Selecting a light weight wheel/tire combo (TRD Rock Warriors & KO2s)

Great post, but I have a question when aired down off road isn't the E rated with the 10 ply side wall better than the C rated 6 ply side wall?

 

For very extreme off roading, E is more durable. However C-load is plenty durable for aired down off road use, especially in a tire with reinforced sidewalls designed specifically for aired down off road driving. I’ve wheeled 10+ years on aired down C-load tires in the rocky mountains of the PNW and never had an issue. Keep in mind modern tires no longer have the number of plys indicated by the ply rating. Ply rating is just used as an equivalency rating for load carrying capacity which is now specified by load range. So an E-load tire does not actually have 10 plys.

If your building a dedicated off road truck when street mpgs and performance are not a concern then might as well go E. But if you are building a daily driver weekend warrior, C-load is a better fit for most.

 

ok thanks!! I ordered them at my local Costco ill call tomorrow and see if I can change them for C rated tires instead because it will spend 85% of its time on asphalt.

 

On my last outing I needed a bit more ground clearance, and now new skids... While I wanted to add more ground clearance, I still wanted the truck to be a balanced build without adding performance robbing heavier tires.

I reinstalled the overloads, added 1/4" top plate spacer to the passenger side for ~1/2" more lift and despite Toyotas efforts to counter the Taco lean in the Baja kit, it is still there. So I added a 1/2" top plate spacer to the driver side to resolve the Taco lean once and for all.

1/2"+ rear lift gain
~1/2" passenger side lift
~1" driver side lift - now level!!!

Then I bumped the tire side from 265/70R17 C-load to 255/75/R17 C-load. Diameter increases from 31.5 to 32, or about the same as running 275s (32.2) while inflicting only a ~1lb weight gain over 265s compared to over 8lbs gain for 275s. And they will hopefully avoiding rubbing issues by running the slightly skinnier tire with my increased offset TRD wheels and low profile Rokblokz flaps. The 10mm width difference is only 5mm per side, meaning a virtually unnoticeable change of 3/16" in reduction in how far the tire sticks out.

To keep alignment precisely dialed in, I added SPC light racing UCAs. These have the most adjustability of all the UCAs, retain a nearly maintenance free moog ball joints with extended operating range, unlike maintenance heavy exposed uniballs that end up needing rebuilds. The SPC UCAs also have a unique rubber-in-polly bushings that allow stock like rubber maintenance free quietness of operation with improved polly performance over stock.









To remount the overloads with the AAL I did have to remove the rear overload U-brackets. Drill out the center pin, flip the overload over on the concrete co it is resting on the U-bracket and give it the overload BFH treatment till the bracket pops off.



Net ground clearance gain is a little over 3/4" or more (due to leveling).

Baja Pro + 1" larger tire over stock = 2.25" more ground clearance than stock.
Current setup = 3"+ more ground clearance than stock.

 

Looks good except now your KO2s are on backwards.

 

Unfortunately the 255/75/R17 in C-load is only available in BSW. Disappointing, as I really like the white letters. But function over form.

 

This is a great thread. The issue of tire and wheel weight is one that rarely gets mentioned. I am also a big fan of stock wheels. Unless you go forged wheels, the strength to weight of stock wheels are hard to beat. I have been running E rated tires for some time, basically because the selection in 255/85-16 is pretty limited. I also like the durability of the E tires, but I think D tires are actually a better match for a Tacoma. I currently run Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx. I have found one gem though that I plan to run as my next tire. It is the older Discoverer S/T. It is available in a D rating (3000lb vs 3415 for the E). It is 9 lbs lighter than the Maxx = 36lbs of reduced rotating weight. For whatever reason, Cooper also lists it as .5" taller in the same size. Maxxis also makes their MT-762 in a D rating, but they do not publish a weight for the tire. I wish there were more offerings in a 255/85-16 3000lb load because it is a nearly perfect pairing for the Tacoma.

An easy way to see the effect of tire/wheel weight is to do a roll on acceleration test with both tires. I plan to do that when I get mine. My guess is that the difference will be significant.

Also, don't assume that a C or D rated tire is lighter than an E. You have to read the specs. In the Cooper S/T Maxx, 255/75-17-C is only 3 lbs lighter than a 255/85-16-E, and it is 1" shorter!

 

Good point on not making assumptions on tire weight vs load rating. It is all in doing the research on the specs.

 

BFGoodrich has used the KO2 tread pattern for more than 30 years! My dads tires in 1983:


My tires bought 35 years later:


I love these tires. Mine are 265/75/16 E-Load, and I didn't experience much difference in my MPG's. The only change I noticed was a slightly heavier steering wheel.

 

Beautiful classic Toyota!

The tires tread pattern is similar looking on the surface, but it is definitely not the same. The KO2s have larger voids and many other enhancements:
https://youtu.be/Kp5dVUol778

 

After 30 years, I'd imagine BFGoodrich worked out everything wrong with the original model.

 

For the most part, it's the same tread with different technological enhancements.

 

Please forgive me as i am fairly certain i have asked you this before, but do you know what the wheel weight is on the 2nd gen TRD sport rims? @crashnburn80

 

I believe the 17" Sport rim weighs 28.9LB.

 

Thats what i found as well through my research.. Just wanted to confirm. Also saw it listed as 25.5 or 25.. Good to know though! Thanks Biscuits!

 

I think the ~25lbs weight is for the 16" OR wheel.

 

Ahhh, i see. So what youre saying is a need lighter wheels so i can go faster

 

Exactly!

 

Kinda a weird balance of getting the right wheels since i lowered my truck.. dont care for the big rim look, so i think im gonna stick with 17s. Would like the sema t4r wheels, but not sure how they would look. Almost seem like off road type wheel

 

FN Wheels countersteer offroad 19lbs each
265/75/16 Hancook Dynapro ATMs C-load 37lbs each

About as light as you can get....$1017 setup when you line up all available deals