I'm buying a set of winter rims and blizzak snow tires. Do I really need tire sensors???

Ya know after awhile you begin to realize you don't really have 4 flat tires.

 

Cars didnt have them for 90 years, I don't typically bother with my winter set.

Make sure to get 16" winters. Ideally the SR5 size 245/75R16. It's cheaper and will perform best.

Lots of sports owners buy 17" winter rims simply because thats what comes with them.

 

I'd be interested in understanding why you thing that 245/75/16s are the "best".
I'm not intending to say you are wrong or right, just want to understand your reasoning.

 

Cheaper, more pressure on smaller contact patch is ideal on ice and packed snow. Also cuts through snow easier.

 

Interesting. Would 235/70/16s be better or worse than 245/75/16s?
I've been looking really hard at going with 235s for my next set and am honestly curious for opinions.

 

235 70 16 is Smaller and skinnier, its not a valid tacoma size. You'd want 235/80R16 if that even exists.

I wouldn't go lower than 245 simply due to safety concerns with a tacoma and load ratings.

My 245's are great but suck at cornering.

 

I had similar experience when I ran my summer tires on alloy rims because my blizzac's we're mounted on SR steel rims

 

I'm not sure what "not a valid tacoma size" means. Is there some sort of "fixed list" of tires for Tacomas?
There are plenty of people that run Tacomas on 235s. There are entire threads of people running 235s.
My current Tacoma was supplied from the manufacturer with "C" load rated tires.
An "E" load rated tire will more than comfortably deal with the smaller contact patch difference in a 245 vs a 235.
If a smaller contact patch is better in snow and ice, why isn't it better, even if it's less than a 245?

 

I would look at 265 70 16 they are about the same height and sometimes used as stock on some trims

 

235 70 r16 is a rav4 tire size, its tiny. It's not valid.

235/85R16 is not a winter, nor is it relevant to this conversation.

 

I run my winters without TPMS. The light goes away after a couple drives IIRC.

Not having TPMS doesn’t bother me for a couple months a year. Modern tires or so much better and I can’t remember the last time I had a flat.

 

You have said, multiple times, that things aren't "valid". How are you defining "valid"? The Rav4 sitting in my driveway runs R18s, so you claiming that 235/70/16s are Rav4 sized is "invalid" because it won't fit on the rim.
I've seen tons of Tacomas running smaller than stock tires.
I've seen tons of Tacomas running larger than stock tires.
How are you defining "valid"?

I'd recommend you inform Firestone that this tire isn't a winter tire.

$220+ Firestone Winterforce LT Tires

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...85R6WFLT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes It seems weird that the Firestone Winterforce in 235/85/16 isn't a winter tire. It also seems weird that it's studdable. Summer studs I guess.

I really didn't want to argue with you.
I was really interested in understanding why a 245/75/16 was the "best" winter tire. I honestly feel like there are trade-offs, and understanding the trade-offs, for your particular situation is much better than a blanket statement of "this size is best".
If your argument was that a smaller contact patch is better, we should all be running motorcycle tires, as they have a much more rounded profile, and a smaller contact patch.
If there were some sort of special unicorn at 245/75/16 that would have been great information. Seems like that may not be the case, which is fine.

 

My current Tacoma was supplied from the manufacturer with "C" load rated tires.
[\QUOTE]
I highly doubt this.

Did you buy a dealer special with aftermarket wheels, lift etc.?

245/75/16 is an excellent snow tire size because it is a stock size and is readily available in an array of brands for reasonable prices.

235 series that work on 3rd gen Tacomas are typically E load meant for dually pickups, and not really a common size

 

Jeez get bent out of shape much?

235/70R16 is a 29" tire. Let that sink in.

245/75R16 is the most narrow Tacoma size sold factory.

235/85R16 is a giant ass tire that makes no sense for winter use. Great job finding one variant.

Which of these is the most logical?

 

I run 235/85R16 winter tires during winter. Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3's. You can get them with or without studs.

I run 235/85R16 all terrains the rest of the year, General Grabber AT2's. You can also get them with or without studs, but I feel that the winter specific tire does a better job in winter weather.

For TPMS, I just use the Autel programmer to swap my saved tire codes. Discount Tire will do it for free as well.

 

Suggesting 33" LT tires for winters is not normal.

 

No, not normal would be your insistence that you have to be right and everyone else must be wrong. This isn't a situation where there's only one valid solution, just like there isn't one type of winter weather nationwide.

32" winter tires happen to be the same size as my 32" summer tires. My personal experience is that the larger diameter does a better job at dealing with the road when you need to get out of the tracks that tend to form when there's snow on the ground, like the ridges that form in the center of the lane and between lanes. The extra little bit of ground clearance with the taller tire is a bit of a wash... it isn't that much of an improvement.

Also, I'll just throw this in here. 235 is narrower (which should be better per your earlier argument) and it's a whopping 1.2" taller... absolutely massive.




(edited to correct tire size @Bishop84 )

 

I ran without TPMS for the last six years. Like others have said, if your stock tires are close enough to where you park your truck the light might or might not come on depending on how far your commute was.

I keep changing up my winter wheel setup, I'm on iteration #5 for this truck and the wheels I bought came with OEM TPMS sensors, so I grabbed this:

https://www.ateq-tpms.com/en-us/products/quickset-x/

It's nice because I don't have to mess with TechStream or keeping track of what is what. The only downfall is that it appears to only work with actual OEM units, but who knows if I play around with it some more. For the next few years I'll use it until I have to deal with replacement sensors.

Personally, I dislike having any light on, and being able to see actual tire pressure in the console is useful too. I find that my gauge differs from the TPMS by 1-2 psi, but which is actually accurate, who knows.

 

Yeah, stock sized tires on stock sized rims, no sensors.

The "recommended" wheel and tire package on Tire Rack required that the truck have a lift kit. Which I don't have or need. Read the fine print.

Of course, now they can mount and balance the tires, but not install them on the truck. Because that would be illegal. Good thing we got the feds keeping us safe!

No biggie, but just another mandated annoyance.

 

You are correct. My initial tires were SL, rather than C. Apologies for being incorrect on that.
I didn't intend to imply that 245/75/16s weren't a great size. I don't think I ever said they weren't a fine size tire.
I questioned why they were the "best" size.
The initial post that I responded to was

Cost is factored out of performance in this response. I've asked a number of times about why it will "perform best".
I got an answer about a smaller contact patch, which is fine.
If a smaller contact patch is always better, then it's better.

If there's clear data, anywhere, that says that a 245/75/16 performs better on a Tacoma than any other size tire I'd love to see that data.

Buying cheap tires is fine. No arguments about that.
Being able to get tires easily is fine. No arguments about that.

I'm already waiting on the release of some "promised tires" from a manufacturer that might not ever deliver them.
Any information that would provide definitive information regarding 245/75/16s being "the best" size tire to have over any other size might come in handy as I'm planning on buying tires.
For me "best" is a performance evaluation, not an availability evaluation. If you can get something today, and for short money, is it the best? Maybe? Depends on your circumstances I guess. There are cases where someone might be willing to wait, as well as pay more for something better.