 16" rims at the same offset will hit the front brake calipers.

As for tyres, consider also the Toyo A/T II. Appears to be a tough tyre (through reputation) and at a very competitive price for a brand name.

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

Ahh yes, I forgot about Toyos! Thanks!

Ok, so I gather those that fit 16"s are using spacers? Or just a different offset?
Do Hilux 16"s fit Prados, or are they different again?

[groeschel Member Find all posts View Profile Close groeschel]

Sooo.... im fairly new to 4wd - like last week new.....
Im looking to upgrade my tyres so something in the all terrain vicinity, as the ones currently on it are terrible offroad.

I have been tossing up between BFG AT's, Cooper ST Maxx & Dueler 697's as I want something that isn't a total pig on the road but will be very capable offroad.
I don't really want to go for anything in the mud category, as my car is used primarily for road driving with weekend offroading.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what tyre would be the best? I have been trying my hardest to digest all the info on here for the last few days & only seem to be getting more and more confused! haha

Lastly, what is the advantage of dropping down to a 16 inch steel rim - like a sunraysia?
Am I possibly better off just ditching the prado 17 and doing this?

Hi,
I am running 16" steel rim from a 90 Prado GXL on my 120 D4D since a few years (no spacers)
Rear is no problem at all but the front, as AMTS said, can be a bit tight.
In my opinion it depends to a certain degree to the tolerances.

When I tested the front, one rim just cleared the brake calliper and the second one just touched at the edges of the callipers.
I found that out of five rims three touched at the same calliper two did not.
It seemed that slight differences in either rim diameter or thickness of paint made the difference.
In order to avoid the hassle to mark the matching rims I trimmed the edge of the callipers a bit and have now enough clearance for all rims.
There are different opinions of whether that is legal or not.
I dont want to go down this discussion but I was able to get an engineering certificate for rims and tires.

I had three reasons for doing it:
First my though where that the higher side wall of the 16"tire compared to the 17"tire with the same outer diameter allows for more flex when offroad and hence better moulding to the surface at low tire pressure. but that will also depend on stiffness of the tire.
Second was that I was planning for extended outback trips and it was IMO easier to get 265/75 16 tires rather than the more exotic 17" in case that I need a spare.
And third the cost: I got the Bridgestone 674 some two years ago for $210 per tire fitted. That are mud tires, road noise is for me, and even more important for my wife, not a problem.
When we did the Simpson desert last year via the Madgiagn line I was the only one who did not have a single puncture compared to the others who where running BFG and Kumho (could be good luck as well)

You will most probably find a few different opinions on that matter and I can only describe if from my perspective.

Would I do it again? Yes (I am now on the third set of tires on this rims)
Would I recommend to others? Depends on what you want to achieve (see my three reasons above)

Hope hat helps
Cheers
Mike

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

I think the only real world advantage of 16s is the price of tyres.

17's are on so many vehicles nowadays that availability is no problem, heck last time I was at Mungrannie I saw a guy come in with a buggered 18" tyre and they had new ones in stock.

I have also read that it's illegal to go down in rim diameter, but that wasn't nescessarily a reliable source, but worth finding out for sure before taking the plunge.

Having just bought a vehicle with 16's I am planning on changing them to 17's as that suits me.

Cheers Andrew

[topic97 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close topic97]

Ahh awesome, thanks heaps for the input guys - its extremely helpful!

So.....anyone know anywhere to get tyres at a decent price online?
Or am i better just going in to a local shop?

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

If you price tyres online, don't forget you still need them fitted, balanced and the old tyres disposed of. Plenty of people forget this when quoting tyre prices.

Cheers Andrew

[groeschel Member Find all posts View Profile Close groeschel]

Ahh awesome, thanks heaps for the input guys - its extremely helpful!

So.....anyone know anywhere to get tyres at a decent price online?
Or am i better just going in to a local shop?

I used http://www.tyretrader.com.au/ in the past.
They deliver the tires either to you or one of the tire shops they are working with.
Fitting and balancing is obviously extra but you will get a quote when you select a tire-shop depending on your location.
I found the prices quite reasonable but they don't have all brands all the times.
If you have a bit time you might get a bargain when doing pre-delivery orders on specials

And if you use this discount code you save another 3%: HK4WDRIVE (All uppercase).

Cheers
Mike