Max size tall skinny tires for 2024 TRD offroad that'll have room for snow chains

I know there are a couple of threads on tire sizes but I couldn't find any confirmation on what would be a safe size to fit snow chains over.

I want to run Yokohama Geolander M/Ts but when I hunt out west I have to use snow chains a lot of days and am curious what the tallest tire (I prefer skinnier too) I can fit on stock TRD 17in wheels would be.

I originally planned to lift the truck but I can't get a Tacoma lift before hunting season and don't want to void the warranties.

 

Not a direct answer to your question, but have you thought about ditching the snow chains idea? I spend a lot of time in the Sierras in the winter and I suggest you look at BFG KO2s in 255/65R17 and leave them on all year. They’re 100% capable and are fully classified as snow tires.

 

K02s are not snow tires. They have the "three peak" rating, but they are not true snow tires and will not perform in deep snow like chains.

 

The KO2s are ‘3PMSF’, and in my personal experience extremely capable in all types of snow. Sure you can get 100% winter-only tires, and even get studded, but the upside isn’t there for me (and attaching chains on the shoulder of I-80 is a life-endangering exercise).

 

The problem normally is the dirt roads up the mountain we hunt on start with some snow or frozen and most all-terrain tires can make it up early but turn into slick slippery mud as the sun hits it or other trucks go through and not having chains can get dangerous fast.

 

Why don’t just run them on the stock tires if that’s an option

 

I haven't bought the chains yet (old ones are too loose) and need different tires anyway the stock ones suck for my uses so I would like the tallest skinny ones I can get away with because the roads are pretty rutted up as well.

 

I completely understand why you need chains in those conditions. No different than chaining up logging equipment. A lift will provide additional ground clearance, but it won't result in additional tire clearance. It is largely the size of the wheel well that determines how much tire you can get into it at full stuff. It appears that 33s at 11.5 width can handle a full stuff. I would start by chaining up the stock tire and taking measurements. That will tell you how much a set a chains adds to diameter and width. I would expect it would be .5 to .6, so not a lot of room to work with up and above the stock size when fitting chains.

Let us know what you learn.

 

I don't have an answer but I'm super interested in finding out as there are definitely a few out of the way places I hit every few years where chains are a must. Curious as well when you do solve this question, if you plan to chain all 4 or just the rear?

 

255/80R17 is the tallest pizza cutter stock according to a few threads and YoyTube videos.

I plan to go 255/75R17, more tire choices.

 

This is correct.

‘3PMSF’ stands for '3 Peak Mountain Snow Flake' and that rating is based on a single acceleration test. It really means nothing with regards to how a tire steers, handles, or brakes in the snow.

 

Load Rating C on the 255/75 is nice as well. E seems a little much.

 

Sorry, I got a jump in on this one. I used to live full-time in Bear Valley, CA , and we had to have a front door up on the second story to get into and out of the house during the dead of winter. KO2’s are the tires of my choice for the deserts I now live by- and have always bought them since moving away from the Sierra (there’s only one Sierra by the way, not “Sierras” as non-locals call it). KO2s are very good on rocky trails, and I have never had a blow out with them in all the Toyotas I ever owned, but they are not very good snow tires compared to other brands as they are too hard (which makes them good on rugged trails) and the sipes get clogged up with compacted snow too easily making them a lot slicker than other softer 3PMSF tires that are better at shedding snow from the sipes. I wouldn’t recommend KO2 tires for part-time winter drivers.

Tactrac- are you sure your like for KO2’s on snow isn’t just because you are a good driver on snow? I think most people unfamiliar with winter snow driving would have the worst issues with KO2’s, but knowing their limits -even subconsciously- can make them a workable tire on snow. I know I’ve done this- knowing their feel and their limits really helps, so thats why I wouldn’t recommend them for someone not used to snow driving.

 

I'm not the other guy but I see this as an opportunity to crap on KO2s which brings me joy so I'll jump in.

As someone who has owned KO2's and driven mostly in snowy Wisconsin but also a bunch in the desert and mountains of New Mexico where I have some family, I can confirm what you have said. K-Bro-2s are good in the desert for their stiff/rugged construction and will stand up to sharp rocks where others may puncture or shred. They absolutely 100% suck ass in the snow compared to other tires. I don't care if they are 3PMSF rated they suck.

After I dumped the KO2s I got some Duratracs - way better in the snow but still not super great, more of a mud tire but also bad/weak for punctures. Then I got some General Grabber ATX which are a dream in the snow and everything else though maybe slip a little in mud (but which A/T tires don't, its a compromise). I've had Yokohama Geolandars on other vehicles and for an A/T tire they could be mistaken for snow tires, damn near unstoppable in the white stuff. Now I have Kenda Klevers and we shall see how those go but other guys in local group have them and they seem to do fine. I haven't had Falken Wildpeaks myself but multiple guys in local group do and they seem to perform well & very similar to the Grabber ATX but with more size options which is nice.

Point of my rambling nonsense is I just listed 4 tires from my own limited experience and they all smash on the KO2. If you drive in snow and don't have pressing needs for cut/puncture resistance get something else, you'll be happier and safer on the road. None of these fully replace chains.

 

I have run KO2s in the snow, as well as the OE Wranglers. They both suck in the snow. You can get decent forward momentum, but get a little bit sideways and you will dog track right off the road/trail.

 

Correction accepted...lazy typing.

Yes maybe. I make 15-20 ski trips a year from the Bay Area to the Tahoe area. Over the years I've driven a Prius with chains, an Outback with Blizzaks, a Ranger with General Grabber Arctics, a Ranger with KO2s. I haven't taken the Taco up there yet, that's in the (hopefully) near future if my snow dances are working. Which tire is best? I don't know...but my decision on what tires to put on the Taco this winter will include considerations of ease of use: I used to switch out wheel sets when I had the Blizzaks and the Grabbers...got tired of that because I'm getting old and lazy...but I may still return to doing that); and un/installing chains is not my idea of fun. Other considerations are expected tire wear, noise, fuel economy. The real question is whether to compromise, optimize, or maximize. I guess I consider the KO2s to be a good compromise for me.

 

You don't use snow chains for the snow. But for the mud after the snow melts. NOTHING, works better in mud than proper snow chains. For typical snow on top of pavement snow tires do just fine, but they are useless on dirt forest service roads after the snow melts. That is the worst kind of mud. The ground stays frozen 4-6" below the surface, but the top few inches is slick mud on top of ice. Anyone who has ever spent time in the mountain west during hunting season runs chains and on all 4 wheels if possible.

I don't know what you can do with a 4th gen. But I can fit SOME chains on the rear wheels of my 2007 with 265/75/16" tires. I don't think it's possible to get them to work on the front with most newer trucks. Some 3/4 ton trucks with smallish tires can make them work.

Pic from an elk hunting trip in Colorado, 2018. Four days after this pic was taken the snow was gone and there was 6" of slick mud in this section. At least at mid-day. At night it froze and was passible, but once the sun hit it nothing was going up or down without chains on at least the rear. No guard rails and a few 100 feet down in places if you slid off the road.

 

To answer OP's question, I wouldn't run anything bigger than 33's on the stock suspension if you want to ensure snow chains would fit.

I have BFG KO2's 285/70/17 on my truck (32.8" diam, 11.2"W) and have the necessary room for chains if need be.

 

I just had Toyo Open County ATIII in 265/70 R-18's (non LT)thrown on a '24 Sport Premium yesterday.
Lots of clearance and they ride and feel better than factory 265/65-8 Michelin tires.

 

Problem solved

https://mattracks.co/tracks/trucks/