Good MPG tires?

[jwkilgore]

I read that the OP wants to upgrade to AT tires, but wants to take as little of a hit in MPG as possible.

AT tires span a huge range from slightly-aggressive-highway-tires to slightly-closed-mud-tires. From Michelin LTX AT2 to Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac. For best mileage stay on the highway end of the spectrum.

Tires like the Michelin LTX AT2, Pirelli Scorpion or Yokahama Geolandar A/T-S, which just barely qualify as "AT" tires, would give better mileage than more aggressive tread patterns. Also, make sure you stick "P" tires instead of "LT".

 

[RysiuM]

I can recommend Michelin's LTX M/S 2 -they are quiet, very good on snow and do not decrease the MPG. Also they are known to last very long with 5K rotation and proper inflation.

I second that. They are not "off road" tires (but if your are looking for good mileage don't go off road anyway), but on pavement have excellent ride comfort and reliability still with "by the book" gas mileage. The price is comparable to KO2.

I am running the stock size 265/70/17 BFG AT KO2's and had no change to my MPG's.

I just switched to stock size C-rated KO2 last weekend and so far the mileage on my daily commute did not change from original Duelers I had before. Quality of ride is similar to Michelin.

Buy the stock tires again. There is a reason why Toyota put them on in the first place and that reason is MPG's for consumer driven magazines.

DON'T buy stock - for sure avoid Bridgestone. They are horrible tires. The only "reason why Toyota put them on in the first place" is because they have a deal with Bridgestone to get dirt cheep tires. Yes, they give you "by the book" gas mileage, but the ride quality is comparable to hay wagon. Spend extra few bucks on Michelins or BFG (which is Michelin anyway) and you ass will thank you.

 

[BaddaBing]

I can recommend Michelin's LTX M/S 2 -they are quiet, very good on snow and do not decrease the MPG. Also they are known to last very long with 5K rotation and proper inflation.

I can second that recommendation. I have had 4 sets of Michelin LTX M/S 2 tires and they are the best on road SUV all weather tires I have driven. Long lasting, smooth and decent grip.

 

[RysiuM]

I think I got good result in side-by-side comparison in mpg between stock Duelers and stock size C-rated KO2. Calculated mpg with Duelers was 20.5mpg (on my commute), with KO2 calculated mpg was 20.354mpg. SO it looks like I lost 0.165mpg (that is about 0.7%).

For ride comfort I keep KO2 inflated to 38psi.

 

[1000MPH]

I've also been thinking about Michelin LTX or the Costco Radial X which I hear are similar...or crap depending on who's opinion you read.
I do a lot of off road but mostly rough trails, not usually hairy stuff. I don't think any of my past excursions would have been a problem with a lesser tire.
I'm not really looking solely for MPG increase but better on road handling and ride, and longer tire life.

but...

I've been very happy with the performance of my Revo IIs (stock size, P-rated) from Costco. Calculated loss was approx .5MPG but that very easily could be caused by other factors.
Off road grip is reasonable, snow use is good. The tires have worn evenly with 5k rotations. I did reduce the PSI to 35-36 for a slightly less harsh ride.
Only 30,000 miles on them and I estimate there is less than 10k tread life left but I'm conservative. I will definitely replace before next Winter.

 

[BaddaBing]

Michelin LTX MS2 longevity.
120,000 miles on Honda Element EX
105,000 miles on Honda Pilot

I drive mostly highway. Michelin also has an excellent replacement warranty.

 

[Phoenix4R]

Don't buy the ones that make it worse.

Which is every tire worth a damn.

I just put BFG A/Ts on mine. Can definitely tell a difference in grip which I'm sure made my fuel economy drop an mpg or two. My commute is 12 miles roundtrip, so zero ****s are given here.

 

[bimrunner]

MTR or KM2 in 305/70/17

I think super swampers with fully welded bead lock wheels and you are good. 37s should fit with a little modification to whT wheel well liners. :bathbaby:

 

[RysiuM]

Michelin LTX MS2 longevity.
120,000 miles on Honda Element EX
105,000 miles on Honda Pilot

I drive mostly highway. Michelin also has an excellent replacement warranty.

Agree - They are excellent (if not the best) highway tire. They are also good on lesser roads. I have them on 95 Tacoma 4x4 since the day one and never regretted it. The thread last longer than road hazards frequency, the ride is smooth like a baby bottom, mpg is the same as from any P-tires.

The only complain I have is that they are not tough enough for rocky road (read: desert). I scraped sides quite bad just by driving through Death Valley. But after 20 years and over 300k miles this Tacoma is now just for "Home Depot" trips, so Michelin M/S is still my primary choice for it. Now 4R is the primary "family car" and KO2 is good choice for this one.