Tyres & Shocks for SFA

[Bear]

Good day

Mud Dog - I intend renewing my tyres - (31/10.50 R15) with BF GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 (32/11.50 R15) from Errol’s Tyres, whom I think is just up your road (13a Cambridge Street, City Centre, East London) - seems to be the cheapest so far - R 3273.00 each. Any idea if these guys are reliable enough for me to purchase online?

Do any guys have experience with BF GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 as I heard they do not perform well on wet pavements?

Would the 32/11.50 R15 fit comfortability without touches? It’s confusing as some say it will fit well and others say it will touch.

I have Gabriel Safari shocks (standard height). Some say it is better to use the extended ones. The guy at Gabriel says the extended ones will bottom out and damage the shock although there are bump stops. What are your views?

[Mud Dog]

Hi Ricky. I would stay with the 31" tyres, the 32" will touch at the back of the wheel well unless you do an axle shift. The 4Y motor is also a significantly under powered to handle anything bigger than 31".

I would also look at the new General Grabber A/T tyres, IMO they will perform better in the wet and they're also a lot cheaper, also have a 3 ply side wall and should give the same if not better wear as the BF's.

Errol's tyres are reliable and reputable enough to do an online order with them.

If a shock bottoms out, it's buggered, no question. So if you still have standard suspension, I would stay with the standard shock. An extended shock will only provide you with a little more outward travel thus improving articulation a bit. However, in such cases the suspension is normally modified as well. I would talk to the guys a Mikem Suspensions up your way. A lot of forum members have made use of them and have only positive comments about their products and service.

[mcw]

Hi

i had a SFA with 31 inch tyres on, Mikem redid my suspension and shocks ,they use a land cruiser part number ,if in remember correctly ,i also fitted Gabriel Safari shocks ,i sold bakkie after three years with no issues ,did lots of trails and trips to bush

Contact Mikem he gives good advice and service

Martin

[Bear]

Hi

It’s confusing, as you state you used a land cruiser part number, not sure if you speak of the shocks. Sure they will fit however the land Cruiser is a heavier vehicle and the shocks cater for that weight. The Raider already gives a bumpy ride which is much lighter in weight and fitting Cruiser shocks should worsen the ride quality. This is just my theory, not sure how it works on the vehicle as you have tried it, you will know best the before and after performance.

Henk from “Living SFA” advised me to install extended shocks for better comfort and articulation. Others advise not to.
When I research shocks, some give Gabriel a good rating and others say they won’t use it again. How does the original Toyota shocks rate to aftermarket ones?

Not sure as yet, but I would like to do a slight lift as well just for the look. If i do decide to go with a slight lift I will need extended shocks. Out of the cheaper range I thing only Gabriel makes extended shocks. What are the major disadvantages of using extended shackles?

I am not a hard core off roader. I don’t do competitions or rock crawling for the kicks of it. That tends to damage a vehicle. It is my holiday vehicle, whether it is all on road or off road. I bought it specifically for off road though. I love the Mountain passes and going into the bush. It just does something to my soul. Sometimes during off road one will be forced to do difficult terrains but I do not seek it intentionally.

I will have a chat with Mikem Suspensions as well since you guys give positive comments about them.

[Mud Dog]

From what you're saying, I'm still leaning towards standard shock length and the standard shock damp rating .... as you say you're not doing any hardcore / extreme stuff. You can also try Monroe as an alternative to Gabriel and they might even give a softer more comfortable ride.

But ja, speak to Mikem first.

[mcw]

Hi

Yes it was apart no for a land cruiser shock ,Darryl at Mikem also upgraded the leaf springs ,maybe i should mention that my vehicle had a canopy and all the related camping gear for overlanding on .Mikem redid suspension because of the extra weight and worn springs .Discuss with Darryl he is very helpful and clued up on suspensions

Martin

[Thabogrobler]

Good day

Mud Dog - I intend renewing my tyres - (31/10.50 R15) with BF GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 (32/11.50 R15) from Errol’s Tyres, whom I think is just up your road (13a Cambridge Street, City Centre, East London) - seems to be the cheapest so far - R 3273.00 each. Any idea if these guys are reliable enough for me to purchase online?

Do any guys have experience with BF GOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 as I heard they do not perform well on wet pavements?

Would the 32/11.50 R15 fit comfortability without touches? It’s confusing as some say it will fit well and others say it will touch.

I have Gabriel Safari shocks (standard height). Some say it is better to use the extended ones. The guy at Gabriel says the extended ones will bottom out and damage the shock although there are bump stops. What are your views?

Hi Ricky,

If the old tyres are still usable I will be interested?

[Bear]

Hi Ricky,

If the old tyres are still usable I will be interested?

Hi Thabo

Although I’ve been told it will touch, when I check the clearances with the current 31” it looks like it can handle the 32”. I have Continentals currently on 6.5 JJ wheels and intend installing 10 JJ alloys. Have to do a little more investigating into the 32”. Will advise you when I decide. I also have a brand spanking new 31” Yokohama Super Digger as the spare which has never been used before.

[Scott]

I have SFA and for mixed use I would not go bigger than 31"for various reasons.
You need to look at full articulation and full lock left and right nose down on one side and see if it would catch.
Fuel economy.
Damage to components
As to the Tyre's I have BF's on at the moment good Tyre but has its draw backs as any Tyre busy moving over to General Muds.

[Mud Dog]

Agree, pretty much what I've been saying.

I'm running 31" s on the maroon Lux which is standard except for a Dobinson's suspension kit (no axle shift) and I'm able to sometimes get those tyres to touch.

On the white Lux I have 33's with raised suspension and axle shift .... those touch the front and back quite often.

With bigger tyres you have to adjust the steering stops so that the tyres don't catch the leaf packs, this of course reduces your turning arc.

So I still say to stick with the 31's, you're far better off.

[Family_Dog]

Agree with running 31" tyres. Bulldog has them fitted and no issues whatsoever, although I also have replaced the suspension with OME springs & shocks throughout. Power delivery is fine and the speedo is now 100% accurate, inline with the GPS.


-F_D

[Bear]

As to the Tyre's I have BF's on at the moment good Tyre but has its draw backs as any Tyre busy moving over to General Muds.

It is confusing choosing a tyre brand. I heard the BF’s are not good in the wet but those who say that do not state the speed at which they are driving on wet pavements. Is it a ridiculous or a decent speed?

The up side of the BF’s is that it is a strong tyre. I work at the University of Witwatersrand and the research team there prefers the BF’s because of the strength of the tyre. They travel mostly off road and some are out of the country most of the time. With other brands the sidewalls get ripped. They get far less punchers (almost none) with the BF’s.

If the slip on the BF’s are not bad when driving at moderate speeds in wet, then I would rather choose it because of the strength. The inconvenience of changing a tyre and the cost of replacement especially when on holiday out in the bush.

[Thabogrobler]

Regarding slip on a wet road, remember a bigger tyre has even more momentum and it is quite noticeable in the wet when you need to stop suddenly.

[Mud Dog]

The bigger the tyre diameter, the more rotational leverage it has against the braking power. Just a change from 30" to 31" tyres results in a very noticeable difference in braking. The callipers and discs on the SFA were not designed with big tyre diameters in mind. That's the one thing.

The other is the tyre compound. Yeah, the BF's are tough but they don't have the nickname "seep bande" for nothing. The harder compound gives poorer grip in the wet.

I suggested General Grabbers earlier, and the reason is not just because of the big cost difference, but because they also have a 3 ply side wall. You're not going to get side wall damage with them that easily either and as far as the compound goes, they're perhaps only marginally better than the BF's. I have both and by comparison they're pretty much the same - except for the cost.

I have a spare set of BF's lying in wait but If I still manage to do enough mileage to wear those out as well, I will replace with grabbers unless there's something more attractive on the market by that time.