Any regrets going with 265/70r17s on daily driver?

[Twistedfocus]

Hi guys,
I've been a long time Mustang and Jeep Cherokee fan but have recently been on the hunt for a reliable but more refined means of conveyance to replace the Cherokee, which led me to buy a 2005 4Runner Limited 4.7l.

Anyway, it needs a few things. Like many here it has a cracked dash (no biggie) but, more pressing to me, it needs tires and headlights. The headlights are on the way but that leaves me with tires. I hate the stock rake, so I've decided Bilstein 5100s are the right answer for me., with probably the 1.75" lift setting. I may also remove the running boards but I'm on the fence about that. I'm 6' 2" and find them to be useless but my wife doesn't.

So my question for those of you that have done a mild lift and larger tires, is it worth it for a vehicle that will see 90% on road duty. I've read many threads but don't see many regarding how you guys feel about the MPG and acceleration tradeoffs after the larger tires. This will be my primary driver for a 20 mile each way daily commute, but I don't want to lose the off road confidence I'm accustomed to in my Cherokee. Part of me thinks the stock sized tires will be fine even with the lift, but since I'm buying tires anyway - what to get. I'd probably just go up one size to 265 70 17' but maybe shoot for 32s. I'd like to keep the mud flaps also.

Also for discussion, I see many love the BFG AT. I have used this tire on many applications and like it but lately I tried a set of Firestone Destination ATs. They rode nice on the road and had great tread wear, as well as good to great off-road traction especially on our sandy beaches here. Also better in rain than the BFG. What are your thoughts and experience on this? I realize it sounds like I've already made decisions here, and I kind of have, but entirely based on experience from very different platforms and would appreciate the experience from this more targeted audience.

 

[chillaxing]

IMO, 265/70/17 should have been the stock tire size, they just look right, on the 4runner. Before I even installed the bilstein 5100's, I've been running this size. No tire rub at all and you won't see a any drop in mpg.


I have ran both the BFG and Nitto Terra Grappler. Both are great tires with good traction. Tire wear on both are about the same. I had to change them out with around, 100k on them. I did use the BFG on my Tundra, since I bought it first and needed the tire change before the 4runner, but when it was time for the 4runner to get her first set of tires. My friend, that owns a tire shop, had a set of the Nittos that someone cancel on. So I tried them. At $200 cheaper than a set of BFG's. I haven't went with another set of tires since, for both my trucks. My 4runner is about to get her second set of replacements, but I'm gonna retire her from any major off-road duty. So this time she is getting a set of street tires.

Side note: I bought both trucks brand new (06')

 

[bergs]

I just switched to a 70 series on a 3" lift and lost 2mpg total.

 

[swapmeet]

When we bought my wifes 05, it had 265/70's on it and it looked fine/ normal.

I have a v8 AWD and I was pretty bummed about the performance loss from 265/70 Terra Grapplers when I pulled the factory tires off. But I have a heavy foot. After awhile you don't notice though.

I put a spacer lift on my wifes truck to combat the rake.

My only regret on my truck (toytec BOSS lift) is that I didn't get 285's.

I've read that the Cooper AT3 is a good all around tire. I have a buddy who runs it and it does well in the mud/ offroad stuff. He has a v6 sport 4wd.

 

[wnelax04sr5]

no regrets going to a 265/70. i don't feel any power loss or stopping power, mpg is down for sure though, although its almost negligent. sometimes i wish i got 285s, but i drive 90% on road and spend a lot of time in a city, and the mpg is bad enough as is

 

[xpeppyx]

I lost 3mpg when I switched from stock size Nitto Terra Grapplers to 265/70 BFG's. I gained 1mpg backed when I switched to P285/70 Cooper AT3's. Wish I had gone with 285's to start with.

 

[sedanggon]

I put a spacer lift on my wifes truck to combat the rake.

 

[nathanours]

I've got a 3" lift with my coilovers and run 285/70r17 Cooper ATPs and love em. My buddy has the Firestone destinations and they are much less grippy if you get into anything hairy and are really more of a highway tire than an AT. With my lift and E load tires on the V8 I'm getting about 18 mpg.

 

[Neumonic]

I went 255/75 17 and kinda wish I would have gone 265/70, I lost 1-2 mpg but some of that could be due to changing from more of a street tire to a true A/T (Cooper discoverer AT3) absolutely no regret on these tires themselves though, I have already driven in 6" of snow, some ice and plenty of rain, they are excellent. Off roading will happen soon, I am confident they will impress further.

I too went Bilstein 5100's paired with V8 Moog springs from rockauto ($44) great combo IMO. Went with the .85 setting first and still have a little rake so going with the 1.75 setting next month.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Bama_Runner]

265 70 BFG All Terrains here. I commute 75 miles one way to work. I have no regrets. Also, I'm running a 2.5" / 1.5" spacer lift and a 1/2" body lift.

You said your dash was cracked. You need to check out this thread. Toyota will replace it.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/122935-***cracked-dashboard-action-request***.html

 

[t-man]

35" tires and no regrets! And I put close to 30k miles on last year! :rockon:

 

[rich045]

i have the daystar 2.5" front and 1.5" rear, spydertrax spacers and 265/70/17 cooper at3 and just one complain, when i reverse and turn the wheel, well it rubs sometimes. not sure what is going on here. As far as MPG, i dont think it has changed much. the ride is much better and the stance is definitely kickass.

 

[Martinjmpr]

I'm liking the 265/70/17 BFG AT's I put on in November. Since most of my winter driving is 4wd on snow/ice after a long warm up, it's really not possible to get a good MPG rating yet. I may have lost a mile per gallon but it's worth it to have a bigger/better tire (remember you have to correct for the bigger tire size too, the difference may not be as much as you think it is.)

Once I've done some summer driving and get my Scangauge properly calibrated I'll have a better feel for the MPG difference. As far as tires go, I bit the bullet and got BFGs because I've had good experience with them in the past. They seem to do well for almost all terrain including snow and ice, and they wear like iron. I made sure to get the LT version rather than the P version.

 

[fullboogie]

For you guys who encounter lower MPG, are you taking into account the incorrect odometer readings? The difference in stock to my TA/KO's is six percent, so I have to multiply the mileage by 1.06 then divide by the gallons used, to get a true mpg reading. Doing that, I haven't found much difference in mpg from the stock size tires.

 

[Twistedfocus]

Yeah, I was just trying to read through that whole thread about cracked dashes. I started to think people aren't getting anywhere with Toyota but hadn't read it all. I'll investigate further.

As for tires I'll have to look into the Coopers, which I hadn't considered before. I'm still considering the BFG AT because I know they work well and tend to wear decent but my second issue is that the lift/tire thread indicates that the BFGs will probably rub with my modest lift. I don't want to ditch the mudflaps either. With the sandy roads over by the beach they're nice to have so you don't have sand constantly flung up at you.

 

[bergs]

For you guys who encounter lower MPG, are you taking into account the incorrect odometer readings?.

For me, my lift was installed for well over a year on 265/65's. The actual mileage I don't truly care much about however the numbers did drop after the lift

 

[Martinjmpr]

Yeah, I was just trying to read through that whole thread about cracked dashes. I started to think people aren't getting anywhere with Toyota but hadn't read it all. I'll investigate further.

As for tires I'll have to look into the Coopers, which I hadn't considered before. I'm still considering the BFG AT because I know they work well and tend to wear decent but my second issue is that the lift/tire thread indicates that the BFGs will probably rub with my modest lift. I don't want to ditch the mudflaps either. With the sandy roads over by the beach they're nice to have so you don't have sand constantly flung up at you.

I doubt they'll rub. I have about the smallest lift you can possibly get and still have a lift - I have the FJC lift using FJC Trail Team suspension parts and Bilstien 5100's. My total lift as measured at the center of the wheel arch is right a 1". And I have no problems rubbing (although to be fair, I don't have a stock front bumper so I'm not sure if it would rub with a stock bumper. Perhaps although that could be taken care of by trimming the fender liner.)

 

[wadle5]

As everyone else has said, and as I can say from experience as well. The 265/70 is a doable/capable sized tire without too much modifications or loss of mileage. My only other recommendation would possibly be a 255/75/17. More jeep looking and upon having my BF A/Ts for almost 3 years my next size will definitely be a 255/75/17. A spare in this size will fit in the stock spare area and also it will get a little better mileage. Keep us updated in your choice. :lookout:

 

[Twistedfocus]

As everyone else has said, and as I can say from experience as well. The 265/70 is a doable/capable sized tire without too much modifications or loss of mileage. My only other recommendation would possibly be a 255/75/17. More jeep looking and upon having my BF A/Ts for almost 3 years my next size will definitely be a 255/75/17. A spare in this size will fit in the stock spare area and also it will get a little better mileage. Keep us updated in your choice. :lookout:

A 255/75 would be a hair taller and narrower. I would have expected worse mileage from the additional height, but maybe the narrower tire creates less friction? I'd bet it's easier to clear the slightly narrower tire too. Now I'm even more undecided.

Thanks for all the ideas thus far guys. This is exactly the sort of real world impressions I was looking for.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Been running 265/70/17's for years now. No rubbing. Only about a 1-2 mpg loss. No loss in power. I drive about 70 miles a day so anything bigger that could hurt mpg more is out of the question, for now.