The SKINNY on skinny tires

What kind of canoe do you carry on that rig?!?

 

No canoe, but maybe a kayak this summer.

 

Im sure this question has been asked before, but, would a skinny 33 get better mpgs than a 275 (32)? at what point does weight overtake size when it comes to mpgs. With the prices of gas being what they are, this will play into my decision for my next tire choice this year. Thank you all!

 

Thanks for this, any chance you have some dead on front and rear shots to see how wide the tires/tread look?

 

Nope, but I can go take some here in a bit and post it up.

 

Hey everyone, I bought an 04 tacoma double cab 4x4 last year with some cruiser steelies, running 255/80/17 Cooper Discover ST/MAxx. Tread is running low on the front and looking to replace a pair, but I think the load E tire is a little too much for daily driving and the occasional off road trip. I get wheel wobble intermittently at highway speeds.

I was looking at 255/70/17 as a tire option and running Falken Wildpeaks. Does anyone have experience with that tire size? Not as tall, but still maintain the 255.

 

Not that specific size/brand, but if you want to stay with the 255 in a lighter load range Cooper does offer the ST Marx in a 255/75/17 load range C. Just throwing that out because many do not know they offer the lighter build; guessing to capture the Jeep crowd (stock size for the JKs).

 

Ohh I didn’t know that. That might be a good option. Thank you. I’m thinking going to a Load C tire would get rid of the wheel wobble. Suspension all fresh and aligned.

 

Just got the 255/75/17 Firestone XT's on today.

I think I might have got one of the last one's in stock for now I guess there is a production shortage with the XT's according to Firestone. I tried a bunch of different local tire shops, Firestone stores, and tire specialist like Tirerack.com. They were all out but I happen to stumble across them on Amazon and they surprisingly had them in stock and shipped them to me at separate dates.

They're don't quite fill out as much as the what I previously had (285/70/17) but am pretty pleased with the looks considering the trade offs. Def looking forward to trying out a skinny tire for the first time. I do think these XT's are the lightest weight most aggressive tire in this size that will relate to better MPG/functionality. The duratracts were right around this same weight but I think the tread pattern will effect mpg/performance as others with experience have mentioned. The XT's are only 40 LBS.

Here's a thread on the XT's if you'd like to see:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/firestone-destination-x-t.623548/

So far already feels a lot lighter. My only issue is the rims I have (SCS Ray 10's) are 8.5 which is the max width for this size and they bulge out a little more than I'd like. Might be switching to the Pro rims down the road or if anyone has any other suggestions on light weight rims I'm all ears.

Anyways wanted to share this set up here to help those wanting a visual if you're thinking about going this route.

 

I’ve noticed on this forum in general that their tends to be a lack of technical discussion/comparison for tires specifically. I am not an expert but I will pass on what I know.

weight is the biggest factor that will determine your impact on MPGs. Given that, if you’re trying to compare what tire should give you better economy, I’d start with weight. Some will say that the wider tires have more rolling resistance and that is true but I just don’t think it’s as big a factor as weight. In the below example from the falken website, I have highlighted the 255/80 and the. The 275/70. Sorry that I had to cut them off to make them fit, but you can check their website.



As you ca. see the 275 is about 5lbs heavier. The other thing to consider is that you will need a different wheel to run the 275 which may result in more unsparing weight as well.

to directly answer your question, I would say that in most cases the more narrow, taller tire will weight less than the wider, shorter one. Even in the above picture the line in between the two highlighted ones is the 265/70 and it weighs slightly more than the 255/80.

cheers,

 

That's what I was thinking. Also to consider C vs E. Will comfort be negatively impacted. So much to consider.

 

i feel you. I’ve been trying to figure out if a p rated 255/75 tire will meet my durability requirements. No one that has tires in that size seems to care to post feedback on them from the trails though. Too me a 32” duratrac or similar @42 # would be a sweet spot if they are robust enough to handle moderate trails.

 

Duratrac has notoriously weak sidewalls. Otherwise, it's a great tire (from what I've read).

 

I’m running SCS ray 10s for 24lbs 17x8.5 and 285 Ko2 in C load for 51 lbs. Mpg is good, just did 19mpg avg on a 246 mile drive no stopping, mountains, freeway. Wider isn’t always heavier/crappier mpg.
I do like the ST Maxx 255 80 17 if I ever need a tire that can survive a nuclear blast.

 

That sounds pretty good for how heavy those KO2 are. IMO the KO2s look the best but they are heave at 51 lbs.

Running the SCS Ray 10's is another area to save on weight as they are one of the lightest weight rims. To the best of my knowledge the pro rims are also about the same weight at around 24/25lbs.

I'm running 255/75/17 Firestone XT's which are only a 40 lb tire combined with the SCS Ray 10's, loving the set up so far.

 

Ive been running the Cooper St Maxxs in 255/85/16 for almost two years now. Ive started to notice a weird problem when taking sharp turns kinda fast. Its difficult to explain but it almost feels like the front inside tire is catching an edge and trying to roll. Im not sure how else to explain it but it pull the truck. Anyone else run into something like this?

 

Is your swaybar removed? I noticed something similar when I took mine off. I put it back on with a relocation kit and haven't experienced it since.

 

Nope. Ive thought about it but so far I havent taken it off.

 

Could just be tire roll/the tire deflecting a good bit. I can make my inner tire chirp through a whole corner if I take it fast enough, geometry also changes a good amount on the inside tire compared to the outside while turning sharp at speed/with body roll.

 

Thats what it seems like, but it actually jerks the truck. Not very confidence inspiring. I had to swerve around some junk in the road once and it felt like the tire was trying to flip me.