95.5 Ex Cab 4x4 MLH 5 Speed MT tires dilema

So I have my truck for 17 years now as I bought it in 1998 and it never occurred to me to to change the tire size from what I bought (see the photo from 1998)



The truck always had 235/75R15 Micheline M/S tires changed regularly every 70k miles. Now with over 313k miles behind the tailgate it still has the same tires and wheels:



As you can see there is no lift or anything like that - the same stock suspension (just changed shocks once).

However looking at the sticker on the door frame I see it says:
FRT: 2650 WITH P255/75R15 TIRES
15 x 6JJ RIMS AT 26PSI
RR. 2800 WITH P225/75R15 TIRES
15 x 6JJ RIMS AT 29PSI

Now what is strange the speedometer shows about 104% of actual speed (measured with GPS). The sticker says that diff is B02A/W59. I read that B02A = gear ratio 3:58 and this is the stock setup for 225/57R15 tires (as it says on the sticker in my truck). How is it possible then that my speedometer shows 4% higher speed when tires are 2% bigger (it should show 2% lower speed).

Putting this aside here is my dilemma. I don't want lift but a little aggressive tires that will be a bit better on mud and snow. At the same time I would like to bring my speedometer to show the true value. I calculated that 255/70R16 tires will give me 100% accurate speed indication and BFG KO2 would give the look and performance I want.

Of course 16 inch tires will not go on my 15" stock steel wheels so they will have to go too.

What kind of wheels should I get? I want to be sure these tires and wheels will fit without rubbing but at the same time they will not stick outside of the fenders. And to get this more complicated, I have manual locks on the frond hubs so wheels should be somehow designed for that.

How you guys do it? It looks like I can get good prices on wheels and on-line (TireRack for example) but how can I be sure they will fit? And when I get correct wheels and tires what do I do with set of five 15inch wheels and tires I currently have (I need to have spare the same size too)? Craigslist? Or maybe I should go so some 4x4 tire shop and let them rip me off?

Or maybe the whole idea is stupid and I should just stick with what I had for so many years and keep driving my 15 inch Michelin M/S? I have no experience with swapping wheels and tires so please help?

 

bfg all terrain
I got them at costco
700 installed on my stock 15's

 

Same size (235/75R15)? It is only 29inch diameter, but I would like 30" for my speedometer showing true value.

 

245s or 255s will be a bit wider

 

I know that - exactly by 23 mm section width an 27mm on thread width. I have guts feeling that it will not rub but how can I be sure?
The other part of the question is how to make sure wheels will fit my hubs without any spacers and not sticking out. Do aftermarket wheels have some cups for manual locks?

I am not familiar with swapping wheels process but I see 4x4 guys do it all the time, so please share some light into my ignorance.

 

the one thing you do have to account for is with 3.58 gears going to a larger diameter will hurt your low end. usually the 4wd (98+) have ~31" tires with 4.10(V6) or 4.30(I4 auto).

To answer your other question you can use any 1st Gen wheel without problems of sticking out. the 2nd Gen wheels tuck under more and if you stick to stock or smaller (which is your case) there should also be no issue.
The manual hubs do not pose a problem as these wheels will still be outside the "hub" and they are all the same size. You can't use center caps on the fronts unless you find the ones with holes for the manual hubs.

Also here is your comparison: https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=235-75r15-255-70r16

and yes by default all our speedometers show we are going faster than actual. (going 65 on mine is actually going 62 according to GPS avg). I've heard though that the "odometer" is calculated on actual tires size so you would have to factor in the change of diameter if you track gas mileage

 

After more research, reading, reviewing etc. etc. I am not much smarter than before. The main problem is with wheels now, as so many version, variants: oem, brand and "no-name" but nobody really assures me all will fit 100% (bolt pattern, manual hubs opening, offset/spacing).

I understand that with the dif ratio 3:58 I can't put tall tires anyway so I guess there is not much I can do without pumping a lot of money into 20 years old truck (not worth it).

I figured out that BFG A/T KO2 size 30X9.5R15LT on my current rims would be the best option (balancing the money and the final result). I understand that this tire really is only 29.5 inch diameter so my speedometer will still be off by about 2%, but there should be not much difference in driving "power" and I will still get better tires for mud and snow. 9.5 is the widest I can put on my stock 6 inch wide wheels and being only .25 inch wider than what I have now I am sure there will be no rubbing.

Thank you guys for your input.

 

31 10,5 15 lt bridgestone 696 is what I have stock. you'll get a bit of lift and more aggressive

 

10.5 is to big for 6 inch wide wheel. And BTW I don't like this brand (no offense). For whatever reason new car always comes with Brigestone tires. As soon as they were done I replaced them with Michelin and it feels like I have brand new car again. Now I can't wait till my 4Runner eats factory installed Bridgestone tires - I'm also considering either BFG or Michelin for 4Runner.

 

Well I just went through some of the same thinking on my stock 99 that I got in florida last month. And I came here to post a question that is related so here goes. The truck came with some unused OEM Toyota wheels in boxes that I now know to be exactly like what came on a 2014 Tacoma. http://www.partsgeek.com/gbproducts...+Google+Base&gclid=CPHmsb-zk8kCFY8dgQodIfQIvg I put 265/70R16 Michelin X Radial LT2 tires on them. I put them on in Florida for the drive home to Maine. The first thing I noticed was how close to the upper ball joint this configuration comes. I can't get the tip off my finger in there! Next came the frame rubbing when I turn the steering wheel all the way over. My question is if there are stops on the stearing system that will let me stop the rack before I rub? Or if I need to add a spacer to push the tires out a bit. Really curious. Truck looks great with this set up and man does she roll quietly!

 

This is why I was considering 255 tires, as I suspected 265 wight be tight a bit. I just don't want to gamble with rims.

Michelin X Radial LT2 are the best tires for highway rolling. I had them on my truck for the last almost 18 years (since I bough it) and for highway drive I would never trade them for anything else. Then I had them on Isuzu Rodeo (after Goodyear it felt like I got brand new car).

Now Tacoma doesn't put that many miles - maybe 3k a year as I have 4Runner for my daily commute now (witch Bridgestone tires - sucks).

 

If it were me... I'd go with an LT tire rather than a P rated one for durability. I'd do a 30x9.5 in an AT tire of your choice. Stepping back up to a stock diameter will correct your speedo and you shouldn't have any rubbing issues with the 9.5 width. I wouldn't waste my money on new rims. (But that's coming from a guy running 33x12.5 tires on stock gears!)

 

Lt ties are heavy. ..no need info. I had 265s on my 96 could Definitely feel the power difference. I took turn of and put them on my k1500. I plan on getting 265s again but they are gonna be P not lts

 

this is probably true. you can get away with it but those rims were originally coming with smaller tires so stick close to original size/width

get yourself 3/4" spacers from Borla and it'll be fine, just make sure they are hub-centric

with those gears LTs would suck the life out of the truck. Being you only drive 3-5k stick with a P-rated A/T. Honestly doesn't matter too much which one since you'll probably end up replacing them from dry-rot before you hit the mileage warranty.

 

Thank you! Looking at it I thought 3/4" would about do it. These are wheel and hub centric according to the manufacturer.

https://www.motorsport-tech.com/4DCGI/switchtruckmodel

 

go to Amazon, they are cheaper. a set there is under 200

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064EK6KA...TF8&colid=2AP5NQN4CXKTY&coliid=I3K8O0KCEQ87J2

 

Flat rear tire (9 years old) made me finally to make up my mind. I was going to get either current size or 30x9.5R15 BFG KO2.

I couldn't find any "sale" deal so I went to Americas Tire and ordered BFG KO2 30x9.5R15 to put on my stock 6 inch wide rims. They said there is no problem with that setup. I know that this size is just a fraction of an inch bigger diameter than my current size and about 10 dollars more a piece, but somehow I think they look much better in this truck.





The best thing is that now speedometer is just on the spot. Looks like these tires match exactly what Toyota thought of.

One of my 3 years old Michelins replaced the 21 years old spare tire. The guy at Americas Tire said that my spare tire is older than he is .