Need Input on Choosing 315/75R16 Tires

[GhostDog]

I'm running Duratracs in a 315 75r16, I think they are the best all around tire. On the highway they are smooth and much quieter than the MTs I had before. They are great on snow and ice and decent in mud.

 

[Bandit Runner]

I'm running Duratracs in a 315 75r16, I think they are the best all around tire. On the highway they are smooth and much quieter than the MTs I had before. They are great on snow and ice and decent in mud.

My wife has 265/75R16 C load Duratracs on her FJCruiser. They are nice tires! The E load range scares me with the 315's. Do they ride stiff at all?

Also, I'm not sure I want to run the same tires as my wife. Haha. :bluejump:

 

[csp]

Rotational weight is the absolute worst weight you can add to your vehicle. Think about a point on your tire. It experiences translation (moving down the road like the rest of your vehicle) as well as rotation. Therefore, this tire weight has to be moved way farther than any other part your vehicle.

In terms of kinetic energy, it takes (1/2)Iw^2 + (1/2)mv^2 to move your tires, whereas the rest of your vehicle that isn't rotating simply takes (1/2)mv^2.

w is the rotation of the tires and I is the moment of inertia of your wheel/tire combo, and is equal to mv^2.

I fully understand the physics and you're right, rotational weight is the worst weight. There's no denying the science behind what's happening as the tire turns.

The point that you're missing by being caught up in the theory is that effect of the additional weight isn't a big contributor to losses in MPG. Again, the biggest contributors to MPG loss are increased rolling resistance from a larger footprint, worse aerodynamics, and improper gearing (#1 contributor).

As was already mentioned, tire weight is also unsprung weight, which will decrease the performance of your suspension as well.

From a performance perspective of road handling I agree. However, in many four wheeling situations unsprung weight can add stability in off camber situations and aid in suspension flex. It depends on your perspective and I'll hazard a guess that most on this site wanting a larger diameter tire aren't looking to win any road races.

All that being said, I just bought a set of 285's on LX450 wheels to replace my haggard 265's so :flipoff: to mpg, power and braking performance.

I'm with you there! I'd rather piss away gas money than be stuck driving some lame economy car. :thumb:

 

[GhostDog]

My wife has 265/75R16 C load Duratracs on her FJCruiser. They are nice tires! The E load range scares me with the 315's. Do they ride stiff at all?

I run them at 28psi and they are pretty smooth, off road I usually run at 14psi and get a decent bulge.

 

[krenaud33]

Does Goodyear make Kelly tires?

I believe that is correct. The TSR is the twin to the Duratrac. The rubber compound is different. I believe the TSR has a longer lasting rubber compound compared to the Duratrac. I know your trying to get away from the load E tires, but I noticed you had other comparable load E tires listed.

 

[BrandonF]

I fully understand the physics and you're right, rotational weight is the worst weight. There's no denying the science behind what's happening as the tire turns.

The point that you're missing by being caught up in the theory is that effect of the additional weight isn't a big contributor to losses in MPG. Again, the biggest contributors to MPG loss are increased rolling resistance from a larger footprint, worse aerodynamics, and improper gearing (#1 contributor).



From a performance perspective of road handling I agree. However, in many four wheeling situations unsprung weight can add stability in off camber situations and aid in suspension flex. It depends on your perspective and I'll hazard a guess that most on this site wanting a larger diameter tire aren't looking to win any road races.




I'm with you there! I'd rather piss away gas money than be stuck driving some lame economy car. :thumb:

Yeah to be honest, I'm not sure exactly how much the weight of the bigger tire affects things. And I do agree; bigger, heavier tires will aid in stability off road. I don't mind adding weight to my rig as long as it sits low i.e. skid plates, bumpers. In my opinion, that extra weight will make the truck drive better both on and off road.

My friend has ~4" suspension lift, 1" body lift, a large roof rack, roof top tent, and no sway bars on his 3rd gen. Damn that thing has some body roll. I don't know how he's comfortable driving it on OR off road. I've rolled a 4runner before so I understand how easily they do roll over in the right situation.

 

[downpour11]

Goodyear MT/R - I dd mine and i've beat the hell out of them and they hook up pretty well, much better than my old MTZ's.

Toyo Open Country R/T (new...check it out)
Cooper STT
Nitto Trail Grappler

 

[the great him]

another vote here for the MTR. while i cant speak to the life of them, everything else is outstanding. i just had them in ice today and very impressed. i think i have fond the tire i will stick with, unless something strange comes up and ruins my love of them. they are quiet for a mud tire, very smooth, and provide great traction on and off road. the only thing i have not had these in yet is sand and snow. the snow will be soon though!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Goodyear MT/R - I dd mine and i've beat the hell out of them and they hook up pretty well, much better than my old MTZ's.

Toyo Open Country R/T (new...check it out)
Cooper STT
Nitto Trail Grappler

Damn! That new Toyo R/T tire looks pretty good. Too bad it will probably be an E load range though. Website doesn't list any 16" wheel sizes yet either.

 

[nhmiller]

I'm currently running 285/75-17 Toyo MT's. I love them. They are heavy, but they ride great and aren't loud at all. They do very well in rain and snow. Tires are hard to pick, because you don't want to be unhappy with them. I think if you went to an AT you would be lose the aggressive look your beautiful 4Runner has and that would make you want to replace them sooner. [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] is running the MT/Rs, maybe he can give you his input as I know he daily drives his.

Cdcrewferd... Can I ask what these are on? Stock gen3? Any rub issues at that size?

 

[NHRunner]

Have you considered running dedicated winter tires? I absolutely love my grabber at2s on ice. They're studdable, the price is right, and you can get a 315 LR D. And then you can wait until springtime to get a set of MTs.

Otherwise, I see tons of Canadian fleet vehicles, public works trucks, wheeling rigs, and police cruisers all with Duratracs. Theyre a really popular tire up here.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Have you considered running dedicated winter tires? I absolutely love my grabber at2s on ice. They're studdable, the price is right, and you can get a 315 LR D. And then you can wait until springtime to get a set of MTs.

Otherwise, I see tons of Canadian fleet vehicles, public works trucks, wheeling rigs, and police cruisers all with Duratracs. Theyre a really popular tire up here.

I've thought about it, but its not very practical having to buy 2 sets of tires and another set of wheels for the winter tires. Thanks for the input though.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Any other advice? I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the Goodyear MTR's in the next week or two.

 

[GSPRunner]

Except they wear very quickly and don't do very well in sand.

I sold my 285 km2s(with a lot of wheeling trips on them) with 50k miles on them and 10/32nds tread.

 

[4Running Daily]

I sold my 285 km2s(with a lot of wheeling trips on them) with 50k miles on them and 10/32nds tread.

Congrats on being the outlier. Want a cookie?


Here's some data from my 35" search. I think I'm gonna go with the Cooper Discovery STT given it's one of the smaller 35's and should be a little easier to clear.
Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 3.52.55 PM by 4Running Daily, on Flickr

 

[mmml4]

I run the 315 75 r16 Toyo Open Country MT's and to my suprise they are quiet and smooth. Been offroad a few times and they do fine. They are heavy and expensive but I like them so far.

 

[GSPRunner]

Congrats on being the outlier. Want a cookie?


Here's some data from my 35" search. I think I'm gonna go with the Cooper Discovery STT given it's one of the smaller 35's and should be a little easier to clear.
Screen Shot 2015-03-10 at 3.52.55 PM by 4Running Daily, on Flickr

I'm just saying I don't think they wear quickly, at all. Probably just your driving habits.

 

[Range]

I have ProComp MT2 and they're great off road but they're loud as hell on the highway and they suck in snow. They wear very evenly which is great but I have noticed the outer treads seems to get easily chewed up.

 

[4Running Daily]

I'm just saying I don't think they wear quickly, at all. Probably just your driving habits.

If you google around you'll see people agree that Km2's, just like any other mud terrain, wear quickly.

The fact that I use my car for its intended use has nothing to do with it. 90% of my miles are on a flat, straight highway from California to Arizona.

 

[GSPRunner]

If you google around you'll see people agree that Km2's, just like any other mud terrain, wear quickly.

The fact that I use my car for its intended use has nothing to do with it. 90% of my miles are on a flat, straight highway from California to Arizona.

Who knows kid. What I do know though is that I don't need Google for afirmation on my experiences with this particular tire. Yes, mud terrains do typically wear faster, and believe me, I was surprised to see the amount of life that I got out of these KM2s. The OP wanted opinions on what tire he should run next and I was merely giving my two cents.

Now give me that f*ckin cookie.