The SKINNY on skinny tires

I don't have a lot of experience with off road tires, or MT's specifically, but from what I gather they can be louder at all speeds but generally there will be certain speeds that are worse/better. Think about it like a harmonic frequency kinda thing. Same deal that if your wheels aren't balanced you may see a vibration at certain speeds but not others. I really only notice extra noise from 40-50mph and it kinda peaks around 45mph. Outside of that range I really don't notice it - I know it's there, of course, but it's a truck so its loud and rides rough compared to what I'm used to anyway.

You keep mentioning the noise issue as a result of going up to 33". I may just be reading too much into it, but just wanted to clarify that it's not size which is relevant. It's not the taller tire or skinnier tire that's making things louder. It's the design and construction of the tire that is important, not the size. There aren't many non MT tires available in 255/85R16 but if you move to a 17" skinny there are more AT options which should (on average) be quieter than an MT. Of course, maybe you are specifically looking for an MT?

I didn't notice a change. That said, I don't drive the truck a lot and it's always under varying conditions so getting a good, consistent idea of my mpg is very tough. Best I can tell I'm getting between 13-16mpg currently and it's been in that range for 265/75R16, 285/70R17 and 255/85R16. All different tire brands and models of course. My mpg is abysmal and I hate it. When I get some time I'm hoping to do a big tune up and install some new cam gears to see if I can get an improvement.

 

Thanks for the info. I assume you’re talking about skinny MT’s compared to KO2’s in the 265/75/16 size or something similar?

Yes sir, I appreciate you making sure but yea I’m aware it’s not the size. I’m concerned about road noise because I know they really only make MT’s in the “skinny” 33 size, with the exception of the Coopers. I wouldn’t be going with Coopers though if I go up to 285’s….I’d be getting the Toyo’s because I want a true 33.

 

I really love the wheels I have now but if I find a set of 17's I like I will likely jump on 'em and then when these tires are done move up to a skinny 33" AT tire. I really don't need an MT for the type of driving I do but a good deal on mine came up and I couldn't resist.

 

I've tracked my mileage since buying my truck. Here's what I've got for trips that didn't include driving off-pavement (adding those obviously decreases the MPG for a variety of reasons - idling, slow driving, 4HI/4LO, aired down, steep slopes, etc, etc):

265/70R17 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs (C): 16.1MPG over ~18,650 miles
255/80R17 Cooper STT Maxx (E) w/3.73 Gears: 15.2MPG over ~10,550 miles
255/80R17 Cooper STT Maxx (E) w/4.56 Gears: 15.2MPG* over ~7,630 miles*

*Corrected by tracking GPS mileage vs odometer mileage. I believe that this is related more to the regear than the tire size.

As far as noise from the bigger tires, it's definitely louder, but not all that noticeable. Certainly not enough to damage your hearing.

 

Wow that's bad. On 265 75 16 duratracs (C) I got 20-21 mpg consistently.

Now on E load wildpeaks in 255 80 17, I seem to get 18-19 mpg after accounting for the different tire size.

Stock gears for both.

I live in NH with lots of elevation change.

 

Found one place I’m rubbing in the front that isn’t too bad, and I suspect I will rub the rear when flexing. I’m going to look into an axle relocation after I get back from a wheeling trip to check it out. It’s clearly closer to the back of the rear fender than the front.

 

I'm not applying a speedometer correction to the odometer readout, @TacoTuesday603. This is just Miles Traveled / Gallons Refilled = MPG. (The third one does have the GPS correction for miles traveled, but it's been very consistent - always between 106.3% and 106.5% of the trip odometer).

 

Heads up for anyone in here, I saw this sale posted in a Lexus group for narrow wheels for pizza cutters. They have white, black, and bronze

 

Skinny ATs compared to that’s tire size KO2 yes. Also my mileage is better compared to the KO2s

Did you cut/bend back the pinch weld up front yet?

 

Finally bought another set of ST Max 255/80/17. First set was under $200 a tire this set was over $300 a tire. I got 70k miles out of the first set. They still pass inspection but cupped pretty bad.

 

Interesting. I really wish more companies offered wheels that weren't massively wide. Unfortunately, I find these ones terribly ugly and that double valve stem setup is just a bit odd.

 

nooope

 

My wheels are my OEM PRO wheels from 2019 , which are 16”. I didn’t cut my OEM bumper. I ordered the small front bumper caps from R4T and painted them to match. Your wheel offset will be different than mine on your OR. You’ll have to research and see what’ll work. I do have my lift , a CMC, pinch weld is flattened and sealed etc. If you’ll have a street queen you’ll get away with more. I off road hard, so I did a good amount of cutting etc to get rid of any rub areas and I’m fully armored front to back with 1/4” steel.

 

I know this question was asked years ago, but does anyone have any more recent feedback on this with alot of highway miles on the Toyo MT’s?

I’m seeing some people say they only get like 40K miles and other say closer to 70K miles.

 

The ppl getting high mileage aren’t leaving the pavement regularly and likely drive their tires beyond the zone of reasonable grip. I loved my Toyo MT’s but my Wildpeaks sure made a better all
Around tire and lasted longer

 

How many miles did you get out of the Toyo MTs?

 

Alright guys, so I'm currently on 285/70R17s on 0 offset M/T Sidebiter II's with what looks like a 1.25in. leveling kit in the front. The current tires rub a bit and even get chewed up at the edge by the ARB bumper when turning on a bump.

If I'm calculating everything correctly, I should be able to run 255/80R17s with perhaps some fenderwell/cab mount trimming if I upgrade to a proper 2in. lift with some 5100s. I have stock SR5 4Runner wheels to mount the new rubber on, and will probably get some 1in. BORA spacers to regain some of the track width and stance I'll be losing going to a narrower wheel/tire with +15mm offset.

Does my plan sound feasible to and of you Pizza Cutter gurus?

 

The spaces are just going to put you back out there. Might rub

 

Mine had about 55000km when I traded the truck in, my olan was to hand sipe the centre treads to get through winter. I did this with the 1st set, it killed them at around the mileage. Without hand siping the tires were terrible in wet conditions at 50000km and up. I did a lot of off pavement driving from forest access roads to modest wheeling.

 

So the +15mm wheels (4.5in. backspacing) will be a pretty good platform for the 255/80R17s with 2 or so inches of lift? I'm trying to make all this make sense, and TireSize's calculators/comparing tools have helped tremendously as I'm slogging my way through all the variables. Based on their offset calculator, my clearance inside the wheel well would barely change at all just based on the wheel/tire swap.

The outer sidewall will stick out from my fenders about 1.2in. less than the current setup, but if I measured right, they may still poke a half inch or so, or at least be flush with the fenders.