Changing tires

My '16 taco sr is the first 4x4 i've ever owned, let alone a truck. One of the reasons i switched over to a 4x4 truck instead of a sedan is because of a pretty bad experience with spinning out on the highway during a snow storm and almost getting t-boned by the 2 cars behind me in the middle of the highway; i thought a 4x4 would help mitigate that risk. After doing some research, it seems I only got part of the picture. While a 4x4 will help you get out of sticky situations by giving you more power and traction for acceleration, braking is a totally different ball game and it has more to do with your tires contributing to traction rather than your 4x4. So, I'm now thinking of changing my tires but wanted to ask your guys opinion and learn from your collective knowledge:

1) Currently have stock suspensions and P245/75R16 wheels with factory rims. Can you increase the radial ratio (ie, height of tire) without changing the rim diameter? Like 80R16? What dictates how tall a tire can be accommodated by the vehicle?

2) How much more than 245 can i go for the width? And again, how do you know how much the rim will accomodate

3) After some research, the Grabber AT2's (not the LT rated ones) seemed to fit my budget while also providing good quality. Any experience with these tires in snow and ice?

Thanks in advance everyone!

DKH

 

Check in the "Wheels & Tire" forum. You will find multiple conversations on this topic.

 

Lots of threads on here about tires .. read up in the forum wheels & tires
Do you have the 2.7 4-cyl or 3.5 V6 ? If you have the 2.7 4-cyl then you need to really think about switching to a larger LT tire that is going to weigh 10-15lbs more per tire than your factory P245/75R16 thus cutting your gas mileage down and making your truck feel slugish with the extra weight.
Also .. a wider tire is NOT better for snow, stick with the 245/75R16 and maybe just go with a more agressive tread .. i'm sure others will chime in. Just remember that taller/wider tires are not always the answer

 

I hope you need a truck for other reasons..........

Because there are a multitude of alternative vehicles that will do on pavement winter duty splendidly when shod with dedicated winter tires.

Even FWD vehicles with winter tires can be excellent.

The Tacoma will be pretty good there too. With dedicated winter tires. However, it will never handle like a lower profile car and it will always be light in the tush unless you carry excess baggage like sandbags.

 

You can go up to a 265/70 with factory suspension, and I agree a wider tire really won't help you stop. I'm not sure any size tire will help you stop much better, maybe a little more, with a more aggressive tire. Just keep a lot of space and be careful. There is no substitute for being smart when you drive. 4x4 does you no good stopping.

 

Get you some KO2's Bro.....

Just kidding DKH!

Those are the tires of choice for.....Bro's

 

Good info, thanks. And good to know about the wider tires. I have the 3.5 V6, but not looking to switch over to LT tires. Only difference i saw between the nonLT and LTs were the load rating with the latter being E, and i'll be driving a lot of long distances, so not looking to add more weight that the truck has to haul.

 

I really, really like my Michelin LTX M/S2 tires.

 

First don t go bigger stick to the 245s. Second if the want the best traction in snow get some snow tires. Especially if you dont put alot of miles on per year. Third the cooper at3s are not a bad tire for snow and off roading

 

They do look pretty sweet on a Tacoma though