Off-road package tires: noise and mpg

I'm in the process of buying a new and my first Tacoma. Most of my driving will be in town or on highways. We get a bit of snow where I live and I will do a bit gravel roads driving and a tiny bit off-road driving in the summer.

I like the sport package because of the 17 inches wheels and the suspension but I don't care for the hood scoop. Overall, it seems a good choice for my needs.

The dealers around where I live mostly have Tacomas with the off-road package. I would like your opinion regarding mpg and noise with the stock tires of the off-road package. I can guess that mpg is a bit lower compared to the sport package. I'm more interested in knowing how noisy these tires are. Is it a big difference with the sport package? I have tried both but not long enough to notice a big difference.

Thanks!

 

depends which tires are on the truck, i have a TRD off road with BFG Rugged trail tires. no tire noise. mpg is anywhere from 18-23mpg. mpg will not be affected between trd sport vs trd off road given the same body style/drive train.

 

Before you buy have the dealership exchange the rugged trails for bfg a/t's. The rugged fails are a passenger rated tire... the a/t's are light truck rated and will last WAY longer and handle better.

 

^ i wish i did that

 

The stock tires on the OR shouldn't be noisy they're really not aggressive at all, and are kind of crap. If you do get the Sport, I'm sure you'd be able to find someone to swap hoods with you.

 

i just bought a 2013 tacoma with the offroad package, and i get atleast 20mpg with no noise from the tires at all.

 

for your needs, i vote base model access cab 4x4 2.7l 4 cylinder 5 speed.

 

Same here. After putting just 15,000 miles on the rugged trails i got rid of them... didn't trust them for winter driving. The things are complete crap.

 

Yep i hate them, im still trying to decide what i want to switch to. This morning i hydroplaned at 65mph and slid within a foot of a jersey barrier. Im not saying this wouldnt happen with a nice set of ATs but the rugged fails need to go.

 

Thanks all for the quick responses. I'm opened to the package the truck will with. If I end up with the off-road package, I'll ask to have the stock tires replace by Goodrich T/A tires as OffroadToy says. Thanks for the advice.

 

He meant A/T not T/A. They dont mean the same thing, A/T means all terrain. You might want to look into the tire choice more and make the decision based on your needs. For example bf goodrich all terrains will have better traction than the stock tires, but they probably weigh more and have a more aggresive tread pattern which might effect you fuel economy.

 

My apologies, I went on BF Goodrich website and saw T/A tires for trucks and SUV. In any case, I'll look into changing the stock tires if I go with the off-road package.

 

Ya there are T/A tires also. You might not even want all terrians anyway if your concerned about noise and mpg, but it would be a good idea to get the dealer to put better tires on, especially if you can get them to do it for free or cheap. Good luck with the truck!

 

try enjoying the truck before you get bent out of shape because of the tires it comes with.. the stock bridgestones on the trd sport suck twice as bad as the rugged trails, and at least the rugged trails look ok. the dealership is most likely not going to spend 1200 dollars in tires just so you will buy the truck, they will add that into the amount you finance, so you would ultimately be buying the tires, in which case you might as well use the rugged trails for a few weeks and do your research as there are better options out there than the BFG All-terrains... what im saying is, the rugged trails are perfect for what you need, the all terrains are loud and heavy, two things you said you DIDNT want in the OP. just get the truck you want, albeit the sport or off road, THEN figure out what you want to do for tires once you find out if you like the ones on it or not. stock, there is no MPG or noise difference between the two trucks to answer your question.

 

I've gone through 5 or 6 sets of the bfg a/t's on Toyota trucks over the years averaging close to 70,000 miles each. I've never thought of them being loud... maybe your thinking of the mud terrain?

 

I have an 09 Sport, the stock Dunlops were bad.
The traction control makes sure you can GO through anything, stopping is a different story. I found myself skidding an awful lot in the winter on the Dunlops. I switched out to BFG ATs and am much happier. I believe they cost me 1 - 1.5 mpg, and Fuelly says I'm averaging 16.5 mpg (last 10 fill-ups) now.

 

Yeah x2 here. I have 12600 on mine and mine are starting to dry rot. I will be replacing them soon.