HELP!!!! Cant Decide... 265/70R17 or 275/70R17

I've got a '23 TRD Sport that I just installed a Bilstein 5100 kit set up on the top notch (2") and a 1" block in the back. I'm planning on going with the 17x7 +4 offset SEMA wheels. I've got a black truck and I'm leaning towards the Bronze.. I am understanding that the 275's will fit with no rubbing from some of the people on the official 275 tire thread. I would like to go as big as possible but I'm also concerned about weight since all of the 275's are E rated except the Wildpeaks, but they are just as heavy as most E rated tires. I'm really interested in the 265/70R17 MT Baja Boss AT's as they look really nice, or the Toyo Open Country RT... Anyone with experience in going up to 275s, how much power and MPG did you loose?? I'm not that concerned with MPG but I dont want to drop down to 12 mpg by going a half inch or so in tire size..

If anyone has any photos of their truck with 2" lift and 265/70/17's please post some pics, as well if anyone has that same set up with 275's.

Even better if I could see a black 3rd gen with either of those tire sizes on bronze wheels.

I keep weighing the pro's and cons and just cant make up my mind.

Thanks in advance.

 

Well it’s not exactly what you want but here is my truck on 265/75/16’s with the Bilstein 5100’s set to the top notch:



It looks good in pics but in person the 265’s are very small with a 2” lift. I recently went down to the 4th notch and they still look a bit small. Here is my truck back when I had 285/75/16’s:



If you don’t care about the look of the size, 265 is a great size. I’d personally go with 275’s if I was you.

 

yeah that looks perfect in the pics. That’s the look I’m after. My problem is I’ll have less sidewall with the 17s. I think with the bigger wheels will make the tire look even smaller.
The 285’s do fill out the wheel well but I can’t fit those without modifying other stuff.

I really think I need to just say screw it and go 275/70r17’s even though they cost more, are heavier, will cause less mpg and power and have to have a small size window of rims with the right width and offset that will run a 275 without rubbing. But the 26570’s have so many more options in weight and pros too.

 

Yeah I mean, I’ve never run 275 tires since I don’t have 17” rims but I can’t imagine they would be that bad on gas. I still average 22-23 mpg on long trips and these E rated tires (the 265/75/16) weigh 52pounds each.

 

Also, the type of tire makes a huge difference.

A mud terrain will typically be much worse on gas, acceleration, braking than an all-terrain tire of the same size. I learned that the hard way haha.

 

I have a 4runner and have churned thru lots of tire info recently and I think you have your hands around the throat of the beast.

I keep in mind that narrower tires that are the same overall diameter will deform more at the same psi, so you get a larger contact patch and more traction. And in the same way, the wider tire will deform less and so will ride with less body roll on the highway (but the 275s are going to raise you up, barely, too).
I'm also under the impression that wider tires are slightly harder to turn as you're scrubbing that wider contact patch across pavement. You're going to have extra weight hanging off your steering rack too with the 275s (275 toyo atiii e load is 11lbs heavier than 265 atiii sl load).

There is also the matter of flatting / the spare. If you stick to the smaller size and standard load rating, and use ur judgement, maybe you can keep a mismatch spare. If you're rolling around on E load and damage a tire (!), I think you'd be happy to have an E load spare, and that's more money and weight too.

I have toyo open county atiii in 265/70r17 standard load. I don't have a lot of miles on them, they are fine so far. I wasn't sure what I wanted so I chose something mild and light to minimize my fatigue as a driver. But mild and light require attention off road and I could benefit from a heavier, larger/taller tire too.
(The sidewall tread pattern on the SL toyo is mild and I think that's where some of the weight of the falkens comes in, they have a deeper sidewall tread)

255/80r17 rubs up front
285/70r17 rubs up front and supposed to go on 7.5"+ wide wheels
255/75r17 are C load tires where I probably would prefer E. I'm curious about these but I don't want the perceived loss in cornering stability from the 265s I have
235/80r17 seems too narrow


I have a friend with a stockish 3rd gen 4runner on 265/75/r16 E load (atiii) and he likes it.

 

So i have run 265/65r17, 265/70r17, 285/70 r17 and now 295/70r17.
On a lift anything below a 285/70 or 255/80 looks small. On a wheel that narrow I would consider the skinny option.
But on a side note you can run a 285 without a chop if the alignment is done correctly. I ran a 17x9 +1 with a 285/70r17 for a year without any major rubbing issues.
As noted above style and weight of the tire will affect mpg's and performance just as much as the size.

 

Yeah thats what I dont want to do, spend the money and get 265/70's because they'd be a little cheaper and would provide a less power loss and MPG because of weight issues. But then be unhappy because it will look too small with the 2" lift. I'm still running 265/65R17's on my truck with a lift and it looks small, obviously. I'd rather buy the right size and be happy with it.. I dont want to deal with rubbing issues and have to chop anything for sure, after all the truck only has 6000 miles on it. Maybe down the road I'd be fine with going bigger, but 275 just seems like the best compromise between 285 and 265 in terms of size, rubbing, power/mpg and just wear and tear long term running a heavier wheel and tire combo than the truck came with. I just wish I could find a C rated 275 besides the wildpeak, which weighs more than a Toyo Open Country AT3 or RT in E rating. I had wildpeaks on my 2020 silverado 3.0 duramax and loved them, but they weigh quite a bit and I wanted to try something different. I'm looking at BFGs, Ridge Grapplers, the Toyo's I mentioned above, and I really wanted the Baja Boss AT but they dont make that in a 275. I do really like the look of the Toyo Open Country RT tire and it comes in a 275 E rated that weighs less than most of the competition in the same size.

 

Then consider the 255 option it will offer you the tallest tire with the least mpg loss and still fill out the wheel well better and there is generally no trimming involved with that wheel.

 

op, there is a baja champion tire from MT in 275. No opinion from me on aesthetics.

also just from lots of scattered reading it seems like 255/80r17 fits (stock) on tacomas but maybe not on 4runners.

 

Yes it does I did it today but with more negative offset trimming was minimal.

 

2007 with a 2" lift front/back. After upgrading the suspension the BFG a/t 265/75r16 looked small and wanted a new look anyway. Upgraded to Toyo R/T Trail 275/70r17 and changed out the stock oem 16X7 +30 offset wheels to 17X8.5 0 offset. Had to do some minor plastic trimming, modify the mud flaps, and the pinch weld mod (probably not needed but thought what the hell.) Ended up clearing the cab mount by 1/2" at full lock... glad i didn't go any bigger. Haven't notice any change in power... city, mountains, or towing boat. Not sure about gas milage... never checked it since new. When i upgraded i wanted to go bigger than my previous size while keeping in mind power loss, wear and tear, milage, tread life, and weight. And i really wanted to avoid a cmc or regear.

 

I run the Baja boss a/t in 265/75/16 in Standard Load and my mileage didn’t really change from the stock tires.

The Baja boss are an amazing tire- I’d definitely recommend them.

 

@OffroadToy the Taco looks fantastic. Love the black and red colorway. It's our favorite color combination. Good job on the wheel and tire package.