Finally had to get new tires after the right rear delaminated on the way back from Yatalla last week - not a nice feeling at all. Been holding out trying to save the dollars but definitely left it too long - could have been very nasty.

So the new rubber is.... coopers again, but the ST this time not the STT and smaller in fact a couple of sizes down. I've gone back to a 245/75/16 and after a couple of days driving I'm pleased with the change.

Fuel consumption has come back from a shocking 23-26/100 to a reasonable level of 17/100 and that's without any highway time.
Power is back to a reasonable level, towing is much easier now.
The speedo actually reads correctly - gps and gauge match for the first time in years
Rubbing is down to a minimum even at full lock on the front and full articulation in the rear
And the best bit - I can now reverse up an incline without the transmission judder or having to move to 4 lo. Given the number of dead transmissions in the past year, my own included I felt a lighter load might give it some more and hopefully a longer life.

The only down side I've found is the KJ feels more tippy - might be the lower weight of the rubber or the thinner profile but I notice the lightness and more bounce.

Might even make the next trip now I don;t need tire warmers for the slicks

Did you ever get the pinion reset done for the 265's you were running?
There is something quietly reassuring about going back close to stock
M

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2003 3.7 KJ Atlantic Blue Povo Pack
OME Lift 2.5", 245/70/16 BFG A/T, Fully Skid
GLEND Storage Unit #1
Alloys, Receiver Hitch & Treg Hitch
TJM Prototype Nudge Bar,
30L Waeco Cooler, Uniden UHF, Garmin GPS
Optima Yellow Top, 6Stacker, Night Stalker Spotties
Airflow Snorkel, 3 LOST Stickers
The Lil' HEEP
Waltzing my Matilda all over...

I had Albion do the pinion reset four or five times the last two times it seemed to stick for a while then just reset itself. Only thing I could place was it always happened after the ABS had kicked in. They were changing it in both places - so I'm not sure why.

And I agree about the shift towards stock being reassuring. When I look back over the past year I've almost had the KJ wrapped in bubble wrap - just too concerned about the loads on the transmission to do anything remotely challenging. Time to get back into using it for what its been built for