Ditched the GTI

[DaveSTR]

Sweet lifestyle DBest - Enjoy it. Reminds me of Bavaria here!!

 

[DBESTGTI1]

Pretty solid move to be honest. I've always loved 4Runners. The old 22B has years and years of threads dedicated to it. I've always ranked my SUV's: 4Runner, Cherokee..... And that's it. I never think of anything other than those two. And those pictures look great! A GTI for some reason would be so out of place in those pictures, like Batman on a farm during the day just standing in the yard.

LOL

Yeah I've been really happy with it so far. The GTI would look very out of place because it would be literally impossible for it to make it. There were a couple sections that the truck barely had enough ground clearance.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

Sweet lifestyle DBest - Enjoy it. Reminds me of Bavaria here!!

I can't really complain

 

[DBESTGTI1]

So I'm still loving this truck, but I've come across something that is really a pain in the ass. The OEM 20" wheels use 245/60/20 tires which are far from common. I'm shopping for snow tires and I've only found a couple options in the OEM size.

I've narrowed my snow tire options down to 2 choices.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 (Studless) 245/60/20

or

Nokian Hakkapeliita 8 SUV (Studded) 275/55/20

 

[Gunkata]

studdless, imho. Unless the snow there is like, Canada snow :iono:

 

[Zillon]

Pick up a set of smaller 6x5.5 OE wheels and get some different snow tires - sell the 20s.

Also, take those running boards off, before they get torn off.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

studdless, imho. Unless the snow there is like, Canada snow :iono:

Studded tires are perfectly legal and very common. Boulder Canyon road to get to Eldora to ski legally require snow tires to be driven on while it's snowing. Even the main highway through the mountains has chain laws, if it's coming down all commercial trucks are required to pull over and put snow chains on brier continuing. There's very well roadside chain up areas very frequently. A steep narrow cliff side mountain pass in the snow is no joke.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

Pick up a set of smaller 6x5.5 OE wheels and get some different snow tires - sell the 20s.

Also, take those running boards off, before they get torn off.

I've been looking for OEM 17s since I bought it, it's not with the cost when you add in shipping cause I can't find them locally. I looked at wheel and tire packages bu it's gonna be at least $500 more than just snows. My plan is get 20" snows, swap tires now, swap tires in the spring, swap again next fall/winter ands race them on and then buy the smaller TRD wheels with tires for most of the year use.

Running boards are gonna come off when I lift it to do the tires.

 

[michal]

So I'm still loving this truck, but I've come across something that is really a pain in the ass. The OEM 20" wheels use 245/60/20 tires which are far from common. I'm shopping for snow tires and I've only found a couple options in the OEM size.

I've narrowed my snow tire options down to 2 choices.

Bridgestone Blizzak DM-V1 (Studless) 245/60/20

or

Nokian Hakkapeliita 8 SUV (Studded) 275/55/20

Nokian tires are great. I've been running Nokian WRG3s and I love them. They call them all weather+ tires but I use them as my winter setup.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

Another thing to add is I'm glad I went with a Limited and not the trail, the Limited is the only one with a center diff.

 

[Zillon]

Another thing to add is I'm glad I went with a Limited and not the trail, the Limited is the only one with a center diff.

Does the Limited have a low range, though?

Also, don't understand the need for a center diff, I'd want full-time 4WD for the trail.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

The Limited has a Torsion center diff, it always 4WD with 40/60 power split but it actively supplies more power to whichever axle (front or rear) has the most traction, plus I can lock it in 4 wheel high or 4 wheel low. The other models are RWD but with a transfer case you can have the front and rear locked together in 4hi or 4lo. Full time 4WD ftw

 

[Bozz]

I agree with the idea of removing the running boards eventually, if you're gonna go wheeling. In my experience they are handy, but they also trap moisture, dirt and debris, leading to increased rocker rust issues down the line.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

I agree with the idea of removing the running boards eventually, if you're gonna go wheeling. In my experience they are handy, but they also trap moisture, dirt and debris, leading to increased rocker rust issues down the line.

Wheeling isn't my concern but they are coming off when I lift it to mount the snow tires. They each caught a good 50 lbs of ice today from driving to the mountains to ski while it was snowing.

 

[DBESTGTI1]

This is why I'm putting snow tires on a full time 4WD truck...