Monday, Jun 04, 2001 at 00:00
John,
I have a 99 Prado GXL Auto and have recently gone through the process of changing the original
standard 265/70 x 16's to the larger 265/76 x 16's. My debate was not so much the brand or weather
it was an all terrain or mud tyre, but more so the size of the tyre. After advise from several people,
including tyre experts, the consensus was that increased size would be suitable for the Prado.
I went ahead and purchased BFG A/T 265/76 x 16's.
This was good choice as these were cheaper than the 265/70's and gave me about an extra 15cm
in clearance. With the taller tread I noticed that the some of the vehicles driving characteristics
changed dramatically. On the road the engine had to work much harder (at low speeds) to get
to it's optimal speed, then once at coasting speed the engine worked effortlessly due to the engine
running at slightly lower revs.………on the downside it had much less engine braking. The lack of
engine braking was really noticeable when I tried the larger treads off road on some steep tracks.
With the original 265/70 treads, the Prado had relatively good engine braking (for an Auto petrol),
but with the 265/75's the engine braking was very poor. On some moderately steep downhill slopes
I felt the car "running away" therefore having to apply the breaks far too often. Since experiencing
this I went back to the tyre dealer who were very accommodating and swapped the 265/75 AT's
for 265/70 BFG A/T's. As soon as drove off with the 265/70's I could notice the difference straight
away. Getting back to your question, I'd highly recommend the BFG A/T's, just be wary of the
impact of your vehicle when changing sizes !! I'd like to hear from anyone else who has experienced
this.
AnswerID:
596