1st Gen. Lunch Table - General Discussion

@daveeasa Why would you want 4 full sets of different tires? Why do you have so many different sizes? Post a picture of the truck as currently sits.

 

I don't think I want 4 full sets. I just ended up here due to indiscriminate purchasing

I want:

1. Snows. The only real "fun" I get to have is maybe 1 snow trip a year with the boys. I want to be ready. I definitely do not need these in any way but I like having the best possible tires for snow traction I can get, super stoked on these guys.
2. Summers. Though I could run snows year round and be fine with my low mileage, seems prudent to have a set of summer tires for the Tacoma
3. Tundra tires. I started off thinking 265/75R16 and wound up going 285's once I stumbled on the beadlocks. The 7.5" rim width opened doors.

The firestone destinations at 245/75R16 could be fine summers/highway tires for either truck, just that I have low miles and I'm not pinching pennies so they seem the least useful.
I could also just flip the 265/75R16 geolanders since they are in near perfect condition and more desirable (and a bit heavier).

Having 3 sizes isn't ideal but I didn't want studded snow tires which kept me at 265/70R16 on the nokians.

EDIT: Snows and summers are "Tacoma" focused, while the 285's are "Tundra" focused. But they are interchangeable (outside of the offset problems and fit trouble with 285's on the Tacoma)

 

United Airlines just opened a flight academy for people with no experience. Supposedly 1/2 these students will get a job with United upon graduating. Cost is $71-72k, about 2 years of college in cost today.

Damn. Those guys easily make more than engineers. I wouldn't be surprised if the starting rate is in the 6 figures.

https://atpflightschool.com/become-a-pilot/airline-career/commercial-pilot-salary.html

I wish I could fly.

 

What year is the Taco?

That still seems like way too many tires for me. Only sharing because you asked. I wouldn't want summer tires and I live in the south. A good all terrain tire will do just fine in the snow that you say you only get once a year.

 

Very very very true and fully agreed. However, I very much like the idea of a winter tire b/c my summer driving in the taco is grocery getter at best. Completely pathetic really. Tundra is for wheelin' haulin' and fun times on dirt. Taco is street and people mover.

I could just keep the snows on year round perhaps. That is an idea. But storing 4 extra wheels is no big deal. Storing 9 extras is a bigger deal.

Mostly I f'd myself by getting the 265/75 geolanders and then immediately going to 285's just because I second guessed myself on size. Which I don't think was too wrong of a decision. Just leaves me wondering what my Taco summer tires should be.

It's a 2016.

I think the answer is I need to buy a first gen Tacoma, yeah?

 

@FirstGenVol
Looks like I'm only getting 12 inches of snow this weekend. Relatives on the South Shore are getting 18-24 inches.

No need to go out in it as well. Everything is cancelled for the weekend.

 

so funny how it varies from place to place. 1" someplaces will end vehicle travel on the spot, where here we don't snowblow until there is at least 12" of fresh lol.

 

So I have a question. I watch a lot of Matt's Offroad Recovery and they have to tow a lot of vehicles that don't have tow hooks or recovery point.

If you have to yank a vehicle like that, where do you put the tow strap? Lower control arm?


https://youtu.be/4PukyiilQbk

 

A lot of unibody cars have places to attach a j-hook or a t-hook to grab and pull it out.

 

I've got one for sale. Just gotta take a short road trip and come get it lol

 

The virus is spreading here to me.

Months ago: I don't need a roof top tent
Today:
Babe, I want a diamondback cover, I'm checking outlets and used. It's hard to find. I may just spray my Tonneau for now. I may be able to put some racks on it that I can transfer later.
babe says how much to spray the top? I hear; don't spend money on a top you are going to sell.
I look at racks. Find a sweet setup for the Diamondback. There's a tray rack that works with it, allows rear or front access.
Wait, this tent might just fit on that tray rack setup.

WTF, I don't need a roof top tent. Or do I?

 

With a soft harness or tree saver or tow strap, I would think you would loop it through hard anchor points, like control arms or frame, or whatever won't pull off.

 

I don't usually equate those with work, but I'm turned off a bit for other reasons. Most pros and bosses who are pro or good, don't run around saying "I'm a pro, I'm the boss. So I see it as weak marketing, maybe for a weak product. I never bought anything Boss audio, it just sounded cheap. I did have pro-comp shocks at one time. so there's that. I would own a TRD Pro, but would change a fair amount. So Sr5 is fine with me. Hmmm

 

They (any of them) should just call it "Best Truck". It's what they want to call it. What do you drive? A Dodge Best Truck...

 

Chevy trailboss

 

Not a truck or a part, but a thing. I wonder if Bobbit knew about this.

 

I'm going to shoot from the hip here, so if I offend, that's not my intention.

1. I can't think of a single reason in the whole world for someone who lives in San Diego to own a set of Nokian Hakkapelitas. Not one. If you're going on one trip a year into a snowy clime, make sure the 285s on the Tundra don't suck in snow and take the Tundra. (sell Nokians)
2. If the Taco is a roadrunner and around town vehicle, put the 245s on it and save the gas and preserve what power the truck makes. Less gas, less brake pads, less wear and tear, suspension will be more comfortable with lighter tires, etc. (sell both sets of 265s)
3. If the 285s you have blow in the snow, sell those hoes too and buy some 3peaks rated ATs or hybrids in 285 and just have one set on each truck. No spare sets of wheels dry-rotting and aging-out in storage. It sounds like you don't drive either vehicle 25k miles a year, so let them be more specialized. Tundra for fun and offroad, Taco for around town on blacktop. I find the simplest solutions are always the best.

 

my new project is here. A neighbor has already called dibs on it for his college bound daughter. Might get a ‘92 accord as a partial trade.

 

This is a great point. I don't know if I just have horrible luck or what, but I've had a ton of issues with dry rot on tires. The last 2 sets of Michelin tires I put on the RAV4 did it. I'll never buy their tires again. I just noticed that my 3 year old BFG's have the early signs of it as well. I don't think they even have 15K miles on them yet and the truck has been garage kept 2 out of 3 years I've had them.

 

Sage advice here.

I had an '03 that was the same color and everything as this. Funny enough, the green LS1-loaded C10 I showed the 1st fire-up vid from yesterday ... I was down in Orlando picking up a Muncie 4spd for it after swapping out the original L-250 for an L-292. This was before I broke down and got the LS drivetrain.

Anyway, I had a rubber trunk liner in the Accord, thought I was good to go. During the ride back, heavy gear oil spilled out in the trunk liner, one of the ears on the tranny gouged the trunk liner, and by the time I made it back to ATL, it'd made its way through the liner, into the carpet, and a small pool was forming in the spare tire well.

I gutted everything out of the trunk of that car trying to get the damn smell out. Got rid of the carpet and fiberboard, gave away the spare tire, scrubbed the hell out of the spare tire well with every chemical known to man. All I could smell everywhere, even in the cabin, was heavy gear oil.

I Febreez'd the hell out of that thing, Febreeze hangs out in everything. When two bottles of that in the trunk didn't help, I took it to one of the big-name car buyback places and sold it. I'm curious if, 18 years later, it still smells like heavy gear oil. Hopefully you didn't end up with my old car

Is it possible it's something you're using to clean your tires? I use Bleche Wite on my tires, gets the crud off nicely, but some tire companies like Coker used to issue warnings it dries out tires by removing natural oils in the tire, IIRC. Maybe doesn't matter as much on actively-used tires, because they're picking up more oils and such from the road when driven, after cleaning. But for stored tires ... sounds like a recipe for dry rot.

 

Do Friday polls normally happen in another, more-general forum?

 

they’ll get moved to off-topic if they arent 1st gen enough.

 

The Bridgestones that I recently replaced had decent tread, but were cracking between all the blocks. Dried all the way out. And daily driven.

 

I don't think so. I only put a water-based shine on the tires a few times per year. I've read not to use anything unless it's water-based for that exact reason. On the first set of Michelin tires I actually did a warranty claim with them and the employee at the tire shop said he sees warranty claims for them frequently.

 

I see your tires are black. Unfortunately black tires suffer the side effect of being the fastest to dry rot. Being the fastest no matter what can be a bad thing.

Jokes aside I am a bit surprised that your current tires have signs of it. I thought the softer compound might counter it.

 

Crazy, on both accounts. I've literally never had tires dry out or crack that I can recall.

 

First, thanks.
Second, I like to think I’m not a snowflake. I like to think I don’t get offended. I like spicey opinionated people. Shoot, my living situation is packed full of opinionated humans. Certainly zero offense taken here.

Nokians are ridiculous. 1000% so. I fully agree. I just want them. It’s irrational. It’s insanity. But it’s me.

I do agree with your thoughts on the 245’s since the Taco is a daily. Lighter and narrower make sense. That’s what gives me pause on keeping them vs the geolanders. And they are already mounted and I can use one spare for both taco sets which is also nice.

The geolanders are the ones which aren’t ideal now that I’ve found wheels which can fit the 285’s. They probably would sell the easiest too.

A bit of rough math though, 5 $300 3 snowflake tires is $1500 vs the $800 I dropped on Nokians and $650 on the Cooper 285’s. The destinations were closer to free since I really wanted the wheels and they came with tires which are basically brand new. Also DT swaps for me for free and is even closer than the post office. I really do like having different summer and winter tires. It’s fun.

So far I’ve done pretty well on pricing everything except the faux beadlocks where I paid out the nose.

and, yeah, snow tires in so cal is nuts. But I could legitimately run them year round. They drive great for my needs.

I won’t wear any of these tires out, I’ll age them out.

Kind of an important thing to state, the Tundra, being a regular cab, is not really family friendly, definitely not for long trips. I can take both boys somewhere local in it but I would take the Tacoma for snow trips if I were allowed to. If we go as a family it’s more likely in the Odyssey (Vredesteins and 2 sets of chains in case one breaks). I am not really allowed to do much with the minivan, that’s where the vast majority of our miles are done.

 

Dealing with these bastards is one of the most frustrating parts of my job. Pool timing system, operates on 4.5v wired with all Cat5 cable. The banana ports get crapped up from the chlorine and water and lose contact if they aren't cleaned all the time and even though it works the first time sometimes by the end of a meet things start malfunctioning. The wiring is crimped on the jacket of the wire and the bare wire is just stuck to one side of the connector to push on the screwed base of the jack, everything underneath is coated with spray on electrical tape, it's a fucking nightmare. Then some of the wires are juuuussst long enough to have been connected and I end up having to extend them when they inevitably break.

 

I also have pretty thick skin, but have been known to take offense to being told what to do. (sometimes even after asking for advice)
I also am aware despite the generally excellent levels of reading comprehension we have here in the 1GT section, that things don't always translate well over the interwebs.

I, for one, think you're a maniac (the best kind of maniac) for having multiple sets of tires, including snows. I live where it snows (it's snowing now) and people think I'm all the way out of my mind for suggesting them.
When I daily'd a car, I ran Blizzaks (cheaper than Nokians in my size) from 40degrees til the salt washed off the roads. (winter wheels too)
In the truck (and the T4R before it) it seems unnecessary for the amount of snow we get here to have dedicated snow tires.

The Raptor guy in the shop swears by 3peak rated tires. Says it's night and day different when the roads are shit. I grew up on the southern tip of Lake Michigan. I learned to drive in the snow. As such, whatever AT/hybrid tire I have on the truck do fine in all conditions.