HELP NEEDED: Tire selection

[c0astie31]

good morning everyone,

i am a new 4runner owner, i traded in a highly modified Tundra and love the new ride. i have sold a bunch of stuff from the tundra to help out the 4 runner. here is what i am having trouble on.

i love the mpg i am getting right now stock, 23.5 mixed driving. gonna do beach and trail driving, nothing like a rock crawl, fire roads maybe.

i have 3 choices,

p265/70/17 nitto terra grapplers 40 lbs.

265/70/17 good year duratrac, new tire that is no LT, 43 lbs

p285/70/17 nitto terra grappler 45 lbs.

all the tires above are stronger than the stock, and i have read a ton of threads with guys running them in the desert and trails with no issues.

i want a better performing tire, nicer looking and want to keep the mpg up, i have searched and read for hours on all the choices, and i am seeing if other here can help me out. i am leaning toward the 285 for looks, but i think the good year is a great choice too. any help would be awesome, mpg and tire size.

 

[Titanpat57]

Lots of deserts in Long Islan?

 

[c0astie31]

Lol, no I was comparing the desert terrain and people using p rated tires and being ok

 

[bimrunner]

I ran the stock sized nittos briefly and didn't notice a huge drop in mpg. Duratracs look better imo but they are more aggressive in tread and my guess is slightly more of a mpg hit. The 285 will be an evel larger hit to mpg. If milage is important to you, you are going to have to come to grips with the fact that more aggressive tires are going to cost mpgs. How many? ymmv.

 

[Titanpat57]

I think one thing to take into consideration is how much street time vs. how much trail time you'll be putting on them.

The reality (in my case) is I commute almost 100 miles a day back and forth to work, and wheel maybe 10-15 times a year. I like to be able to drive in all conditions, and I tow a small trailer several times a year, so I stick with LT's, which offer a bit more protection on and off road.

I think you have some good choices there, I've never used any of them so I can't speak about them.

 

[NSW550]

You know you need to lift to fit 285's right? my vote would go for the 285 TG's. I had 295 TG on my old expedition and loved them

 

[c0astie31]

thanks for the replies, i have a 2011 trail editoon with 2.5 front lift and a 1.5 rear lift, i just want a nicer looking, better performing tire, but not a heavy LT tire, i got the runner for a better ride and save money on gas. my tundra got 12 mpg and was a beast, this runner is much nicer and i would like to have a capable runner when needed.