getting bigger tires

[directory]

i am going to get new (bigger) tires maybe 31"-33" (haven't decided.)

what i want to do is buy 5 tires--one for the spare of course. would the mount on the back of the passport be strong enough to hold the weight of the bigger tire? do i risk the bending of the door?

anyone know a place to get a tire cover for a 33" tire?

[amigo-2k]

do you have a lift yet?

31" won't fit without cutting the fenders.

Rememeber bigger tires = less MPG; you can expect to lose 2-3MPG going up to 33".

[directory]

mpg doesn't mean anything when you are trying to cut a line through mud or keep from banging your oil pan on a rock

no lift yet, i'm trying to convince the wife...

i just wanted to make sure if i buy a bigger tire as a spare, that the door mount (passport) would hold it...or should i also buy a top mount spare holder

[Ramblin Fever]

I know my '97 Rodeo's tailgate/spare tire holder is holding my 32" tire just fine.

You know, I lost a little mpg, went from 17-19mpg in town to 16-17.5mpg going from 31" tires to the 32" tires.

The 32" tires fit on my '97 just fine, I have no lift. But I know nothing about the '99 tire fitment specs.

My OEM tire size was 29.5", and I experience more of a wind tunnel with my luggage carrier then I do the tires.

Oh, tire covers can be found at Camping World or some local RV store may be able to order one for you. That's where I got mine.

[amigo-2k]

yes I have seen as big as a 33" on the Rear doors of Rodeo's, but again you have to lift the truck to fit them under it (and you will still need to do a little cutting).

[Ramblin Fever]

Personally, I wouldn't do anything more then 32" tires or 265/75 R16; anything more then that you're taxing the engine and tranny WAY too much in my opinion.

I have no issues running the 32's, but I wouldn't dream of putting on 33's - by the time you add cargo and family, along with the 32's that's about the max one can ask for on the 3.2L sohc OR the dohc.

I have seen/heard many people putting on 33's, but in my opinion, you're asking too much from the design of the engine and risk having more problems down the line.

FWIW - I test drove a 2002 3.2L dohc the other day at a dealership, it had the oem size tires on it with 60k miles. While it did have more pick-up power, I really didn't find the power-band being too different then the sohc - so, again, I stand my ground in recommending nothing more then 32's.

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by Ramblin Fever

Personally, I wouldn't do anything more then 32" tires or 265/75 R16; anything more then that you're taxing the engine and tranny WAY too much in my opinion.:

Amen to that. For an occasional use truck, 33" on a mod'ed truck is fine, but for DD service I would go 32" or less.

Joel

[tomlcollins]

What is the biggest thing that will fit under 98+'s without lift/other modifications? I have an 02 that is only 2wd with the OEM's on it at the moment. I've got about 10K (hopefully) left on them, but I'm looking to go just a little bigger for looks sake when I buy new tires. I've noticed as my tread has started to wear that the balder the tires get the more my Rodeo looks like a station wagon....and I don't like that.

Also, real quick....I haven't checked my brakes yet but I've got 54K on my truck and I'm starting to wonder about when they'll need replacing. They looked thin last time I checked them at 35K or so...Any ideas?

[rodeo02]

Tom, I changed out the front pads on my 2002 around 36Kmi. They were worn to about 25%, I bought the rear pad kit at the same time (stcharlesauto.com), but the rears look good yet. Still going on the factory bridgestones @ 42K. I might get to 50K on them. The rotors looked like crap right off the lot new, they never wore smooth, always kinda lumpy and rough looking. The 2002+ have floating rotors unlike the 1991-2001. I dunno if they are as good or not. These brakes do require periodic dissasembly and cleaning if you want them to last. Otherwise the pads hang up as opposed to floating like they should. Not sure about max tire size, check amigo-2K's FAQ's for that.

Joel

[amigo-2k]

I got 65k on my oem tires. and I have about 70k on the OEM pads front and rear.

[directory]

i think i may just go with 31's for now. that is, until i start thinking about switching out gearing...