Tire Basics

Hi there,

Just bought my first taco - 2018 SR5 4x4. She’s a beut, but she needs new tires. This is my first truck and first 4x4, so I know nothing. What are your brand/model recommendations based on needs and use listed below?

• I live in Western Washington - must handle constant rain conditions
• I drive mountain passes frequently in winter
• I drive forest service roads at least 2-3x per month
• My budget is mid-line - I don’t want top shelf
• I’d like at least a 50k-60k warranty

TYIA

Stock wheels: 245/75/16. Does that make sense? Hopefully this gives you an idea of how clueless I am...

 

Welcome to TW
@Discount Tire

 

Congrats on the new rig
Welcome to the forum

 

Welcome to TW. Hard to beat Cooper Discoverer AT3s for an all around on & off road tire. Several different levels/styles. Mid-line price wise. JMO

 

Suggest an “all season” tire. e.g., Cooper AWS or AT3, Michelin LTX,

Load factor: “C“ load if its a “truck” tire (stay away from E load too heavy for daily driver). ~115 load if metric (again stay away from 121).

 

P.S., Expect a total bill somewhere around $1000.00

Recommend a spare tire. If you stay with the same tire size you can keep the best one of the old tires as a spare.

Suggest a front end alignment add $150.

Mounting and balance ~$15 per tire.

Tax % depends on your state.

If you go to someplace like COSTCO, Firestone, Goodyear they run discounts and packages.

IMHO - stay away from Walmart

 

Thank you! Do you think I can just keep the stock spare that hasn’t been used? The alignment was just done, as well. And you couldn’t pay me to pay Walmart. Thanks for the Costco reminder.

 

Welcome to around here.
Go with quality tires. You can avoid tire drama with really good rubber.
You may like to go up a bit to 265/75R16 size without any harm or necessary suspension modifications. Many of us like a bit more tire on a Taco.
If you are mostly sticking to paved & unpaved roads in all weather, a great choice would be Michelin Defender LTX M/S. These are not super aggro looking, but function really well in all traction conditions.
If you venture off the beaten path and want something that can handle moderate mud, rocks, sand etc then BFG All Terrain KO2s are a great choice. They are available in C Rating for light/medium duty or the heavier E Rating that sharp rocks and metal cannot damage.
There are more aggressive options for truly difficult terrain, but they will be louder and not as sure footed at speed.
Both of these are made of a sticky, tough as nails compound that lasts a long long time and will not let you down. They are the top line products of BFGoodrich/Michelin Company, folks that have been making the most dependable tires in USA & Europe for over a century.

 

A suggestion from a friend was to buy replacement certificates from Discount Tire in case any of the tires blow. Thoughts?

 

Can keep your stock spare. It will get you home or to a tire repair place just fine, without hurting anything, even if it's a size smaller than what you are running.

 

I have a similar use case to you. Western PA. Also have a 2019 SR5 so same wheels probably.

I bought Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs in SL load rating. I was able to get them during one of Discount Tire Direct's flash sales for $110.

They started at 16/32nds of tread. After 5,000 miles they still measure 16/32nds. They are heavily siped for rain. I got them in 265/70/r16 for a little more width, but pretty much the same diameter so speedo is right.

 

Welcome to TW
Falken Wildpeaks AT3W

 

These were the most recommended to me by fellow truck friends. You find them quiet enough?

 

Yes ,they are very quiet !

 

The @Discount Tire guy talked me into the Goodyear Wrangler UltraTerrain ATs (265/75/16), and I'm glad he did. I love 'em. Outstanding traction in snow, mud, and heavy rain while still exhibiting minimal road noise. They like to pick up rocks, but they're doing significantly less rock hucking after 2k miles.
I didn't get any sweet deals on them, but I certainly got what I paid for and them some.

 

Thank you for your business and support! I am glad to hear our recommendation worked out and it sounds like you are happy with the tires. Please feel free to reach out if there is anything we can do on our end to be of assistance.

 

I'm happy for OP staying almost stock tire sizes!

 

You'll never go wrong with wildpeaks and discount tire