Cincinnati Area Thread (Tri-State, Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana)

Broken belt?

 

Also you saw the forester wheel at RRG, it don't need no dirtyfives #highwaytires #stillbetterthanaridgeline

 

Dunno, probably. I just looked at the price of 315/70 extreme countries though... I think I'd rather have a blowout lol

 

Borderline bald tars at that!

I don't doubt this

 

You got a taste of expensive dick and now you're questioning your life choices. I can relate.

 

Quoted for sig

 

Unless you're talking about deed's general propensity for gobbling dongs, I think you quoted the wrong post

 

F

Iced. Dranking.

 

"Tennessee - the volunteer state....... they can't make you live here" - Henry Cho

 

Exactly.

Also yes.

 

Headed to Upper Peninsula Michigan for a week long trip at the end of next week. Going to do a bit of wheeling up near Copper Harbor, directly due east, camping on the beach near the Keweenaw rocket range. Plenty of trails, lots of fun. If you haven't gone, I suggest you go. I'll do a photo dump after the trip. Anybody that has gone, any tips or hints? (My itinerary is in my build)

Pics from the last time I went

Edit: Forgive the Ridgeline and the Iphone pics, but really is glorious country up there.

 

The homoeroticism is strong this week by the way.

 

I'd like to do a similar trip in the next year or two. I think I need to get the wife & daughter to Hocking Hills first this fall. Then UP or out west is next on the list.

 

I drive from Loveland to Plum Street and yes, pot holes are the devil...

Interesting. Even before the lift and C rated tires went on I rarely ever got more than 20 mpg on the highway. And right now I’m averaging 15-16 mpg combined. I can usually get up closer to 19 on a full highway tank but with all the stop and go on my commute to and from work it’s been checking in closer to 15.5 lately... And I’m afraid if I add too much more weight that will drop down below 15 which will kill me considering my almost 60 mile per day commute.

Oh and for clarification, I use my GPS to track distance driven since the odometer and trip meter are off with the larger tires right now (even though the one size bump fixed my speedo). Toyota is strange...

 

What do you want to do with your truck, honestly. How many times a year are you looking to wheel? 90/10% street vs. trail use?

The cold hard truth of it is that you aren't going to be able to get the best of both worlds here. Lifts kill mpgs, tires kill mpgs. If you're trying to be as efficient as possible, lose the lift and go back to street tires. Each little bit of offroad capability (or cool looking-ness) you add to a truck is a compromise. That's why some of the posts you pegged as 'not serious' earlier were made- because those of us with more built trucks have already made our peace with the fact that we're paying the price of 15 mpgs everywhere to have the builds we want.

At the end of the day it's really about what you want to do with the truck and having clear expectations going into that build plan.

I will say this- I have a moderate commute and still get about 13 mpgs on 35s with the wrong gears and a bunch of weight. Bone stock, I'd only get about 16 in the same conditions. So you're not really going to just suddenly plummet down to single digits by just swapping tires or something.

 

Haven't been there in years! Used to frequent places like that with the Boy Scouts.

 

That’s some good info

And I want the truck to be capable to do things no other vehicle I’ve owned has been able to do. That’s part of why I bought a truck in the first place. I got tired of driving lowered cars around and avoiding potholes and steep slopes entering driveways. I got tired of bending over to load two kids into car seats that were basically on the ground. I got tired of having to rent/borrow/beg for help when I needed to haul something. And lastly, I wanted to be able to drive off road without even hesitating. I go up to a buddy’s cottage in Michigan several times per year and it’s all dirt roads to get back there. One year my lowered VW got stuck in the snow and it took way too long to dig it out. I also have grown to really love the look of a lifted truck on larger than stock tires. When I originally lifted the truck I did it “conservatively” to maintain as close to stock fuel economy and highway performance as possible. Yeah, I lost some MPGs and the ride is clearly different on LT tires than highway tires but I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to find a larger tire that won’t wreck my MPGs or highway performance but will also allow me to take the truck wherever I end up going.

I appreciate all the insight and info you guys have and I’m all for the joking, I was never upset about your comments. If you search for my other threads on here you’ll see that it took me months to decide on the lift kit and tires I have now and there was a lot of back and forth. I just like to do research and consider all my options before I make a purchase. And I figured why not get some real world insight from you guys since you’ve got infitinely more off road experience than I do.

With that said, if the E load rating add an extra 10-15 pounds per corner but won’t destroy my MPGs or breaking ability, I’ll definitely consider them. I was just trying to find another C or a D load rated tire to keep things as close to what I’ve been running. I’m open to all suggestions and again, I appreciate all the help and the humor.

 

When I went from 265s to 255s, even though they were load range E KM2s, the MPG difference was like 1-2 at most. I didn't notice a big drop until I put the 315s on. Rolling friction and all that.

People are recommending the 255s as well because that's a true 33" tire, which you can fit with minimal hassle, and that will increase the capability of your truck immensely.

 

8 or 10 ply tires are what you need. Try and find at least 2 ply sidewalls.
Get 285 size tires. Or 255.

You sound similar to me. I post and post and post looking for answers and debating back n forth with people about truck mods. Constant research.

End of the day, I have 4 cylinder 4x4 truck that has a lift and added armor. My MPGs resemble NOTHING 4 cylinder I've ever driven my entire life lol! The fun I have with my truck makes up for it!

 

I’m hoping the switch from 265 to potentially 285 won’t add too much more rolling friction but at the same time the thicker tires are really growing on me. And while the 10.5” wide KO2 is the heaviest (and tallest) of the options I’m considering, it’s only a hair wider than my current 265s. They’re also easily the most expensive which may ultimately end up ruling them out but for now I’m still researching.