Hey! Got some questions..

Hi,
its Hot Wasabi Junkie,
haven't posted here is a while. Work play and the demands of paradise have had me busy.
So Ive had my VX 10 years now and then some and its still up and running on some of the most badass insane Hawaii offloading known to man. I've beat the crap out of this car and I'm pushing 192,000.
One thing that happened recently one of my friends here had his hood insert fly off after he gunned it at a light.
He decided to sell it after that because it became painfully aware it was hard to get parts. It was an ironman ( which was perfect because the ironman triathlon runs through our town) and it aside from some front end damage was in better shape than mine. I got a buyer for him and we got $8000 for the car which I think was pretty good.
The guy who bought it had a black vehicross and when he was driving over to buy it, his insert flew off.
So next week and this may be an old issue but I just went straight to buy some black silicone and filled the gap between the hood and the insert. My thinking was without wind getting under it it would fly off and cost $400 to replace.
So far so good.
The other favor I wanted to ask is I've wore my Goodyear (silent armor) Wranglers down to the wear bars.
I give em credit they lasted 7+ years under insane driving conditions that are common on the big island.
So I was wondering if anyone would like to weigh in on tires. I have a 99 with the 16 inch rims.
Should I get the same ones or does anyone know a better tire solution that would fit ...

There are 4 tires that I will discuss, all in the same price range.

1) Good Year Silent Armor, your current tire. Great tire, long life, great on road and off road. Strikes a good balance. Higher priced than the rest in this list. Other than cost, no real down sides to this tire.

2) Nitto Grappler. A good tire, very popular in the budget rock crawler community, probably won't last the 7 years you got out of the Good Year. Does extremely well off road. Complaints are road noise and loosing 1-2 MPG.

3) Firestone Destinaition A/T. Another good tire, and a tire I currently run on my Toyota Tacoma. Good mix of off road terrian capabilities. Does equally well (or poorly depending on your view point) in mud/sand/rocks and excels at sand covered rocks with reduced tire pressure. However, while the tire is very good, Firestone customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Seriously, they suck at customer service.

4) General Grabber AT2. The second most expensive tire listed, around $20-50 more a tire than the rest, but also probably the best all around tire. Great life span, does very well on and off road, low road noise, doesn't hit your gas tank the way a lot of other A/T tires do. They are no mud terrain tire, but do reasonably well in mud though I am not sure you can compare the cement of island clay to mud! LOL!

If you can spend the extra $100 or so on a full set, I would go with your current tire. You have experience with how they work, and don't work, and the reviews seem extremely possative. (I have never owned them) If not, then the Grabber AT2's are my suggestion. Granted prices are different on the island (I was stationed in Oahu for three years and loved it!). After running the Firestone Destination A/T's for three years on my Taco, I am going back to Grabber AT2's, and that is what I will be putting on my newly acquired VX. It's the one tire I have owned that I never have to think or worry about.

I had Yoko Geolanders on my 16's before I sold them. No complaints. I know many have had this tire on their VX...but I don't really know how it rates to the ones listed above. I'd consider another set if I was looking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by HOT_WASABI_JUNKIE

Hi,
its Hot Wasabi Junkie,
haven't posted here is a while. Work play and the demands of paradise have had me busy.
So Ive had my VX 10 years now and then some and its still up and running on some of the most badass insane Hawaii offloading known to man. I've beat the crap out of this car and I'm pushing 192,000.
One thing that happened recently one of my friends here had his hood insert fly off after he gunned it at a light.
He decided to sell it after that because it became painfully aware it was hard to get parts. It was an ironman ( which was perfect because the ironman triathlon runs through our town) and it aside from some front end damage was in better shape than mine. I got a buyer for him and we got $8000 for the car which I think was pretty good.
The guy who bought it had a black vehicross and when he was driving over to buy it, his insert flew off.
So next week and this may be an old issue but I just went straight to buy some black silicone and filled the gap between the hood and the insert. My thinking was without wind getting under it it would fly off and cost $400 to replace.
So far so good.
The other favor I wanted to ask is I've wore my Goodyear (silent armor) Wranglers down to the wear bars.
I give em credit they lasted 7+ years under insane driving conditions that are common on the big island.
So I was wondering if anyone would like to weigh in on tires. I have a 99 with the 16 inch rims.
Should I get the same ones or does anyone know a better tire solution that would fit ...

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Michelin M 2ND has been great on my '99. I got 255 instead of 245.