Anyone have regrets going to 285/70 17 with a V6?

[LHB2]

My Setup (recently installed) on a 2008 4runner sr5 w/ V6:

3" lift with bilstein 5100 height adj. coilovers (not the adj. coilovers).
Light Racing UCA's
1.25" Spidertrax spacers
2" Superflex lift coils (with 1.5" daystar spacer on rear passanger side only)
AFE CAI

My plan was to go to 255/75/17 or 275/70/17 tires (had a couple options lined up), but after seeing the Duratrac my only options would be 265/70/17 or 285/70/17. I would really like to go 32+ inches on the tire. Not sure I want to go as wide as 285's..., but from what I seen from various pics, doesn't look too big. This is also my daily driver and due to where I live I need a tire that is as good on the snow/icy conditions as it is offroad, the duratrac seems to fit the bill!

Does anyone have any regrets going to the 285 with a V6..., MPG hit, powerloss, towing, etc..,?

Also awhile back I found a thread going over where to set the Caster at to avoid the body mount chop (which I need to avoid), I thought it was to set it at 4.0, but now I can't find it. Anyone know about this? Maybe I found it on another forum or just not getting the search words right.

Thanks!

 

[03_4x4Runner]

My freind put 285's on his 2009 4.0 Tacoma and said it sucked. It was constanly downshifting on hills and really sucked the power out of it. It also used a lot more gas. If you live where it is flat it would be a little better.

 

[Mytoy4]

I have 285/60, 18s on mine and I notice a bit more weight in terms of power and stopping. I haven't towed since I put them on so I can't speak of that.
Before I lifted and put new wheels/tires on I was getting 18 mpg. I lost about 1.5 mpg with both the lift and tires (avg 16.5 mpg). Not too bad, IMO.
I also use my Runner as a daily driver. I drive about 20 miles per day. I guess I look at it like this... I knew what I was getting myself into before I did it. So it doesn't bother me. I love the look of it and that outweighs the loss of mpg by far.

I did have to do a bit of cutting but only to the mud flaps and slightly to the front bumper.

 

[LHB2]

Thanks! I live in WI, so not exactly flat. Not overly concerned with the mpg or the cutting required, i just don't want it to be too much of a **** on the highway, especially if towing. Probably be best to stick with the 265's if I go with the duratrac then. I wish there where more options on the 255's thou!

 

[NJshadow93]

I have the 265/70/17 Duratracs on my 4Runner. V8 though, and I did not notice a difference in power or stopping. MPGs took a bit of a hit though, as expected.

 

[oljedi11950]

275/70/17 cooper at3

Just put these on my 05 v6 like em alot, took a tiny hit mpg but like the look & rides a hellva lot better as far as ride . They are made n usa

 

[Casper421]

Just put these on my 05 v6 like em alot, took a tiny hit mpg but like the look & rides a hellva lot better as far as ride . They are made n usa

What tires do you have? You put 275/70/17 cooper at3 as the title but you have
Pirelli scorpion 265/70/17's in your sig.

 

[Synister]

I just upsized from 255/75r17 to 285/70r17. The 255 is a great size because you get maximum diameter without taking a huge hit in gas mileage or running into serious rubbing issues. I had to trim a little for the 255's but with the 285's Ive had to trim a lot more. The wheels Im running have increased backspacing so I dont rub on the UCA or body mount. As far as drivability, when I went from stock to 255, there was a very slight, maybe .3mpg decrease in fuel efficiency but overall no big deal. The truck was only slightly more sluggish. Now with 285's, the gearing disadvantage of the larger tire is more noticeable, especially on the freeway and fuel efficiency is down another .5mpg or so. I dont drive this thing like a sports car so I dont mind the hit in acceleration, its still plenty peppy if I put my foot in it. Overall, the hits to fuel burn and drivability are still well within what Im willing to put up with for a DD city car that can easily handle what I want to do off road.

 

[oljedi11950]

275/70/17 cooper at3

Sorry casper their so new haven't updated ! Jeez you guys are on it , will get right on that . But I'm pleasantly surprised how well they ride , better thanstil rub on pirelli's they would flat spot & feel like out o balance , gotta little rub working on that today .

 

[LHB2]

Sorry casper their so new haven't updated ! Jeez you guys are on it , will get right on that . But I'm pleasantly surprised how well they ride , better thanstil rub on pirelli's they would flat spot & feel like out o balance , gotta little rub working on that today .

Are you running load range C or E on those AT3's? How do you like them so far? My father in law runs those in E's on a 2500 HD Chevy, has never had any issues in winter driving and he's only on a 2wd.

 

[LHB2]

I just upsized from 255/75r17 to 285/70r17. The 255 is a great size because you get maximum diameter without taking a huge hit in gas mileage or running into serious rubbing issues. I had to trim a little for the 255's but with the 285's Ive had to trim a lot more. The wheels Im running have increased backspacing so I dont rub on the UCA or body mount. As far as drivability, when I went from stock to 255, there was a very slight, maybe .3mpg decrease in fuel efficiency but overall no big deal. The truck was only slightly more sluggish. Now with 285's, the gearing disadvantage of the larger tire is more noticeable, especially on the freeway and fuel efficiency is down another .5mpg or so. I dont drive this thing like a sports car so I dont mind the hit in acceleration, its still plenty peppy if I put my foot in it. Overall, the hits to fuel burn and drivability are still well within what Im willing to put up with for a DD city car that can easily handle what I want to do off road.

What 255's where you running? Any issues in winter driving with them?

 

[CrimsonCountry]

I'll chime in here...

With 285/70/17s Cooper STTs (MTs mind you), my V6 is getting b/w 17.2-18 MPG. That was calculated by hand with mixed highway/city/interstate driving. I actually like the performance with the 285s (maybe a little slower take-off and quicker down shifting but "smoother" overall with my driving) and wouldn't consider it a major deterrent at all if wanting to go this size. Keep in mind these tires weight ~58lbs each so a lighter, AT 285 (typically 44-54lbs depending on load range) would be even better if you're that worried about it. I'm also not a "leadfoot" so your driving habits will have a large affect on the actual MPG you can achieve with a similar setup.

 

[Synister]

What 255's where you running? Any issues in winter driving with them?

I was running P-rated Goodyear Silent Armors. I would say that this tire was average at just about everything, offroad, onroad, rain, snow. The only winter driving I did with them was in Tahoe last year and they did ok, with the mileage I had on them the sipes had worn down quite a bit and there just wasn't much bite left in them. Having said that, they got me up and down the mountain safely even in some pretty crappy conditions. I have much higher expectations for the AT3's though, these things have some serious sipes and the rubber seems like a softer, grippier compound. We'll see.

 

[oljedi11950]

275/70/17 cooper at3

To answer LHB2 went with c-rated for both ride & cost , had p w/pirelli they just felt soft on cornering & I wanted stiffer side wall strength . Agree with Crimson on ride they do feel real good , for some reason they just feel smooth on take off , once I get rolling man its comfortable kinda surprised by it ! 4r being heavier than my old 03 taco wanted that taller tire too , will update after a cpl more fillups

 

[Gerdo]

What 255's where you running? Any issues in winter driving with them?

On road, a skinnier tire will cut thru the snow to the road and will have better traction. An AT will out perform a MT because it will hold the snow in the tread and it has more siping.

Offroad in deep powder skinny sinks, the wider the better. MTs will usually outperform ATs here because it will paddle thru and grab the snow.

 

[run4estrunner]

im running 285/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs. They are definitely a heavier tire. You can notice a difference in acceleration and braking. Also, the vehicle stability control tends to be a little more sensitive. Obviously the gas milage suffered. I get about 16 mpg but i mostly drive city. I used to get about 19.

The smaller texture pattern between the tread on the Duratrac's is a genius design to help the tires clear mud and snow better. They basically prevent a suction to form between your tire and mud/snow. I can definitely tell that this works well because when my tires get packed with mud i can clear them by only going about 10-15 mph, when a normal mud terrain wont clear out mud until you get on road and go about 30. These tires were designed to perform amazing in snow.

Do i regret getting them?? Absolutely not! These tires are awesome and perform amazing offroad while not being too loud on road. The truck doesn't bog too much and still has plenty of power. You just have to get used to how the trans shifts with the bigger tires.

As a side note, if you do get a heavier class tire (the 285 duratracs are a class D), run the tire pressure according to the tire, not the vehicle frame. The pressure rating on the 4runner frame is referring to stock size tires. I have run my duratracs at 35 psi, 40 psi, 50 psi and 60 psi all for a week each and i get the best ride and gas mileage at 60 psi. The rating on the tire is 65.

 

[run4estrunner]

oh ya and i was amazed at how much bigger a 285/70 looks in person than in all these pictures online. I noticed you mentioned the 285 doesnt look that big in the pics, so i would try to find a set on someones truck that you can check out.

 

[LHB2]

I have not searched yet, so forgive me if its out there. Since tire pressure was mentioned and recent events this week my TPMS came on, (which I didn't even know I had, first time it came on since I bought the truck in 01/2009). When running different tires (larger, different load range, etc).., how does the TPMS work? The stock tires on the truck are listed on the door at 32 PSI. If you run the duratrac (load range D) and put 60PSI in there does the TPMS light come on?

Thanks!

 

[Gerdo]

Your TPMS will come on below 32psi.
As far as what pressure to run.
A LT tire requires a little more pressure than a P series tire to carry the same weight. Larger tires have a larger air volume and require less psi to carry the same weight. A load rated C, D, E tire will run the same pressure to carry the same weight. Each load range tire will carry more weight as the psi goes up. The D carries more weight, at a higher psi, than a C. Like wise the E over the D and C.

The quick answer is that about 5psi more than the sticker is about right for a LT tire.

There have been a few threads on the 5th gen forum.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/search.php?searchid=2453051

 

[run4estrunner]

Your TPMS will come on below 32psi.
As far as what pressure to run.
A LT tire requires a little more pressure than a P series tire to carry the same weight. Larger tires have a larger air volume and require less psi to carry the same weight. A load rated C, D, E tire will run the same pressure to carry the same weight. Each load range tire will carry more weight as the psi goes up. The D carries more weight, at a higher psi, than a C. Like wise the E over the D and C.

The quick answer is that about 5psi more than the sticker is about right for a LT tire.

There have been a few threads on the 5th gen forum.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/search.php?searchid=2453051

that is all just a general guideline. go with what feels the best and gives you less rolling friction