Calling Tire Experts

[4boer2]

Requirements
I am looking for a 33” tire that will give me the best highway MPG (constant motion) and ON ROAD (hard pack) snow performance. I would like a 33 because I would like more clearance for what I am/intend to be doing and the options are greater than that of a 275. I plan on a 2” lift as well. The city MPG is less important because that is hopeless anyway. I do off-road a decent amount, which is why I am geared to an A/T tire, but since this is my daily driver the on road characteristics are more important. I do like to fly around the turns on I-70, but I understand those days will be over once I do this. I also understand that a winter tire is best for winter and a highway tire is best for MPG. I don’t want nor do I have room for two sets of tires. Price and tread wear will come into play later down the road.
Tire Characteristics
I think that wider tires have a greater amount of wind resistance, narrower tires have more contact pressure while wider tires have a greater contact area, and a tire with more sidewall will not corner as well. A heavier tire takes more energy to start and stop, however that does not affect the highway MPG as much. More siping is better for snow and rain, while larger lugs are stronger off-road. Off-road (aired down), I think a wider tire will float better while a narrower tire will conform better to rocks. What I don’t know what is better for the winter on road, what has the least rolling resistance (hysteresis) and better highway MPG, and how the tread pattern plays into all of this.
Specific Tires
Currently, I have 255/75 AT3s are they are perfect for what I am doing. I believe that a 255/80 AT3 is the perfect tire for what I’m looking for, however that doesn’t exist. The only 255/80 tires that aren’t mud tires are the S/T Maxx and Courser CXT. Both are more aggressive than whatever the 285 tire would be, made by Cooper, and LT rated. It doesn’t need to be an LT tire, because my 4Runner cannot carry the loads that would require that. Though the supposed increase in sidewall strength is a positive, I don’t think it is the biggest deal.
My Thoughts
From everything I have read, I am leaning toward the 255 Cooper S/T Maxx. The reasons I am not decided is because the 285 tire choices have better siping than these do and the S/T are a little chunkier which may affect the MPG.

In conclusion, I am looking for advice for the best compromise between on-road snow performance and highway miles per gallon in a tire that also has the ability to go off-road. Am I wrong about anything? Please support whatever you say. I want to be convinced. Also I am posting here to get views. If this really belongs in the tires section of the forum (where the Falken thread isn’t or A/T thread isn’t), then so be it.

My research:
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/engin...er-discoverer-st-maxx-255-80-17-skinnies.html
• Expeditions West: Tire Selection for Expedition Travel
• https://www.nap.edu/read/11620/chapter/5#64
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...p-metric-tires-please-vote-3.html#post2648935
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/114342-tires-19.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/168993-desert-dawg-build-what-switch.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/114342-tires-19.html
• Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx - Page 81 - Expedition Portal

 

[TrdinOhio]

While I'm not a " Tire expert" I can add my 2 cents which is probably worth more like 1.3 cents.
You seem to have done a decent amount of research but anything you chose is going to be a compromise I feel.
You seem to be contradicting yourself in what your building as well.
You want bigger tires and a lift and you want quiet ride and good mpgs and good in snow...first off lifting a vehicle normally suffers mpgs and there is no such thing as a tire that's excellent for MPGs that's an A/T tire which is great in snow but quiet on the highway as far as I know. You should pick which attribute is MOST important to you and start there. I think the tire you are looking for is a unicorn and doesn't really exist. Pretty much any A/T tire worth a damn is going to sacrifice ride quality on the highway.
I think all tire recommendations and reviews are opinions but...
I would suggest looking into load ranges. Passenger tires or load range C are pretty nice on the highway where as load range D and E are heavier and stiffer and start to get into the realm of having less give to absorb highway imperfections.
To answer your question the thinner the tires usually the better for highway snow roads.
I fell in love with my Nitto Terra grapplers as the are amazing off road, super comfy and quiet on the highway and are pretty light so my mpgs aren't that bad. The flip side is they SUCK in the rain and in ice you might as well steer towards the ditch yourself.
Hope this is helpful and good luck in your choice/selection
I guess my vote would be for BFG all terrains but try and get the lowest load possible. They are good in snow and ride pretty well on the highway for a A/T tire. They are quite good off-road as well. The trade off is that your mpgs will suffer and they will not be as smooth as a highway tire.

 

[gm350reratliff]

My 255/80 ST Maxx have been great on and off-road. It's a tire that I certainly would recommend however, there is an inherent quirk with the tread design that causes some vehicles to pull to the right with these tires. I was able to eliminate the pull by an aggressive caster split. The sidewalls are also very tough which is good in the rocks.

If you're going with 285's, I recommend the Nitto Ridge Grapplers. So far the traction in snow, mud, sand, and rocks has been impressive. Honestly, I feel they are smoother and quieter on the road vs the ST Maxx. In the 285/70/17 size, the Ridge Grapplers come in both load range C and E. I run the E's just because I could get them quicker and actually cheaper than the C's. For being such a heavy duty tire, they ride very nice and I really don't notice the extra weight from the lighter BFG's that I ran previously.

Another option to look at for a tall, skinny 33" tire is the BFG KO2 34/10.50/17. These are more like a 33.5" tire and they are snow rated.

 

[oljedi11950]

I split the dif & went with cooper atp lt285/70/17e after having Bridgestone revos , so far been pleasantly surprised !

 

[djo.bike]

Have you considered going with a two sets wheels? One set for off-road and one set for daily driving. A bit of hassle to swap wheels but you would be able cover all our scenarios. And you your off-road set could be m/t and would last longer by not driving on them full time.

 

[Jhalko]

OP you are over analyzing this, you're still just going to get more of the same opinions you read about in all those links. Just pick someplace with a 30day return policy and go with your gut.

 

[1engineer]

Requirements
I am looking for a 33” tire that will give me the best highway MPG (constant motion) and ON ROAD (hard pack) snow performance. I would like a 33 because I would like more clearance for what I am/intend to be doing and the options are greater than that of a 275. I plan on a 2” lift as well. The city MPG is less important because that is hopeless anyway. I do off-road a decent amount, which is why I am geared to an A/T tire, but since this is my daily driver the on road characteristics are more important. I do like to fly around the turns on I-70, but I understand those days will be over once I do this. I also understand that a winter tire is best for winter and a highway tire is best for MPG. I don’t want nor do I have room for two sets of tires. Price and tread wear will come into play later down the road.
Tire Characteristics
I think that wider tires have a greater amount of wind resistance, narrower tires have more contact pressure while wider tires have a greater contact area, and a tire with more sidewall will not corner as well. A heavier tire takes more energy to start and stop, however that does not affect the highway MPG as much. More siping is better for snow and rain, while larger lugs are stronger off-road. Off-road (aired down), I think a wider tire will float better while a narrower tire will conform better to rocks. What I don’t know what is better for the winter on road, what has the least rolling resistance (hysteresis) and better highway MPG, and how the tread pattern plays into all of this.
Specific Tires
Currently, I have 255/75 AT3s are they are perfect for what I am doing. I believe that a 255/80 AT3 is the perfect tire for what I’m looking for, however that doesn’t exist. The only 255/80 tires that aren’t mud tires are the S/T Maxx and Courser CXT. Both are more aggressive than whatever the 285 tire would be, made by Cooper, and LT rated. It doesn’t need to be an LT tire, because my 4Runner cannot carry the loads that would require that. Though the supposed increase in sidewall strength is a positive, I don’t think it is the biggest deal.
My Thoughts
From everything I have read, I am leaning toward the 255 Cooper S/T Maxx. The reasons I am not decided is because the 285 tire choices have better siping than these do and the S/T are a little chunkier which may affect the MPG.

In conclusion, I am looking for advice for the best compromise between on-road snow performance and highway miles per gallon in a tire that also has the ability to go off-road. Am I wrong about anything? Please support whatever you say. I want to be convinced. Also I am posting here to get views. If this really belongs in the tires section of the forum (where the Falken thread isn’t or A/T thread isn’t), then so be it.

My research:
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/engin...er-discoverer-st-maxx-255-80-17-skinnies.html
• Expeditions West: Tire Selection for Expedition Travel
• https://www.nap.edu/read/11620/chapter/5#64
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...p-metric-tires-please-vote-3.html#post2648935
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/114342-tires-19.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/168993-desert-dawg-build-what-switch.html
• http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/114342-tires-19.html
• Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx - Page 81 - Expedition Portal

every tire you buy is a compromise. Want smooth ride? Summer tire. Want great snow traction? Snow tire. Want best offroad tire? Goodyear kevlar E rated.

As you can see above, it takes three tires to give you the "best" in any situation. When one of those tires is used in another situation, they suck.

I live in the mountains where we get a lot of snow and rain and sun. It gets 90 in the summer and below zero in the winter. The tire most people use around here? A mild AT tire, like the Michelin LTX MS2 or Firestone Destination AT or the Cooper AT3. They are the absolute best compromise tire out there for all situations because they are good at everything, not great at anything.

One thing I forgot is looks. If you are going for badass offroad looks then get the big lug tire and suffer the noise, ride and handling.

Last thing. Lifting won't help fit a larger tire. It needs to fit at stock height too or else it will rub.