2002 Vitara 4-door 4WD OME 1.5" Suspension = purpose of dirt 2-track & gravel, mud on occasion. Highway to route, ~ 70% DD; 3-5K miles/yr.

Purpose: using a Curt Class III Receiver Hitch w/Warn M6000 on winch cradle, 3/8" Plasma 12 Strand, to winch ~ 1,000 lbs limestone blocks; aligning blocks into position to winch up ramps into my Tundra's bed w/Warn's Powermate (bed-mounted winch) w/ U2500 lb, 3/8" Amsteel blue.

I also may use a similar Warn utility winch on a 1/2 steel plate mount chained to anchor & load block into an ATV trailer behind the Vitara (not highway, just dirt) & winch entire trailer into Tundra.

Need advice on 1 of 2 tires (would consider similar tires in similar sizes, but these are available locally).

Kumho Road Venture MTs in  LT205/85R16 (28.9", 35 lbs.) Load Range XL

Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar LT245/75R16 (30.7", 50 lbs.) Load Range E

Goodyear has a promotion on: $80 rebate on 4 MTRs w/Kevlar ($160 w/Goodyear card).

Concern is the performance drop going with the heavier & taller MTR.

Purpose for limestone?

Likely landscaping. I have my eye on some 16 X 18 X 36 blocks used back in the late 1800s for retaining walls around a railroad track to hold back glacial silt. They would weigh ~ 750 lbs. IF I can winch them into place, they would make an easy rock wall to block my view of the neighbor's 5-car driveway (3 Dodge Caravans + Ford van on blocks & Chevy 2-door ?). We had a 3rd 40YO pine removed this week due to pine wilt disease, so now have an open view.

We also have quite a few glacial erratics, I'm fond of the purple-pink quartzite boulders. Wife wants some bigger than I can get her to lift into the Tundra's bed.  Road graders have knocked them out to the sides of the ditches over the years. I have my eye on one ~ size of a lawn tractor. KS is not as geologically mundane as one would think. Limestone was cut from outcrops & used as fenceposts prior to the arrival of trees.

THANX for your input &/or reading the post. I'm aware not too many 2.0L Vitaras are built for this purpose, but there are some creative Ds on this forum.

No comment about most of the above, (seems like a TON of work) but i have a set of 30" x 9.5" x 15" Wrangler MT/R tires on my 1996 Geo Tracker and they are one tuff tire and have been know to do some heavy lugging. I use this geo as a utility vehicle around the farm and it also has a fifth wheel hitch that mounts in the back where the rear seats would go, I use this to move campers and trailers around for our storage business.  I would say some of those fifth wheels have a tongue weight of 800+ lbs and it moved them around with ease in 4LO and the tires held up well.

Good Luck

Also, MT/R's are one kickass mud tire... just sayin

Yeah, I think that's an accurate assessment (~HALF-TON of work). Your storage work is down the alley, only with wheeled inert objects.

I've seen a few threads re: spacers & 15" wheels/tires instead of OEM 16s = much wider range of tires, diameters & weight.

I can put a Blue Ox tow plate on the Vitara, & tow it ~ 45 miles to rock site & neither tire would play a part in getting there. It's the 70% DD duty for the Vitara on the MTRs = concern.

I've parked the Tundra on backroads, loaded the bed w/quartizite bowling balls & had to apologize to farmers for being in the road. Their answer = no problem, just be sure you get all of those rocks out of here. A few years back, HomeDepot had a pallet of similar rocks for $40 each. New limestone blocks would be pretty high $ & wouldn't have the 100YO hand-quarried touch.

THANX for the reply!

Now considering the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac in 225/75R16 (29.3", 39 lbs.) Load Range E.

duratrac tires are good tires, not as agressive as the MT/R's but will last way longer on the road.

I must not have seen the 70% DD the first time, sorry....

I would say the MT/Rs don't last as long as one might like on the road, they are a softer tread compound, I had them on 1/2 ton chevy that was a DD and they lasted about 29,000 miles.  In comparison, I have a set of the exact same size Hankook Dynapro AT/M tires and they have about 25,000 on the same vehicle with a little over half tread left on them.