The Perfect Wheel and Tire Package for FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser

The FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser (1960 – 1984) is a CLASSIC! Even the last year of the 40-Series (1984), now at 37-years old (as of this writing – 2021), fits into the “classic” category! OK, before we get called out by the CMP’s “Classic Militant Police” we will take a moment and do our due diligence – “What Makes a Classic Car a Classic?” CLASSIC OR NOT – These are Toyota Land Cruisers we are talking about! 

It’s crazy how we’ve gone full circle with FJ40 builds; from mild-learning-curves of yester-year of V8 swaps, tube-cage chopped-tub rock crawlers on 40’s to a full-circle back, restoring 40-Series Land Cruisers back to their original showroom stock luster. Lightly modded please!

So what is the “perfect wheel and tire” combination for the FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser?

In recent/later years we have settled into what we call “resto-mod” built FJ40’s with what we feel is a classically built 40-Series Land Cruiser with a few mods; powered by the original Toyota 2F engine with a modern convenience of the Holley Sniper EFI system, Old School Family roll cage, riding on 33″ BF-Goodrich tires, mounted on factory 15X5.5 steel wheels and suspended on our Red Line Land Cruisers FJ40 “Ultimate” 2.5 Lift Kit.

You DON’T want to go crazy on suspension, but you DO want it to wheel!
A “classic” 4X4 Land Cruiser like the 40-Series calls for a “classic” wheel / tire / suspension package that is going to give you great drivability! The look is simply the side-benefit of the functionality, the functionality is the pure purposeful pursuit!

Technical Functionality With Esthetic Achievements 
There are “technical” reasons for each and every “visual” decision we make. We choose the skinny tire “look” for the technical benefits of “light-hand” steering feel. These rigs already do not have power steering, so if you want to have easy steering input, the skinny tire “look” is technically the way to go.  “Fat tires” kills your scrub radius and will “hunt” every groove in the road! But if you have to have your “fat tires & finger-steer too” we have the cake so you can steer too: FJ40 Power Steering Conversions, FJ40, FJ45, FJ55 Series Toyota Land Cruisers. “But you just have to have all that w-i-d-e tire traction!”

Skinny Tires VS Wide Tires
While wide-tires may.. we said “may” give you more traction, how much traction do you actually need on a typical 3,263-lbs. FJ40? But too, you’ve heard the phrase, “there is more than one way to skin a cat!” While we may love our “wide-style” we will go to great technical length’s to justify our choices. The subject of “skinny VS wide” has been hotly – highly contested and scholastically debated as seen across all walks of vehicles via the wide world web. We ourselves have spent a many “up in the inter-nights” (aka: late in the night on the interwebs) stalking the subject: Skinny Vs Wide. The two pages we have paid most attention two are the IH8MUD Land Cruiser Forum and Expedition Portal.
IH8MUD has a few different links on the subject; Google Search Wide VS Skinny on IH8MUD

Expedition Portal’s – Skinny or wide tires; that is the question…
OK, see you in a month after reading all that, we will be right here getting our skinny on!

NOT STOCK – BUT NOT 35″
For the FJ40, we are not running the H78x15 tire which is roughly a 28″ tall tire – 235/75/15. But we are not ‘over -tire’ing” the rig with a 35″ tall tire either. What we are running is a stock 5.5×15″ wheel!  We have chosen the BFGoodrich 33X10.50 to roll our 40-Series Land Cruiser on so we can wheel some fun trails and roll 65-mph down the highway.

STOCK TO THIRTY THREES SOUNDS LIKE A TALL TREE
Moving from the FJ40’s stock 28″ tire to a 33″ tire is a five inch increase.
Running a 2.5″ lift on stock shackles not only allows us to clear the 33X10.50 tires, but it does not throw the drive-line out of whack and provides “vibe-free” U-joints! Yes, we like to drive our FJ40’s! Gain 7-10 MPH and ENJOY 65-MPH when you upsize to a 33″ tall tire on your FJ40.

A perfect blend of affordability, durability, and comfort.
Everything is a “sliding-scale” of gains and sacrifices.
For the 2.5 Ultimate Lift Kit set-up, here is what we recommend in the rim & tire department:

• Max Tire Size: 33 x 12.50 (We prefer 10.50)
• Wheel Size Range (Inch): 15-17″
• Wheel Width Range (Inch): 5.5-10 (We prefer 5.5)
• Min-Max Backspace (Inch): 3.25-4.5

Specs for the Red Line Land Cruisers 2.5 Ultimate Lift Kit:

• Fits 1958 to 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40
• Lift Height: 2.5 Inch (2.5″) (2 1/2″)
• Front Lift: Leaf Springs
• Steering Correction: None required
• Rear Lift: Springs and U-bolts
• Shocks: Front / Rear Bilstein 5100 Series
• Shock Boots:  Included
• Shackles: Included

Please call us for Shackle specification & pricing based on your Land Cruiser year range (1958 – 1984).
Usually in stock – or up to 2-weeks out in some cases.

Phone (719) 638-2003
OR BETTER YET, send us an email with your vehicle details and we can sort you a quote.
Email: info@redlinelandcruisers.com

Read our “SUSPENSION LIFT WITHOUT AXLE SUCK!“