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Archive for FZJ80

Optima YellowTop Deep Cycle Battery

Friday, August 14th, 2009

 Optima YellowTop Deep Cycle Battery I’ve run Optima Performance Batteries for many years. The reasons are simple: safety and quality. The batteries I’ve owned have lasted beyond their expected life and warranty period, and the AGM (Absorption Glass Mat) design is an added safety factor when it comes to potential rollovers (which I’m known for). I currently run a single RedTop in my 1974 FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser and a pair of RedTops in my 1996 FZJ80 Toyota Land Cruiser.

The FZJ80 installation has always bothered me tho…the primary battery SHOULD be the RedTop starting design, since it primarily runs the starting system and general electrical requirements for the truck. However, the 2nd battery is dedicated to only the winch circuit and to the circuit I use for my ARB fridge. This is a deep cycle application, but I had always believed that battery life would be compromised if you mixed and matched a Starting and Deep Cycle battery. Read More→

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TreadWright MTG Ultra-Grip Tires

Friday, June 5th, 2009

 TreadWright MTG Ultra Grip Tires Like most 4wd owners, I’m always on the lookout for different products to try out on my rigs. My 1996 FZJ80 Toyota Land Cruisers is my summertime expedition rig and my wintertime daily driver, so many things I run on the truck are a compromise between offroad performance and daily driver use.

TreadWright contacted me in early 2009 regarding their retread tires, and after some research, I decided to install a set of their newest LT 285/75R16 MTG D-range Ultra Grip tires. The tires arrived in early February, perfect for Wisconsin winter testing. This set was molded on a BFG-AT carcass and the tread pattern is nearly identical to a Goodyear MTR…the only difference is the Ultra Grip walnut shell additive…the tires have an interesting tan-speckled look to the tread blocks. And the best part? $106 apiece! (I’d go thru the process of describing their company and the manufacturing process, but their website does an excellent job of that – check there for current pricing too!) Read More→

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