How Much Does Tire Weight Actually Affect MPG?

Getting new wheels and tires this month. Looking at the Nitto Ridge Grapplers or the Falken Wildpeak AT3s. Price between the two does not concern me. I commute and my truck is my daily driver, so I need something thats good on road but can handle the trails when I'm ready to have some fun.

Looking at 265/70/17, in a C load. The weight on the Falken's is 47 lbs, while the Nitto's are quite a bit more at 54. Will 28 lbs make a discernible difference in MPGs? I know the Nitto's will be better off road and the Falken's are better for wet/snow and on road performance.

I'm leaning towards to the Falken's but I think the Nitto's look a lot better. Thanks for your input, happy to hear from the experts!

 

Probably not too much. I have some heavy ass 35s on my truck and I average 15-16 mpg.

 

I think it will depend on how you drive.

I'm running the same size KO2's on my 4runner. If I take it easy on the gas, and keep it below 70 MPH, I can get 21.5 MPG.

Same day, heavy foot and cruising at 80, 16 MPG.

That said, I passed on the Nittos due to the weight.

I have done some trail runs with guys running those Falkens, and haven't heard a single complaint.

Based on your post, I would go for the Falkens.

 

Thanks so much for the info, really great. I never considered the K02s because I thought they only came in an E rating and were not as good on road (I also assumed they were heavier). Looks like they are only a pound heavier than the Falkens. How are they on road? Would you consider them for a daily driver or does the thick sidewalls negatively affect the ride too much?

 

Mine are C rate , 46#. Truck is my daily. I couldn't be happier. Quiet, good ride, sticky. It's a very good compromise of road manners and off road traction.

I actually plan on getting a dedicated set of mud tires, and I'll use the KO2's as the winter tires until they wear out. But, to be honest, I haven't attempted anything the KO2's couldn't handle yet.

 

Welp, you are correct. Just found a set in a C rating.

 

That's what sold me. I was looking for something better in snow than the shitty Dunlops. I planned on going all season, with snow rating, and adding a set of mud tires for summer/trails. When I saw that these were not much heavier than stock, I decided to give it a shot. I'm consistently impressed.

I wouldn't use them for hard core off roading, and there are better street tires for sure.

But, for an all around tire, I don't think you can beat them. There's a reason so many people are running them.

 

Personally never worried about gas mileage, it’s a truck.

 

KO2’s are crap in a heavy rain with water on the road. They hydro easy. They get noisy as they wear. Pick up and throw stones.
Not bad in the snow and ok in the mud. They were made for desert racing with a stiff sidewall that can be aired down.
I have 46,000 on the set on my truck currently. I just got a set of Falkens that are going on in the morning.

 

If you're hydroplaning, you're probably driving too fast for conditions. I drove through some very heavy rain last week with standing water on the road. I was more concerned about visibility than traction. I slowed down to 55-60 MPH, and had no problems.

I'm pretty sure that any real AT tire will get noisy as they wear. The biggest problem is that most people don't rotate them properly. The manual for my 4runner says just front to back, back to front. You should really cross them to change the direction.

I still think the Falkens are a good choice, though.

 

I agree I rotate mine every oil change and have gotten great wear out of them. At 46,000 I still have quite a bit of life left in them.
I have herd so much about the Falkens I just had to try a set out. If I don’t like them for the price I can sell them and not be out much.
I don’t know what it is with the KO2’s but when I ran General AT2’s to me they were a lot more grippy to the road than the BFG’s with similar tread patterns. But as I stated above they were designed for desert off road racing. Not much standing water there. LOL

 

That's true!

Yeah, I have heard others say they're not great in wet weather, but haven't had a problem. That said, I might be more cautious than the average driver.

I have had tires that were better in the rain. But, they were not as good off road. There always seems to be a compromise.

The Falkens are very popular right now, so I'm sure you'll be happy with them.

 

Thanks for all the updates y'all, very appreciative. I think I'm going to go with the Falkens. Came really close to wanting to pull the trigger on the K02s, but my truck is on road 90% of the time and it sounds like the Falkens will handle things off road just fine.

 

How do you like the Falkens now that you've had them awhile?

 

Agreed. No reason to worry about gas mileage when you have a vehicle this heavy.

That being said weight reduces gas mileage more than any other factor.

 

I agree that adding weight will reduce gas mileage, but not as much as your driving habits. See post #3. I lost 5.5 MPG by driving 10 MPH faster.