trd off road stock capabilities

Hey I am new to the forums and have a question about the off road capabilities of my tacoma. i recently bought a 2012 trd off road 4x4 access cab with about 8 thousand miles. the guy that had it barely drove it and never took it off road. everything on it is what comes with the trd off road package. my question is would it be beneficial to get better tires? i live in east tennessee and will be doing moderate off roading, never anything too crazy but going through some mud from time to time. Do the rugged trail tires hold up ok in just casual off road use?
if not would it be better to go with the bf goodrich all terrains or the nitto trail grapplers ( i say those because i love the look of them). I know i have the locker and a-trac as well as the 4x4, but just didnt know how much the rugged trails are going to hinder me off road. thanks for any input and sorry if this question has been asked before.

 

It is going to entirely depend on the terrain you plan on 'occasionally off roading' through. A little bit of mud they will do alright with, don't go deep though, the tread design does not seem to lend itself well to self clearing.

80% driver, 20% truck. Bring a buddy with minimum 2 tow straps and the proper hardware between you, even the best tire won't get you out of a bad situation.

 

I say duratracs in my biased opinion had them on my 2wd for about 5 months with lots of trips and only been stuck once in super soft sand up hill and I stopped so it was my fault and my shit was stock back then too

 

Personally I had the Nittos on my 03 Tundra and they were hands down the worst tire ever. I had zero traction in moderate (like 2inches) of snow they clogged up and wouldn't unclog and were worthless off-road. I had great luck with the Toyo AT's and the Mickey Thompsons

 

The mikey look awesome and the toys have insane tread on them but I couldn't afford them

 

I second the duratracs. had them on my fj and now my taco and they've done well in mud, sand, and snow. Only con is they're fairly loud at speed, but thats pretty much all of the tires listed...

 

Hmm I don't hear them over my music haha but freeway speed they howl just not as loud as the Firestone mud terrains

 

I have the Nitto Grappler G2 and I recommend them for on road performance. For off-road I'm saving up $ for a second set of rims and tires. Based off a friends (a lot of experienced off road) I'm going with Toyos as well.

 

I have BFG KO's, I've been very happy with them so far in snow, ice, mud, sand, and gravel. I've heard solid reviews of the new KO2's, toyo's, as well as duratracs. Nitto's seem to be tires that look good but don't exactly perform as well.

 

Honestly you don't need much. I am in lower Alabama and we mostly have that nasty sticky clay shit. My truck which is just an SR5 does fine. Never been stuck with my Michelin tires at every hunting camp and dirt road I have ever been on. Plus the Michelin are great on road and last for ever.

 

Not sure what trails are like in Tennessee, but also remember that the stock tires are P rated (passenger tires). If you are going to be on trails with any sharp sticks / rocks they will puncture the side walls on these tires very easily. LT tires will do much better in this respect and are much safer to air down for better traction.

 

The Rugged Trails that come on the TRD OR trucks are worth replacing even if you rarely go off road. They are dangerous tires IMHO.

 

Explain please

 

lots of people on this site say that... they are full of shit. I drove 50,000 km and 3 winters on my AT20s (which are cheaper than rugged trails) without a problem.

 

I'm surprised you hate the Nittos and love the Toyos. I thought they were basically the same tire. Same company, compound, and extremely similar tread pattern. Aren't they like comparing a Silverado to a Sierra?

 

Well there are people who drive for years on 4 mismatched bald tires. It can be done. That doesn't mean they don't suck. They achieve the bare minimum for a tire's performance and you can drive on them if you choose, but other tires will perform much, much better.

 

Looks like good input all around. I'm in a similar boat where I have a 2015 TRD off-road and I am going to see how capable the stock format is. Of course I want to get a 3" lift and improved tires down the road, but I want to have some fun in the mean time. I'm going to test it out on easy trails with a couple other vehicles that are ready for the "gnarly stuff". I'm going to buy some tow straps and other items (shovel) to keep in the truck. I live in Washington state and we mostly see loose dirt, mud trails, and root sections. I'm not going to go too crazy first couple of times.

 

Your truck is extremely capable straight off the lot. Go out and have fun with it. It may be all you need, but if you find that you want better traction off road, or better traction, handling, and stopping on road, you would benefit from a tire upgrade. There are tons of tire reviews on this site and others like TireRack.com http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surve...6&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

If you want to spend 800 bucks upgrading your ride, traction and capabilities grab a set of tires. Read some reviews and threads to learn about others' experiences with the tires you're considering.

 

Cooper AT3's as a great and quiet A/T tire. If you want to go over some really gnarly crap and want mud terrains, thats when you shoot for the Cooper Discoverer STT M/T's.

 

I'm very pleased with the BFG Rugged Terrains!Not to be confused with the Rugged Trails(fails)that you apparently have on your truck.I've never had the trails but have heard on this forum and through others that the trails are horrible quality and dangerous!