Opinion wanted just ordered 255/80/17 Toyo Open country A/T2

[TallyTrailRunner]

I just ordered some Toyo Open Country A/T2 in 255/80/17 from Discount Tire to have mounted this coming weekend.
I was excited to find a less aggressive tire in this size than the BFG M/T or the S/T Maxx. I like the Pizza Cutter look and the idea that I would get better gas mileage. I primarily use my truck as a DD with some limited sandy trails here in Florida. I plan on mounting on my stock TE wheels. My concern is the guy at the tire shop said that this tire would be unsafe due to my lift (2.5 Billstein's) since it was so narrow. He also said that the load E would be very harsh riding.
Can anyone offer advice if this is indeed unsafe? Especially anyone who is running this size. I have read several threads here and on Tacoma sites, seems like an acceptable practice?
Thanks in advance!

 

[nb rob]

I just ordered some Toyo Open Country A/T2 in 255/80/17 from Discount Tire to have mounted this coming weekend.
I was excited to find a less aggressive tire in this size than the BFG M/T or the S/T Maxx. I like the Pizza Cutter look and the idea that I would get better gas mileage. I primarily use my truck as a DD with some limited sandy trails here in Florida. I plan on mounting on my stock TE wheels. My concern is the guy at the tire shop said that this tire would be unsafe due to my lift (2.5 Billstein's) since it was so narrow. He also said that the load E would be very harsh riding.
Can anyone offer advice if this is indeed unsafe? Especially anyone who is running this size. I have read several threads here and on Tacoma sites, seems like an acceptable practice?
Thanks in advance!

what makes it unsafe in his opinion?

My nissan halfton came with 245 tires. narrower still, and yet I still lived to tell the tale

 

[RCFJ]

I just ordered some Toyo Open Country A/T2 in 255/80/17 from Discount Tire to have mounted this coming weekend.
I was excited to find a less aggressive tire in this size than the BFG M/T or the S/T Maxx. I like the Pizza Cutter look and the idea that I would get better gas mileage. I primarily use my truck as a DD with some limited sandy trails here in Florida. I plan on mounting on my stock TE wheels. My concern is the guy at the tire shop said that this tire would be unsafe due to my lift (2.5 Billstein's) since it was so narrow. He also said that the load E would be very harsh riding.
Can anyone offer advice if this is indeed unsafe? Especially anyone who is running this size. I have read several threads here and on Tacoma sites, seems like an acceptable practice?
Thanks in advance!

He might be right about the E rating but naught else.

 

[Bodhi327]

??

That's just an odd size to me, all the write ups on here and there are better options. I hope this doesn't sound mean, but a 4runner is not a good choice for great gas mileage in general. Seems Tall, I know its still a 33 inch tire.

 

[TVille]

What the others have said. Unsafest thing I see is running narrow tires on sand. :bigok:

 

[Decipher]

I’ve read of people having issues with the sidewall being too stressed due to the narrow size in cornering. This is said to result in poor driving characteristics and poor cornering, especially when cornering hard. While I have no personal experience, this is what I’ve gathered from my reading. Also, airing down is not as good or effective, again, due to the narrow width.

The E rated tires will ride very harsh on the 4Runner. They are overkill for our trucks. Anyone who says they’re not that bad is finding peace in their purchase. They will translate to a stiff ride.

Edit: I don’t think they’ll be unsafe with your lift, but they will leave performance to be desired. Plus, sand and certain types of snow work better with a wider track tire. The pizza cutters slice into the sand rather than float on top of it. Less contact patch means less weight distribution.

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[RCFJ]

That's just an odd size to me, all the write ups on here and there are better options. I hope this doesn't sound mean, but a 4runner is not a good choice for great gas mileage in general. Seems Tall, I know its still a 33 inch tire.

Its a great choice in size, small narrow tires are good in snow, offroading and get better mpg. The problem is choice of tire. Come on 255/80 duratrac!!!

 

[Ron4RNevada]

E rated Toyo Open Country tires are great tires!

A 255 tire is only 1/2 inch less than a 265 tire and the 80 aspect ratio will only bring it down to a total of around 1 inch less width than a 265 (if my math is working right today).

 

[Decipher]

That sounds about right. Most of the negatives are in theory except for the sidewalk issues, which I’ve read enough to make me shy away from the size.

The Toyo Open Country are not mountain snowflake rated so unfortunately, they’re not an option for many (myself included).


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[NZDZRT]

Size Difference... 255/80 vs. Stock 265/70

The 255 width is 10mm or 3/8" narrower... not a big deal at all. The sidewall height is less than 3/4" (.73"), 1.46" taller overall. Very slight differences.

I will say that the E rides harsher, but for me, these are my off-road tires. I run my stock tires most of the time. KM2's, with white letters out!

NZDZRT

 

[4boer2]

I have the same exact tires, also on stock wheels. They are definitely stiff. I run them at 44 psi. They are also heavy, so the whole mileage thing didn't turn out (don't worry, I had the same wind resistance theory). I got the pizza cutter size because my terrain is all rocks and nothing soft, but as long as you air down in the sand there shouldn't be a problem. I got these tires specifically because of the siping and less aggressive tread. Remember that airing down increases the length of the footprint more than the width, and the 80% sidewall helps a ton in that regard. As far as safety goes, I'm not sure if my lift mattered or not, but my car definitely feels more sketchy around high speed turns. Another weird thing was that skid control comes on if I take a turn a little quick (but I'm not slipping). I did a zero point calibration and it helped a little bit. They are good in the snow and rain though, and offroad. Conclusion: I'm stock weight, so I'm going to stick with a P rated 33 next time around, but I'm going to keep them until they wear down.

 

[Asugm13]

St maxx

I just ordered some Toyo Open Country A/T2 in 255/80/17 from Discount Tire to have mounted this coming weekend.
I was excited to find a less aggressive tire in this size than the BFG M/T or the S/T Maxx. I like the Pizza Cutter look and the idea that I would get better gas mileage. I primarily use my truck as a DD with some limited sandy trails here in Florida. I plan on mounting on my stock TE wheels. My concern is the guy at the tire shop said that this tire would be unsafe due to my lift (2.5 Billstein's) since it was so narrow. He also said that the load E would be very harsh riding.
Can anyone offer advice if this is indeed unsafe? Especially anyone who is running this size. I have read several threads here and on Tacoma sites, seems like an acceptable practice?
Thanks in advance!

I have run the ST MAXX in this size for 40,000 miles now. No issues on the highway or anything of that nature.

Lost about 1.5 mpg compared to stock. The height increase hurts the mpg and acceleration more than weight.

Unsafe? No. Harsh ride? Thats subjective.

Try them and if you don't like them take them back and get something P-rated.

The type of off roading that you do will also play a role in if you need a E rated tire and/ or width compared to height.

For sand and mud a wider tire is generally more beneficial than taller. For rocks generally height/ ground clearance are more beneficial.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Your tire guy is an idiot. Like others have said, a 255/80/17 is only roughly 10 mm narrower. This varies brand to brand and even when comparing different tires within the same brand (MT vs AT). My 255/80/17 ST Maxx are every bit as wide, maybe even wider, than the 265/70/17 Hankooks I once ran and just a hair narrower than the KO2’s I also ran. The 255’s are definitely taller than either of the 265/70’s which could lead to a little more sidewall flex around corners but I definitely wouldn’t consider it dangerous. I’ve even ran 235/85/16’s on multiple trucks before and never once did I feel unsafe due to how narrow the tires were.

I also like a tall skinny tire and I like how they form more of a track, like a bull dozer, when aired down. That will be key when going in the sand. My 255’s barely put a dent in my mpg on my 4th gen. You will have to factor in actual miles traveled vs what it says on the trip odometer to get your actual mpg. I will agree that a Load Range E tire is overkill for a vehicle like the 4runner but that’s all that’s available in this size so it is what it is. Is it really a bad thing to go overkill on the one thing (4 actually) that you and your vehicle are rolling around on? It may ride a little rough to some but I prefer a little stiffer ride vs the pillows that come from the factory. I would recommend weighing the 4runner on a CAT scale and calling Toyo with the results to see what pressure range they would recommend. Take those numbers and adjust accordingly.

 

[TallyTrailRunner]

Thanks for all the great replies. I’m hoping the harsh ride is relevant and won’t be as noticeable with the upgraded shocks.

 

[Bodhi327]

Huh....

Learn something new every day, hope it works out. I went to the tire calculator and the size is not that different from more popular sizes.

 

[Jetboy]

Your tire guy is an idiot. Like others have said, a 255/80/17 is only roughly 10 mm narrower. This varies brand to brand and even when comparing different tires within the same brand (MT vs AT). My 255/80/17 ST Maxx are every bit as wide, maybe even wider, than the 265/70/17 Hankooks I once ran and just a hair narrower than the KO2’s I also ran. The 255’s are definitely taller than either of the 265/70’s which could lead to a little more sidewall flex around corners but I definitely wouldn’t consider it dangerous. I’ve even ran 235/85/16’s on multiple trucks before and never once did I feel unsafe due to how narrow the tires were.

I also like a tall skinny tire and I like how they form more of a track, like a bull dozer, when aired down. That will be key when going in the sand. My 255’s barely put a dent in my mpg on my 4th gen. You will have to factor in actual miles traveled vs what it says on the trip odometer to get your actual mpg. I will agree that a Load Range E tire is overkill for a vehicle like the 4runner but that’s all that’s available in this size so it is what it is. Is it really a bad thing to go overkill on the one thing (4 actually) that you and your vehicle are rolling around on? It may ride a little rough to some but I prefer a little stiffer ride vs the pillows that come from the factory. I would recommend weighing the 4runner on a CAT scale and calling Toyo with the results to see what pressure range they would recommend. Take those numbers and adjust accordingly.

I generally agree - but I wouldn't call Toyo for tire pressure suggestions because Toyo customer service isn't a reliable source. I had my own issue with them that ended up with them buying back tires that were out of round. During that time they told me to run my 285/70/17's at 26psi. Their version of tire pressure advice is to take the max psi and max load and then your load and adjust tire pressure by the same ratio. So they're going to tell you to run them at 30-31psi. That's not how you calculate tire pressures and is probably quite a bit too low. I think something like 45psi is more appropriate.

 

[Monkey Wrench]

I’ve been running pizza cutters on multiple Toyota’s for the past 7 years, ranging from 235s to 255s. The narrow tread plows through standing water on highways with ease and they provide excellent traction on snowy roads. The narrow tread also works great offroad, especially when aired down- the tread contact gets longer as you drop the psi. While the narrow tread may not be the best in ultra deep mud or sand, they work well everywhere else. Plus the skinny tire fits with much less rubbing than wider tires- the 255/80r17 fit stock 4Runners and Tacoma’s without trimming.

Search on expedition portal for countless threads about the benefits of the tall/skinny tire.

I will say the 235/80r17 is too narrow, I ran those out n KO2 and they had a hard time turning in deep snow- they tended to want to plow straight ahead with a lot of understeer. The 255/80r17 doesn’t have that issue and seems to be the ideal width. To me the only draw back of this size is the limited selection of tires.

 

[TallyTrailRunner]

Monkey Wrench Thanks for that description, sounds worth trying them out.

 

[Agent_Outside]

255/80/17 Ridge Grapplers will be my next tire for sure.

 

[jpaws]

I am currently running 255 80 17 ridge grapplers, and think I am going to switch them out. I have had them in the sand, rain, and dirt and think they perform great. They do feel really sketchy on highway ramps. I think the 80 profile may be a bit much when lifted. Doesn't "feel" safe to me.

I do have them on a 8.5 inch rim so that may be a contributing factor.