Getting New Shoes
Step One, Part A: Wheels
When you are on a budget, you learn to develop patience which leads to working hard to find acceptable compromises. Don’t get us wrong, if we had unlimited resources (or sponsors – hint, hint), this build would be very different. But on a budget, time becomes a currency spent researching acceptable options; that is, the best choices for your particular situation. Hunting for new tires and rims, or in our case rims and tires, is a perfect example of this.
Our dream configuration for new shoes was a combination of Method Racing 501 or 502 Rally Wheels and for rubber, one of the following:
- Toyo Open Country A/T III (Reportedly great is cold, snowy, winter weather conditions)
- Yokohama Geolander A/T GO15 (Reportedly quiet)
- BFG All-Terrain KO2’s 245/65 R17 (Reportedly road noisy)
- Bravo Series AT-771 Maxxis Tires
- Falken AT3W 245/65R17 Motegi MR118
Running this list through the reality filter and pricing at local and online shops, it was a real eye opener. Eventually we want to shoe the Outback in some tough, aggressive, A/T rubber with equally capable rims, which we will do so before our adventures take us too far off of the asphalt, but for now, we wanted an inexpensive way to change the look of the car.
We ended up deciding that since the tires on the car were at about 80%, we needed to run them until they actually needed replacing. We chose our rims, Raceline 141 Mystique, and had the stock tires installed on them. The cost was $100.36 each.
To this end, we chose a tire store down the highway from our farm, a fairly big regional chain, Les Schwab Tire Center. We have used them for many decades and they have always offered great products, prices, and stellar service when it comes to tires, rims, brakes, batteries, and even some suspension work. They offer free tire rotations, free flat repairs, free battery checks, and even free pre-trip safety inspections. As a farmer, we have even utilized their mobile service to come and work on farm equipment. [As an aside, our recommendation of Les Schwab is based on our personal experience and we receive no form of compensation or preferential treatment from them.]
As previously mentioned, the rubber remained stock, so the look is not optimal. But this is not about instant gratification — patience and compromise, right? That said, the new rims already set our car apart from all the others around our area and were a step in the right direction.
With the new rims installed, all of our original basic goals had been met.
Step One, Part B: Rubber
In between the new rims installed in 2017 and getting new tires in 2020, we added and installed various things to the car furthering its transformation into our Adventuremobile. These are documented on other pages.
Keeping with our local shop, Les Schwab Tire Center, we chose Mazama Open Range™ P235/65R17 AT tires, made by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. From what we learned, they had very good specs and high customer satisfaction rates.
According to the company’s website, the tire’s “… highly rigid tread design offers superb handling for all roads in all seasons, without compromising ride comfort.” They note that the, “… tread block design helps increase dry and wet handling, deliver precise steering, and prevents stone biting.” The tire’s “Lightning Sipes” are reported to, “… help increase grip and tread contact with the road, delivering 5% improved wet handling.” They carry the year-round traction rating, and their alternating narrow/wide lug combination helps absorb sound keeping the ride pleasant in the cabin.
January, 2025 Update: We are approaching the 40,000 mile mark and still have 7/32″ of the tread remaining. We have been very happy with our choice.
It should be noted that we never put any faith in those little temporary spares that cars seem to come with these days. We ditched that spare, and using five identical tires and rims, we use a five-tire rotation procedure. Along with a slight increase in the mileage that we get out of a set of tires, we always have the luxury of having a replacement on hand no matter how remote we are if we happen to get a flat.
We also carry a tire repair kit and an air compressor on board as well, but more about that later in our recovery gear section.
She is starting to cop an attitude!
Follow along to learn about the modifications we have made, and about ones that we hope to accomplish as budget allows.