235/85 r16 questions

2006 Tacoma 4wd access cab with bilstien 5100 front and rear and a helper spring that lifts a little. 95% of my driving is on the highway with a 70 mile per day commute. The remaining driving is a little stop and go traffic, but mostly rough gravel roads, Forrest service roads, and hauling hay to the horses on mud/rock/grass pastures and pens. I do pull a small travel trailer now and again.

So, I have been reading and trying to put this all together. In the process, I have confused myself and am second guessing what I would like to do.

I am interested in a narrower, but taller tire. The 235/85 r16 in a moderately aggressive type tread to be specific. I would like more aggressive tread, but the amount of highway driving trumps that. I need the durability and the MPG of the less aggressive.

Anyway, I THINK this tire will fit my truck as it is now without any wheel well mods or further lifts. If not, someone please stop me.

Next, I think this should actually gain me a little better mileage. Decreased contact patch, change in gearing for highway use (95% of driving is daily highway commute), and a stiffer tire at the same weight should gain some MPG's. Again, if I am wrong, someone shout.

Lastly, does anyone have this on a truck with pictures? I would like to see what it looks like. I have always liked the look of the older narrow tires on the old Rovers and such.

So, does anyone have any advice? Tires to look at or run away from?

Thanks for the help.

 

I am running these in a Duratrac for a winter tire on a stock 2012 DCLB 4x4. No issues at all.

 

I have 235/85r16E winter tires because I also wanted a smaller contact patch and taller tire for winter driving. My tires are a heavy-ass Blizzak W965. My summer tire is a 265/75r16E Michelin MS2.

Fuel economy: I think the taller tire will get you better mpg on the hwy but worse in town. Tire weight, however, has as much to do with any change you will see in MPG. If you are going to a taller ten ply from a p rated stock size tire it will be a significant change.

Fit: My truck is bone stock and the 235's have deep tread (I think 18/32 which is similar to a mud tire) and they fit just fine. Not a lot of room to spare when the tires are cranked.

Final thought, if you are concerned about MPG and ride quality, and still want a narrower patch, consider some little 245/75/16's. I have them on a work truck (2014 tacoma) and it doesn't sit much lower than my personal truck (2013 with 265/75/16's). The savings in MPG may be worthwhile for you.

If you are going for the LT235/85r16 in a ten ply, the Michelin MS2 will be 5 lbs lighter than a BFG and will wear awesome, ride great on the hwy, and get better MPG's. Try them out at a place that has a satisfaction guarantee and if they're not good enough off road, return them for something more aggressive like a Revo 2.

Not great pics for tire view, but they're all I have with my winters on.

 

Thanks for the replies. Do you have a feeling on how significant the weight is? How much will it change the mpg? Say I go from a Firestone destination le p265/70r16 that weighs about 40 and go to the bfg ta ko in a 235/85 r16, what would you guestimate the change to be?

By the way, these fire stones have been horrible for off road and durability. They were not meant to be for heavy off road, but they get stuck in the wet grass when I take hay to the horses. 35-40k and they are to the wear bars.

 

Just checked to confirm. Can't believe those little tires are 38 lbs.

You'll see a drop of maybe 10% but thats a total guess. the diameter is changing, weight, contact patch, rolling resistance, and probably other stuff too. That all impacts it. I find with heavier tires I am more conscious about fuel economy so I drive smoother to counter the loss. If a tougher tire keeps you or your wife from having to change a tire on a busy hwy or prevents a blowout that would lead to an accident, its worth it.

 

... And I've run BFG's. I would likely go for the Duratracs or the Michelin AT2's. I found the BFG's were terrible in water for hydroplaning (compared to other tires I've driven on)

 

Thanks for the reply. I was looking at the MS2 and the AT2 by Michelin. I really had not heard too much about the AT2 one way or the other. The MS2 has rave reviews for everything but serious off road and would probably be more than adequate.

Sometimes it is balancing what looks sharp, what I want and reality that creates problems.

10% is a pretty big jump in the gas budget. I was hoping to hear that decreasing the width would more than make up for the extra weight and aggressiveness. Oh well.

 

Oowen is running this size tire. Here is his build.

Oowen's build

 

Thanks, I just sent him a PM.

 

if you're spending time on forest access roads and hauling stuff i suggest you consider the cooper st maxx in the 235 85 16, when i had 235's i found the truck drove great, went wider but all in all for your purpose this would be a great tire. heavier than what you have now yes, but much tougher when you need it and the tread is nice than the old fashioned bfg.

 

Thanks. I was looking at them at one point, then heard some issues with longevity.

I do spend a fair bit of time on the FS roads and also having to haul hay across a "pasture" that mostly grows rocks.

I had coopers back about 20 years ago, and they really went away quickly. I have no idea what the model was, but some sort of AT. From all I hear now, they have improved greatly.

 

Just found thread.
I'd look at Toyo Open Country AT. Good tire and if I recall it has a long life.
Also the BFG AT, It too has a long lifespan.

 

I run 235-85-16 tires on my 10 access cab manual for the winter. No lift and no rubbing. They get pretty close when stuffed and turning but i haven't managed any contact and I regularly push the limits of where the stock truck should be going. (my poor trailer hitch...)

Notes for if you do/did go with the 235/85:
- They require a higher air pressure than stock due to the height/narrowness plus the 10 ply rating.
- Your MPG will decrease and your speedo will be off by roughl 3% from prior. i.e. it will read 3% lower for the same speed.
- They will look great! (I'll take a picture soon ish)

I found my mileage decreased significantly a fair bit. I also found it much more difficult to get my best case mileages. The truck seems to notice hills and my sled trailer more than it did previously. Not bad, but its noticeable.

I have a fairly agressive tread tire, similar to duratracs. They keep pulling and handle well in the winter conditions we have.

On dry pavement they do affect handling. I know, its not a sports car. But it feels a little more washy than my 265/70/16 E rated silent armour tires I ran previously. Once the snow is gone i'll be getting new tires for the summer months and haven't decided which way to go yet.

I would say, from the sound of your driving and the long regular commute... that you might honestly be bettwe with a 265/75/16 c rated tire... or even a higher load rated P tire. I don't know much, but according to a guy at the tire shop there are passenger rated tires designed to carry larger loads now.

 

Thanks for the relky. I am curious, how much of the reduction is due to the tread pattern vs the weight?

How much drop did you see in the mpg?

I sure would like to see the pics when you have a time. I guess I need to rethink the tires.

 

mpg drop was maybe 1mpg for me when i went from stock to 235's. don't worry about this, it will not be a major issue, get the right tires for what you are doing to avoid flats from rocks and sticks and have traction where you need it. most all terrain tires are pretty short in the grip area when it gets slick, especially if you cheap out and buy some crap p rated tires. ppl will bitch about every tire out there, i've ran swampers and loved them yet ppl on this forum with no personal exp will say they don't last or stay round.. if there's a tire you like just get it and be happy. don't let a bunch of web wheelers tell you what tire you like!

 

235/85/16 will be an E rated LT tire. No way to get around that. Say you went with a 256/75/16. Now you can get a P rated, C rated, D rated and E rated tire. As far as offroad security (strength and puncture proof etc) the C and E will be very similar. C rated can haul more than the truck can carry really...

As for MPG... in the summer i can more easily reach 450km (281.25 miles) per tank. During the winter I will usually get aroud 400km (250 miles) per fill up. Thats adjusted for the 3% difference at the gauges. Part of that may be winter conditions.. who knows. The cost of the drop on mpg doesn't bother me too much, especially given the increased traction/functionability in winter, but the time/distance between fill-ups gets to me. Decreasing mpg also decreases range. Suddenly instead of two trips to work and back on a tank you only get 1.5. But oh well!

summer tires (not to be used this year) - 265-70-16 goodyear wrangler silent armour E rated and approx 51 pounds per tire.

Winter tires - 235-85-16 goodyear wrangler Territory (Can tire exclusive). Similar to a duratrac. E rated and supposedly 49 pounds per tire.

I love the 235's for winter. But for replacing my summers this year im going to try something else.

 

Wow, 280 is good? I have been disgusted with the 290 I got this winter with winter blend fuel. Usually I hang around the 315-325 per tank. I think this is due to the intermittent p0430 bank 2 code I keep getting. Goes away for a month or two and comes back for a while.

 

The heavy tires don't help. That's mixed driving. Highway I've got 570km on 72 litres

 

Youre lucky, winter Im lucky to get 200. Summer I never see 300. Probably due to a lot of hills and I drive like an ass.

 

We have the hills, but a huge percentage of my driving is at 70 mph on the highway commute. I have the 6 SPD 6 cylinder. The way it is geared, I am pulling 2500 rpm at 72 mph. I do notice if I am on back roads and run 55 it gets several more mpg.

I need the at tires. This pasture hauling and the Forrest service land don't get along with these Firestone le2 at all. These are basically a highway tread but 38 lbs in a passenger tire.

They did great in snow we had this year. They have been good on wet too. Their wear is not even remotely close to the 60k they warranty.