265/75R16 power loss?

I have a 2013 Tacoma, V6, 6 speed manual, off-road package. When I got new tires they didn’t have the stock size so I got BFG all-terrain LT265/75R16 Load E 10 ply tires for 100$ less. I thought it was a great deal to go up in size for less however; it’s been about a year with them and I swear they killed any power I had.

Has anyone else experienced a dramatic power loss, specifically with a manual transmission? I’m the original owner and it only has 80k on it.

Thank you for any help.

 

Other than the size, you went from passenger tires to LT tires, which are heavier tires.

 

Check out this article: https://www.hotcars.com/big-tires-change-wheel-horsepower/

Basically bigger tires = less horsepower.

 

10 ply are heavy.

 

Yeah, I’m going with the LT being the culprit. I went up to that size and haven’t really noticed any difference.

 

The size is a mild difference, the heavy tire is what did you in.

 

Yeah. I didn’t check that. I’m seeing where my current tire is almost 54 pounds and the best I can find for my original tire was 38 pounds.
Thanks for the help. Time for some new rubber.

 

I've had E rated 265/75/16's and P 265/75/16's on my truck. The E rated tires are probably 15 ish lbs each heavier. It definitely hurts acceleration. They ride a little harsher as well, but it everything else being the same it didn't affect my fuel mileage.

And yes, it is going to be more noticeable from a stop with a manual than an automatic. Tacoma's don't have enough low end torque, they need high rpm's to get that torque and the manual transmissions are geared too high. The torque converter in an automatic eliminates those issues.

 

Thanks for the breakdown. And yes, the gearing is weird. I get a good shift at 3000-3200 rpm’s which, to me, is way too high. I grew up shifting around 2500 and if I hit 3 it was because I was throwing mud around, not looking for a higher gear.

 

I went up to 265/75/R16 BFG A/T E 10 ply and haven't noticed any power loss... but mine's a automatic.

 

I went with E load Toyo Open Country AT III's. Yeah they're heavy. Don't know about a ton of power loss but lost about 2 mpg. I say it's worth it considering I got 3/32" more tread with LT's

 

I have 295s and can’t tell a difference.

 

I have Geolander M/Ts and no power loss, but took a hit on gas mileage..E rated are Heavy...

 

I guarantee if you put on some stock weight 265/70R16's you would INSTANTLY notice the difference.

 

I’m sure I would haha. I’ve had 295s and 315s and couldn’t be bothered to think about a regear. I can tell the difference but it’s very small. I don’t expect much out of our tacos in terms of acceleration ect

 

This is a good video explaining rotational inertia from Engineering Explained (an engineering channel dealing mostly in automotive topics): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxuER0qIWJk

This applies to any rotating mass and explains how mass distribution across the diameter of a cylindrically shaped object affects acceleration which can be used to explain why larger diameter tires and heavier tires decrease acceleration.

 

It's difficult to find 16" LT tires in load range C. As a datapoint, Goodyear Duratrac has a LT265/70R16 load range C 6-ply tire. According to a chat with Goodyear they weigh 44.5lbs. I bought them in 2019 and the off-road traction is impressive. But, as others have noted, they get loud as they age. And don't believe the snow-flake symbol on the side. They are terrible on ice, even compared to my 10yr old Bridgestone Blizzaks. I do notice a reduction of power with the Duratracs on. My Blizzaks are a stock size non-LT tire.

 

Not only are they heavy, E rated are also very stiff for a Taco. If you get some C rated tires I bet you’ll notice the ride gets a lot better too.

 

Dumped my BFG 265/75/16 E's for a set of Michelin LTX AT2 in 265/70/16 SL and felt like the truck gained a ton of acceleration and power. It sure feels light on its feet now. I'm in an auto.

 

Went back to stock, 4 ply, passenger truck tires and it made quite a difference. Acceleration and overall ride is much better. At least from a manual transmission perspective. It was an expensive lesson but one well learned.