Tire Decisions, Worth it to go Taller/Heavier?

[Unner]

Sounds like you want of stick with the 255/80/17s. I would be leaning towards those Nitto Ridge Grapplers. They look like an aggressive AT similar to Goodyear Duratracs, but a bit more aggressive.

Yeah I think I'm gonna stay 255, just need to decide if I want the 33 or to stay with a 32. The 285's weigh about as much as the 255/80/17's, but less surface area should keep wear and tear down and power/MPG a little higher.

Also just found out there's another tire available in 255/80/17.

Toyo Open Country R/T. 33.1"; 56lbs; E Load

 

[Unner]

Apparently Toyo is jumping on the 255/80/17 bandwagon. They also offer the Open Country A/T in 255/80/17 now. And it's by far the lightest 255/80/17 tire I've seen yet if their spec sheets are correct. I like the direction this is going!

Toyo Open Country A/T. 33.1"; 50 lbs, E Load

 

[LittleCaesar]

Good luck with your choice Unner, the Toyo Open Country is a great tire, really good on the highway which will help between SC and Bama.

Toyo is pretty much non existent here on the NC coast; I will be grabbing some KO2s in the near future.

 

[Unner]

Good luck with your choice Unner, the Toyo Open Country is a great tire, really good on the highway which will help between SC and Bama.

Toyo is pretty much non existent here on the NC coast; I will be grabbing some KO2s in the near future.

Yeah it seems like they've got good reviews, but don't do super well with lots of gravel road abuse. The tires aren't available for sale yet anywhere either. I may call Toyo this week and see when they will be and if they have any idea on pricing.

The tire I keep going back to is the ST MAXX... Everyone loves them from what I've seen. Good wear life, off road traction, on road traction, wet road traction, quiet, they look good, but that weight is a serious drawback. I didn't realize my wheels are 32lbs a piece. The ST MAXX would put me at 90lbs a corner.

Tire decisions are hard...

 

[Road Bull]

Yeah it seems like they've got good reviews, but don't do super well with lots of gravel road abuse. The tires aren't available for sale yet anywhere either. I may call Toyo this week and see when they will be and if they have any idea on pricing.

The tire I keep going back to is the ST MAXX... Everyone loves them from what I've seen. Good wear life, off road traction, on road traction, wet road traction, quiet, they look good, but that weight is a serious drawback. I didn't realize my wheels are 32lbs a piece. The ST MAXX would put me at 90lbs a corner.

Tire decisions are hard...

I was going to try the ST MAXX tires, but I couldn't find them in the 255/85/16 size anywhere. Maybe they stopped making it, or maybe DT stopped carrying it. They still stock the 17" version. I just didn't have 17" wheels, so... And they always seem to run more expensive than everything else around here.

Those ARE some heavy wheels. It complicates things, but you could think about swapping the wheels out to something lighter. You wouldn't have a hard time selling those wheels either. On average for an alloy, you might save ~10lbs. ballpark.

I feel your pain. I went back and forth on tire size when I was buying my last set during the DT ebay sale. I don't know how long my finger hovered above my mouse on that sale... lol.

 

[Unner]

Strange that they don't show the 255/85/16. I was looking at SCS wheels, they're about 10 lbs lighter like you said. I figured if I switch to a lighter wheel I could get ~$450 for my wheels or so, and maybe $150 for my spacers which I shouldn't need anymore I think. A new set of wheels would run about $1,000 by the time I get 5 of them shipped to me.

I'd feel bad scratching new aftermarket wheels up, and there aren't many that I like. I really like the look of my trail wheels, and the only aftermarket wheel I've seen that I really like is the F5 by SCS.

 

[Unner]

I think I've narrowed it down to the ST MAXX and Toyo Open Country AT II, both in 255/80/17. I can get 5 ST MAXX shipped for $995 through Tirecrawler, or 5 of the Toyos for $925 shipped through tirecrawler. They seem to have the best prices currently with the free shipping.

 

[Unner]

New tires are on the way!

255/80/17 Cooper ST Maxx were my final choice.

I got a great deal through Discount Tire Direct. Patrick was great to work with, they beat Tirecrawlers price by 3.5%. My total out the door was $1,064 for 5 tires with 5 warranty certificates.

They're supposed to be here Tuesday I think!

 

[theesotericone]

New tires are on the way!

255/80/17 Cooper ST Maxx were my final choice.

I got a great deal through Discount Tire Direct. Patrick was great to work with, they beat Tirecrawlers price by 3.5%. My total out the door was $1,064 for 5 tires with 5 warranty certificates.

They're supposed to be here Tuesday I think!

That's a good deal on the tires. I'm glad you got them ordered up.

I decided to go with the Toyo Open Country MT in 255/85/16. The thing now is do I get new rims or paint the factory 6 spokes black? Mine are pitted out pretty bad and look like they haven't been washed since the rig rolled off the assembly line.

I'm trying to keep the rotational mass weight down and Konigs Countersteer Offroads weigh about 19.5lbs per rim in that size. The Level 8 MK6 is about 22.5lbs in the same size. Does anyone know the weight of the factory 6 spoke? I haven't found that online yet but honestly haven't looked super hard.

My little stint of being unemployed has been a blessing of sorts. It's allowed me to research this a little more and get caught up on my rig. I have an interview coming up on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure at this point I have the job so the interview is just a formality. I'm also pretty sure it'll be at least a 10% pay increase from my previous position. So that extra 10% will be treated as a bonus this year. It's gonna fund the wheels and ARB's front and rear. Curious to here everyone's thoughts on the rim ideas.

 

[Road Bull]

New tires are on the way!

255/80/17 Cooper ST Maxx were my final choice.

I got a great deal through Discount Tire Direct. Patrick was great to work with, they beat Tirecrawlers price by 3.5%. My total out the door was $1,064 for 5 tires with 5 warranty certificates.

They're supposed to be here Tuesday I think!

Good choice! I can't wait to see them on your rig.

 

[Unner]

That's a good deal on the tires. I'm glad you got them ordered up.

I decided to go with the Toyo Open Country MT in 255/85/16. The thing now is do I get new rims or paint the factory 6 spokes black? Mine are pitted out pretty bad and look like they haven't been washed since the rig rolled off the assembly line.

I'm trying to keep the rotational mass weight down and Konigs Countersteer Offroads weigh about 19.5lbs per rim in that size. The Level 8 MK6 is about 22.5lbs in the same size. Does anyone know the weight of the factory 6 spoke? I haven't found that online yet but honestly haven't looked super hard.

My little stint of being unemployed has been a blessing of sorts. It's allowed me to research this a little more and get caught up on my rig. I have an interview coming up on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure at this point I have the job so the interview is just a formality. I'm also pretty sure it'll be at least a 10% pay increase from my previous position. So that extra 10% will be treated as a bonus this year. It's gonna fund the wheels and ARB's front and rear. Curious to here everyone's thoughts on the rim ideas.

Maybe look for a set of Tacoma 16" take offs if you don't want to mess with your stock rims. Not sure about weight on those, but depending on how mine reacts to weight I might go to a lighter wheel. Or I could put that $400 or so that I would be spending towards a regear. Who knows.

Congrats on the new job! I too spend a lot of time researching before I buy or do something, but I like to be happy with my purchases when I get them.

Good choice! I can't wait to see them on your rig.

Me too!

 

[sportscarfan]

Just a data point - I've had 285/75-16 Duratrac's mounted on stock wheels going on 5 years now. There was no noticeable loss in MPG. My 4runner gets ~18 all the time in mixed city/hwy conditions. 4:10 gears, 5-speed.
They are E load, the ride is not harsh at all. Wife approved. I'm running stock dampers up front, Gabriel Hijackers air in the rear, '99 highlander springs and a 1" BL. Some pinch weld bashing required. Front's rub the frame at full lock.

 

[3bears]

a new friend , who has an identical model and near identical miles as my 4 runner switched to 33's and now is not getting better than 17 mpg, she said it is running anywhere from 14-17. she is not happy.

when I had my studded tires (265/75) on and a lot more 4wd time I was getting 15-18. but now that the snow is gone and my ko2's are back on I should get back to the 18-20mpg. I'm running KO2's 265/75 10 ply. I have no rubbing issues, but I did install the 99 talls, and IM usually by myself in the truck. the 10 ply at 36 psi is not too harsh, might drop them to 34. But the tires shop said to run them at 36 another tires shop said 38.

 

[jman11788]

My vote is 34x10.50r17 ko2s ��
Almost a guarantee you won't regret

 

[ElBrio]

New tires are on the way!

255/80/17 Cooper ST Maxx were my final choice.

I got a great deal through Discount Tire Direct. Patrick was great to work with, they beat Tirecrawlers price by 3.5%. My total out the door was $1,064 for 5 tires with 5 warranty certificates.

They're supposed to be here Tuesday I think!

Great choice.
The same questions you thought about are the same I'm thinking of.
Did you ever consider the kumho road venture at51?
I go back and forth on it in 255/75 and 275/70. But then go back to wanting the bfg ko2 in 255/75


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[Tyler James Inc]

My vote is 34x10.50r17 ko2s
Almost a guarantee you won't regret

I was going to say the same, but we're a little late- he already had ST MAXX on their way in!
I'm sure he won't be disappointed in these tires either [emoji1360]
I actually REALLY want a set of those Ridge Grapplers.

 

[Unner]

My vote is 34x10.50r17 ko2s ��
Almost a guarantee you won't regret

Too late. These showed up today!

IMG_20170501_171632120 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

IMG_20170501_171248938 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

Great choice.
The same questions you thought about are the same I'm thinking of.
Did you ever consider the kumho road venture at51?
I go back and forth on it in 255/75 and 275/70. But then go back to wanting the bfg ko2 in 255/75


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I considered them, but I think they're either really heavy or short for their size. I wanted to go with something proven too and I think those are fairly new tires. 275/70 doesn't make much sense to me. Same height as a 255/75/17 but a lot more weight, and more rolling resistance. A 275 weighs almost as much as my 33's.




I also posted my old tires on craigslist and had a buyer lined up within an hour. I paid $450 for the tires and wheels a couple years ago, sold the wheels for $250, and will sell the used tires and new spare for $190. That means I paid $10 for these tires I drove around for 50k miles. That's a good value!

 

[jman11788]

Those look awesome!


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[Tyler James Inc]

Nice! Not much siping on those at all- interested in hearing how they do on the wet pavement.
I know one thing- they're gonna look damn good!

 

[Unner]

Those look awesome!


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Yeah they do!

Nice! Not much siping on those at all- interested in hearing how they do on the wet pavement.
I know one thing- they're gonna look damn good!

Everything I've read says they're good on wet pavement, as well as snow. I only heard good things about these tires, in pretty much all conditions.