Help me out 265's or 285's.. any regrets? ASAP

[Nachies]

Going from 285's DruaTracs to the 265's BFG's KO's..

So I gave the 285 DruaTracs a GOOD try. But after yesterdays commute to work it was time to let them to go. At first I was super stoked about the way the 4runner looked with the 285's, but in truth.... The 4runner handling became down right dangerous in poor weather. So dangerous I wouldn't let me wife drive it with my kids in it.

During this time, the 4R rode like it was on ice skates or as if the alignment was off. But Knew it isn't. I know it could be an air pressure issue, but being exactly at 44 psi wouldn't fix my issue. It could be the ply of the LT tires! It may have been the stock width of the rims? I didn't care I just knew I needed a change and fast.

My second issue was the wind factor. Before switching to the Duratracs 285's... I never had an issue with keeping the rig on the road during heavy gust of wind. But now it's down right scary. 3rd issue was major lost in power and gas mileage. with the 285's the power was gone...The rig would red line before I could really get it going in order so I could pass a car on the highway. And as for gas mileage it dropped from avg. 23 mpg to avg. 15.7 on a good day.

Any how... On the commute to work yesterday (Dark and Raining) I hit a puddle a few inches deep, while I was in the carpool lane. The puddle pulled the front end of the rig a few inches away from the concrete divider; going 65 -70 mph. Trying to correct the rig, the back end started to fish tail into the fast lane. This action almost rolled the vehicle, I felt the left rear coil unload and the rear tire pick up. It shook me up so bad.. So bad I had to change my shorts. That afternoon I went to Discount Tire and had them swapped my tires. So now I am sitting on 265's 8ply BFG's A/T ko's.

The handling is so much better and it feels good to get back my 7 MPG that I lost. But I am pretty sad I lost that desired look I was going for.
During this time I have had extreme mixed emotions, But I am happy I made the decision I did.

I think I am getting old.



...

 

[limamike]

So I gave the 285 DruaTracs a GOOD try. But after yesterdays commute to work it was time to let them to go. At first I was super stoked about the way the 4runner looked with the 285's, but in truth.... The 4runner handling became down right dangerous in poor weather. So dangerous I wouldn't let me wife drive it with my kids in it.

During this time, the 4R rode like it was on ice skates or as if the alignment was off. But Knew it isn't. I know it could be an air pressure issue, but being exactly at 44 psi wouldn't fix my issue. It could be the ply of the LT tires! It may have been the stock width of the rims? I didn't care I just knew I needed a change and fast.

My second issue was the wind factor. Before switching to the Duratracs 285's... I never had an issue with keeping the rig on the road during heavy gust of wind. But now it's down right scary. 3rd issue was major lost in power and gas mileage. with the 285's the power was gone...The rig would red line before I could really get it going in order so I could pass a car on the highway. And as for gas mileage it dropped from avg. 23 mpg to avg. 15.7 on a good day.

Any how... On the commute to work yesterday (Dark and Raining) I hit a puddle a few inches deep, while I was in the carpool lane. The puddle pulled the front end of the rig a few inches away from the concrete divider; going 65 -70 mph. Trying to correct the rig, the back end started to fish tail into the fast lane. This action almost rolled the vehicle, I felt the left rear coil unload and the rear tire pick up. It shook me up so bad.. So bad I had to change my shorts. That afternoon I went to Discount Tire and had them swapped my tires. So now I am sitting on 265's 8ply BFG's A/T ko's.

The handling is so much better and it feels good to get back my 7 MPG that I lost. But I am pretty sad I lost that desired look I was going for.
During this time I have had extreme mixed emotions, But I am happy I made the decision I did.

I think I am getting old.



...

I'm by no means calling you a liar... but, that can't be normal, can it? Anyone else with 285s care to chime-in here?

 

[Intruder]

285 Duratracs but what load rating? I have Ds that I run at 38 psi and they're the best handling tire I've ever had in the rain. They do quite well on snow and ice but definitely not as well as X-ices or Blizzaks.

I remember reading a lot of posts here where guys were running their Duratracs at 40+ psi so I figured I'd give it a try at 42 psi to see if I was missing something. First stop I made I pulled out my tire guage and put them back down to 38 psi - what the tech at Fountain Tire (owned by Goodyear) had originally set them at. I found that over 40 psi those tires were incredibly skittish and if I hit any bumps or unevenness on the pavement while going around a curve it felt like I was going to jump into the next lane over.

Because I air down all the time when I go off road and have an ARB compressor I've tried a few different psi settings when I air back up but I keep ending up back at 38. I'd suggest that everyone should try playing with it a bit to find what works best for them.

 

[harper7]

So I gave the 285 DruaTracs a GOOD try. But after yesterdays commute to work it was time to let them to go. At first I was super stoked about the way the 4runner looked with the 285's, but in truth.... The 4runner handling became down right dangerous in poor weather. So dangerous I wouldn't let me wife drive it with my kids in it.

During this time, the 4R rode like it was on ice skates or as if the alignment was off. But Knew it isn't. I know it could be an air pressure issue, but being exactly at 44 psi wouldn't fix my issue. It could be the ply of the LT tires! It may have been the stock width of the rims? I didn't care I just knew I needed a change and fast.

My second issue was the wind factor. Before switching to the Duratracs 285's... I never had an issue with keeping the rig on the road during heavy gust of wind. But now it's down right scary. 3rd issue was major lost in power and gas mileage. with the 285's the power was gone...The rig would red line before I could really get it going in order so I could pass a car on the highway. And as for gas mileage it dropped from avg. 23 mpg to avg. 15.7 on a good day.

Any how... On the commute to work yesterday (Dark and Raining) I hit a puddle a few inches deep, while I was in the carpool lane. The puddle pulled the front end of the rig a few inches away from the concrete divider; going 65 -70 mph. Trying to correct the rig, the back end started to fish tail into the fast lane. This action almost rolled the vehicle, I felt the left rear coil unload and the rear tire pick up. It shook me up so bad.. So bad I had to change my shorts. That afternoon I went to Discount Tire and had them swapped my tires. So now I am sitting on 265's 8ply BFG's A/T ko's.

The handling is so much better and it feels good to get back my 7 MPG that I lost. But I am pretty sad I lost that desired look I was going for.
During this time I have had extreme mixed emotions, But I am happy I made the decision I did.

I think I am getting old.



...

I'm by no means calling you a liar... but, that can't be normal, can it? Anyone else with 285s care to chime-in here?

The most probable explanation is your caster setting on your alignment is really low with your spacer lift on or you got a bad set of tires. Might also be that you have the oem SR5 suspension(known to be soft) with spacers as a lift.

I have the exact tires in 285/70/17 on and have nothing like what you describe. I can take my hands off the wheel and it will stay straight for miles as long as the road is straight and level. They work great in the rain too as we have had alot of it lately down here.

 

[characterzero]

so I went from 265/75/16s (stock) to 285/75/16 Nitto TG to 285/75/16 GY Duratracs on my Nismo truck...I know, different vehicle, but same changes.

I lost 2mpg going from the stock to the 285 TG
I lost 1mpg going from the 285 TG to the 285 Duratrac.

I think there are a few factors here...
1. Stock tires are always paperweight. 41lb ea, IIRC. Change that to 51 for the Nitto or 56 for the Duratrac (again, IIRC).
2. GY Duratracs have much higher rolling restistance. The rubber compound and tread depth really work against these tires. They are heavy and slow! They look killer though.
3. The TG were "D" spec and the GY were

thoughts
The Terra Grapplers were so easy to balance (unlike the Duratracs), evenly wearing and good on and off-road (for my purposes). I sold them with 5/16" tread left on them for $300 to boot after 55k.

All that being said, I think these trucks look just as good with stock tires as they do with 285s, so, given that I'm picking up a TE soon with stockers that have 20k on them, I see new tires within a year....and I'll be going stock size on Terra Grapplers.

 

[lezavw90]

When I had the Tacoma everyone over there was going nuts for the Nitto TG as a fantastic all around tire.

 

[cbielat]

pumped on my 285s

 

[ArcticEd]

I have the 285/70/17 D-rated Duratracs and no regrets at this point. It's only been a week, but it's like having a new truck in terms of handling. That's with an actual suspension lift though, not spacers. I had the stock tires & 20" wheels for a while after the lift and THAT was a little scary to me.

I've lost 1 - 2mpg, but I really didn't buy a truck of this size for it's great mileage either. I went from averaging 21 on the highway to about 19, but I've never averaged more than 17 for a tank due to the number and timing of traffic lights in my normal drive.

I was concerned about the speedo & odo being off with the larger tire, but it's rarely more than 1 or 2 mph off according to the Escort 9500i (has GPS) and "your speed is" radars.

Haven't noticed any drift, pulling, or any other related issues at city or highway speeds on a variety of road surfaces. No rain experience at this point. Also haven't noticed any "power loss" per-se; when I hit the gas it goes just as fast and shifts just as horribly low as it always has.

The biggest difference I've noticed is handling during turning/lane changing/270deg freeway exits - it's a lot more "sure footed" with the wider tire. I doubt the diameter has that much to do with it; I'm pretty sure that's the stiffer sidewall and wider stance. Makes me feel like I could drive just about anywhere! (maybe that's a problem :lookout

My $0.02

 

[muddyYota]

I don't have Duratracs but going from stock tires to roughly 2x larger (not exact math) tires you shouldn't almost hit the side wall running nascar to work in the rain. I bet it would have pulled you no matter what tires you had.

I've got 285/70 BFG AT E Rated and I fly around the beltway in DC and never had a problem in rain or snow.

The main fact remains though that if your now happy. Then the 265's were meant to be. You can't go wrong with the BFG's , 80k mile tire.

 

[ohnoitsthecops]

Sounds like a bit to do with wandering from not enough caster. Ive had the 285 70 17 on my fj for about 4,000 miles now with no problem

 

[surffshr]

Is this a before and after when you changed to the 265's? I'd like to see a better pic of you rig with the 265's for sure. Been thinking of keeping stock size but going to a better AT/lifting. I definitely like the way your truck looks.

So I gave the 285 DruaTracs a GOOD try. But after yesterdays commute to work it was time to let them to go. At first I was super stoked about the way the 4runner looked with the 285's, but in truth.... The 4runner handling became down right dangerous in poor weather. So dangerous I wouldn't let me wife drive it with my kids in it.

During this time, the 4R rode like it was on ice skates or as if the alignment was off. But Knew it isn't. I know it could be an air pressure issue, but being exactly at 44 psi wouldn't fix my issue. It could be the ply of the LT tires! It may have been the stock width of the rims? I didn't care I just knew I needed a change and fast.

My second issue was the wind factor. Before switching to the Duratracs 285's... I never had an issue with keeping the rig on the road during heavy gust of wind. But now it's down right scary. 3rd issue was major lost in power and gas mileage. with the 285's the power was gone...The rig would red line before I could really get it going in order so I could pass a car on the highway. And as for gas mileage it dropped from avg. 23 mpg to avg. 15.7 on a good day.

Any how... On the commute to work yesterday (Dark and Raining) I hit a puddle a few inches deep, while I was in the carpool lane. The puddle pulled the front end of the rig a few inches away from the concrete divider; going 65 -70 mph. Trying to correct the rig, the back end started to fish tail into the fast lane. This action almost rolled the vehicle, I felt the left rear coil unload and the rear tire pick up. It shook me up so bad.. So bad I had to change my shorts. That afternoon I went to Discount Tire and had them swapped my tires. So now I am sitting on 265's 8ply BFG's A/T ko's.

The handling is so much better and it feels good to get back my 7 MPG that I lost. But I am pretty sad I lost that desired look I was going for.
During this time I have had extreme mixed emotions, But I am happy I made the decision I did.

I think I am getting old.



...

 

[msommers]

Sorry to hear you've had such bad luck with the Duratracs. They've gotten me through some really crappy weather and I work on- and off-road in northern Alberta, Canada. Something seems odd about this though, maybe get them rebalanced and have an alignment done, although it's very premature to require such a job but ya never know.

Regardless, the stock tires that come with the vehicle are inadequate if you experience any freezing temperatures. The studs on my duratracs have worn down pretty badly since we didn't get as much snow/ice as normal (still enough to warrant the studs I feel) and I do a lot of highway driving. I may be looking into getting the Nokian Hakk 7 for a dedicated winter tire - spend the money, they're worth it.