Help With New Tires For My 4runner

[pipo6007]

Hi All,
I am pretty set on ordering the Cooper AT3's this week. What I want to know is what size should I get. And also how I should expect it to feel going from the factory tires. I have the upgraded 17inch wheels and currently running Dunlop GrandTrek AT20's 265/65/17. Besides the original set of tires I have only replaced the tires once in 121K miles. I installed the Daystar spacers about two years ago. Now its time to get new tires and not sure what would fit, ride and handle better. I live in Miami so I drive 90% highway and rarely venture offroad. I know the 265/70/17 will fit just fine but I am thinking about 275/70/17's. Would a 275 be a noticeable difference in road noise, gas millage and will they fit without rubbing?
What size tire would you recommend and how do you like the ride of the Cooper AT3's on the street? I don't like road noise so the less the better. Based on what I have read the Cooper's have the least amount of road noise for an All Terrain tire.

 

[Stuck CAPS]

Hi All,
I am pretty set on ordering the Cooper AT3's this week. What I want to know is what size should I get. And also how I should expect it to feel going from the factory tires. I have the upgraded 17inch wheels and currently running Dunlop GrandTrek AT20's 265/65/17. Besides the original set of tires I have only replaced the tires once in 121K miles. I installed the Daystar spacers about two years ago. Now its time to get new tires and not sure what would fit, ride and handle better. I live in Miami so I drive 90% highway and rarely venture offroad. I know the 265/70/17 will fit just fine but I am thinking about 275/70/17's. Would a 275 be a noticeable difference in road noise, gas millage and will they fit without rubbing?
What size tire would you recommend and how do you like the ride of the Cooper AT3's on the street? I don't like road noise so the less the better. Based on what I have read the Cooper's have the least amount of road noise for an All Terrain tire.

I had some AT3's and being completely honest, I didn't like the offroad performance. But since you're mainly highway driving, you should be fine with them. 275's should fit with little, if any, rubbing, since you have the spacers, but you can usually remove the front mudflaps for that... I run silent armors and here little to no road noise with them, and they do hold traction very well. MPG may drop, but not by much... Plus, if you ever do wanna go offroad, bigger is better, right?

 

[redbull9944]

Hi All,
I am pretty set on ordering the Cooper AT3's this week. What I want to know is what size should I get. And also how I should expect it to feel going from the factory tires. I have the upgraded 17inch wheels and currently running Dunlop GrandTrek AT20's 265/65/17. Besides the original set of tires I have only replaced the tires once in 121K miles. I installed the Daystar spacers about two years ago. Now its time to get new tires and not sure what would fit, ride and handle better. I live in Miami so I drive 90% highway and rarely venture offroad. I know the 265/70/17 will fit just fine but I am thinking about 275/70/17's. Would a 275 be a noticeable difference in road noise, gas millage and will they fit without rubbing?
What size tire would you recommend and how do you like the ride of the Cooper AT3's on the street? I don't like road noise so the less the better. Based on what I have read the Cooper's have the least amount of road noise for an All Terrain tire.

The 275's will fit, but you have to consider that they only come in LT. These are considerably heavier than the P rated 265/70's. If I were you, I'd stick to P rated 265/70's and save yourself some power and mileage.

 

[Synister]

Im running P-rated AT3's in a 285 but with a lot of a lift and trimming to get them to fit. The tires are great, Ive used them in pretty much any kind of road/traction condition from wet, desert, ice, snow, etc and they've been fantastic. A little tough to balance though but that may be due to my rims. The LT's will be pretty heavy for normal day to day driving so you might consider looking at one of their P-rated sizes for better mileage. Expect to trim a little from the bumper and mud flaps (or ditch them all together). 275 should fit with just a little trimming and ~1mpg or so decrease.

 

[WXman]

The 275's will fit, but you have to consider that they only come in LT. These are considerably heavier than the P rated 265/70's. If I were you, I'd stick to P rated 265/70's and save yourself some power and mileage.

Actually, that's not true.

Cooper is one of the few companies still making LT "C" tires in the 265/70-17 size and 275/70-17 (original equipment for late 90s Dodge 1500 trucks with the off-road package) and those actually have a lower weight capacity than the "P" rated version, and the listed weight on them is equal to a "P" tire. But...you get a lot more tread and therefore better performance and longer wear life.

And to the OP...you will love those Coopers. Best AT going right now, and the tread even though it looks mild in photos is very aggressive and has lots of channels for mud and snow to evacuate which makes it one of the best offroad AT tires out there. The 4x4 magazines were shocked at their testing when this tire came out.

 

[redbull9944]

Actually, that's not true.

Cooper is one of the few companies still making LT "C" tires in the 265/70-17 size and 275/70-17 (original equipment for late 90s Dodge 1500 trucks with the off-road package) and those actually have a lower weight capacity than the "P" rated version, and the listed weight on them is equal to a "P" tire. But...you get a lot more tread and therefore better performance and longer wear life.

And to the OP...you will love those Coopers. Best AT going right now, and the tread even though it looks mild in photos is very aggressive and has lots of channels for mud and snow to evacuate which makes it one of the best offroad AT tires out there. The 4x4 magazines were shocked at their testing when this tire came out.

Actually, what I said is true.

Please see here for specifications on 265/70r17
265/70 R17 Cooper*Discoverer AT3 Tire Specifications, Price and Ratings | Tread Depot

See here for specifications on LT275/70r17
LT275/70 R17 Cooper*Discoverer AT3 Tire Specifications, Price and Ratings | Tread Depot

The 275's are 6lbs heavier per tire, and a little wider which will decrease mileage. If this car is a pavement pounder like OP says, I'd stick with the more comfortable, lighter, and more fuel friendly 265/70r17.

 

[WXman]

When you get them on the scales at home, you'll see that the weights you find on websites are all over the place and are usually wrong. I've personally measured and weighed the various sizes of these tires and you're talking a very minimal, if any, weight difference between the 265/275 and P vs. C and also your tread width is going to be less than 0.5" different which adds virtually no extra rolling resistance.

Bottom line is that in the real world, two identical 4Rs one with the 265s and one with the 275s are going to see almost zero difference in MPGs and ride quality. It will be unnoticeable.

I would do the LT C 265/70 myself...just because the tire clearance on these is so tight as it is and when you start flexing you'll appreciate every 0.1" you can get.

 

[pipo6007]

When you get them on the scales at home, you'll see that the weights you find on websites are all over the place and are usually wrong. I've personally measured and weighed the various sizes of these tires and you're talking a very minimal, if any, weight difference between the 265/275 and P vs. C and also your tread width is going to be less than 0.5" different which adds virtually no extra rolling resistance.

Bottom line is that in the real world, two identical 4Rs one with the 265s and one with the 275s are going to see almost zero difference in MPGs and ride quality. It will be unnoticeable.

I would do the LT C 265/70 myself...just because the tire clearance on these is so tight as it is and when you start flexing you'll appreciate every 0.1" you can get.

Thanks to all for providing great information. So my choices are now 265/70/17 P/C or 275/70/17 P/C. Based on the information on the TD website the LT275 tires are 32.20" overall diameter and the 265P tires are 31.43". There is also more tread depth on the LT with 17 and 14 on the P.
Even though the tires are the same size (70), the 275 number increased the overall diameter correct? The tread depth and look is also more aggressive on the TL tire right?
Will my 2.5 , 1.5 Daystar kit be able to handle the 275's without trimming? I don't mind removing mud flaps but thats about it. Still need some more feedback before I order them and let me know where I can get the best deal!!!!
*I don't seem to find the 275/70/17 P tire on any website maybe they don't make them?!?!?

 

[WXman]

Thanks to all for providing great information. So my choices are now 265/70/17 P/C or 275/70/17 P/C. Based on the information on the TD website the LT275 tires are 32.20" overall diameter and the 265P tires are 31.43". There is also more tread depth on the LT with 17 and 14 on the P.
Even though the tires are the same size (70), the 275 number increased the overall diameter correct? The tread depth and look is also more aggressive on the TL tire right?
Will my 2.5 , 1.5 Daystar kit be able to handle the 275's without trimming? I don't mind removing mud flaps but thats about it. Still need some more feedback before I order them and let me know where I can get the best deal!!!!

Keep in mind that listed diameters are including the bulge of the sidewall. So if you measure a tire while it's on the vehicle and you just measure from the ground up to the top of the tire, you will always get a smaller diameter.

Yes, the tread is deeper on the LT tires...and this will have a minimal affect on fuel economy but the flip side is the tires will last longer so you get your money back.

The 70 number is the percentage of height compared to sidewall width. So the 275/70 is a little taller because the width is 0.4" more and the percentage of height is unchanged...hence a little more height to go with it.

I am running 1.75" lift in front and 1.5" lift in the rear. From what I can see, a 265/70-17 will rub my mud flaps in the front and the front liner under the bumper also. However, I am not using stock wheels. This makes a difference. You need to turn your tires left and right and take measurements between the edge of the tire and the body. If you get more than 0.5" of clearance then you should be good going up in tire size to 265/70.

 

[pipo6007]

Keep in mind that listed diameters are including the bulge of the sidewall. So if you measure a tire while it's on the vehicle and you just measure from the ground up to the top of the tire, you will always get a smaller diameter.

Yes, the tread is deeper on the LT tires...and this will have a minimal affect on fuel economy but the flip side is the tires will last longer so you get your money back.

The 70 number is the percentage of height compared to sidewall width. So the 275/70 is a little taller because the width is 0.4" more and the percentage of height is unchanged...hence a little more height to go with it.

I am running 1.75" lift in front and 1.5" lift in the rear. From what I can see, a 265/70-17 will rub my mud flaps in the front and the front liner under the bumper also. However, I am not using stock wheels. This makes a difference. You need to turn your tires left and right and take measurements between the edge of the tire and the body. If you get more than 0.5" of clearance then you should be good going up in tire size to 265/70.

After giving this a little more thought I am going to stick with the 265/70/17. They are about $40 to $60 cheaper per tire and I won't have to worry about rubbing and trimming. Thanks again for all your help. I will be doing the shocks and springs in the next 6 months and that will be another question later....

 

[pipo6007]

New Cooper AT3 tires installed today

Well I'm very happy with my decision so far. I went with the 265/70/17 Cooper AT3's 560AB. They look 10 times better than my old dunlop AT20's. Other posters were right on in regards to the aggressive appearance of these tires. They look much better in person. I noticed these tires raised the height a good 2 or more inches switching from my bald tires. I drove up to 70mph on the highway and they were very smooth. Couldn't hear much of a difference between my old tires and these. They have a softer ride and the steering wheel moves more freely than before. So far I would highly recommend them for street and rain use based on my short test. I chose to install them with the black wall out but if you flip them, the other side has the white outlined letters. This may help anyone looking since I was not sure if they had the outlines on both sides of the tire.

 

[pipo6007]

Close up of tire tread

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