New shoes for my taco

hello everyone, I have to get new tires and I figure I'd replace the 10 year old rims at the same time. I'm currently running 285/75/16. I have hockey pucks on rear and 5100s up front with rubber puck(Revtek I believe). Anyways it's been a long time since I've bought aftermarket rims and tires. I'm looking for opinions and thoughts. I drive 50/50 off-road and pavement, rarely long trips on highways. I have the original BFG KOs on now. Their terrible, you can run your hands down tire and feel the waves. You can feel them in the ride also. Are the KO2s good? How about Toyo? I'm looking at all terrain. As far as the rims; I'm not sure if I want 17" or 18"? Thoughts? How about some decent rims recommendations? What about offset? Do you want positive, negative or zero? Thanks for any input.

 

looks chunky

 

The tires or people in background?

 

The people you find in the mountains...

 

Good looking family btw

 

I just ordered Cooper ST Maxx's. Be sure to look into those as well.

 

haha, no comment

 

I took your advice and looked into these.. I'm liking what I'm reading. I was thinking the Toyo or KO2, but I may be getting the Maxx. Thanks! What wheel you putting them on? 17 or 18?

 

I'm on 16"s. Pro Comps that were already on the truck when I bought it.

 

50/50 mix of driving but it depends on how deep you get when you wheel. The Toyo AT2 is a good tire but there are better options. Do you wheel enough to want an E load range tire or will a C or SL do? You need to decide on a 17 or 18 wheel as well because that will further limit your options. If you wheel much get a good 17 or stay 16. If you go 17 look at the General Grabber AT2 in SL that tire has 16/32 tread and that is a lot for an AT in SL. That tire also works well in rain and snow. Many people, including myself, like Duratracs but you will also hear some mixed reviews on them. Try and check out your options. I would never need anything more than a C load range but that takes me out of the mix for the STT MAXX and several other good mud tires.

 

When we are off road it's dirt and gravel. Bedded in rocks and loose rocks. Ruts and creek crossings. Utah and Idaho mountains. My taco is also my daily driver, so I don't want/need anything to crazy. The STT Maxx is probably overkill for my purposes...? I have the KOs load range D. Just want to get a good rim/tire setup the first time. What are the advantages/disadvantages of offsets? And rim size 17 vs. 18? How wide of a rim do you want? Thanks for all the information. Love this site.

 

So what I'm hearing is that you don't need a mud tire and you want to be able to live with your truck and use it at the same time. I'm in the same boat. Because of where you live you also need a tire that is snowflake rated. As I said, you may hear mixed reviews on GY Duratracs but to me this hybrid AT tire is great off-road, is about as good as it gets for an AT tire in the snow, and is likely the most tread you will need. It may be too aggressive but it is a good tire. Give it a look.

After the Duratracs I still say look hard at the General Grabber AT2. They have a tread similar to the KOs that you are used to but I will take them all day every day over the BFGs. They are also much better in all of the elements and clean out better than the BFGs. This is also a good tire choice. You mentioned the Toyo AT2 and they will also work. I had the Cooper AT3 on my second gen and I have heard great things about them and read great reviews. I did have issues keeping mine balanced and I also had to get used to how they felt when cornering. They were different and I'm not sure I was as fond of them as maybe some others are. Don't overlook the obvious here. The Falken AT3W is a fairly aggressive AT tire and they have loads of good reviews here. Many on here also like the BFG KO2s but for me they don't work because of the sticky clay and mud and they just don't clean out well enough.

Now for the 17 vs 18. I prefer more sidewall on my tires. I have 16s and am struggling with going to 17s to get better tire choices (better for me but not necessarily for all). To me I'd take the 17s over the 18s and not give it another thought. You are doing enough wheeling where you will benefit from a little extra sidewall. You will also get a nicer ride in general. I like the FN FX Pros in 17s. They are like a TRD Pro wheel but have a nice matte finish to them and are offered in a lot of nice looking finishes. Dustin is on here and he is the guy for these wheels. There is also a dedicated thread for these wheels. But, this is me. Wheels are a very personal choice and what looks good to one may not look good to another. How wide? Well, get what will fit the tires you are wanting. Whoever sells you the wheels will or would be able to tell you what tires will comfortably fit. I can't say how wide because it depends on what you want first and foremost. I bet there are some others on here that could give you some general guidance on the width.

I agree, OP, this is a great site. I have been a rabid car and truck guy for all of my 40 something years and I have learned so much on TW. If I have not welcomed you to TW, then welcome my friend. I wish you well and hope you find something that works for you. There are tons of great people on here. Be well and peace...

 

Is anyone running some Maxxis Bighorn MTs?

I've narrowed down to 17", MotoMetal rims and either GY Duratracs, BFG KO2s or the Maxxis Bighorn.

Side thought: does the offset help with frame clearance issues? Should I stay with 285s or go down to 275s on tire size? I currently have 285s, and when I first got the taco(50-60% tread) the tires hit the bottom front bumper. I fixed that with a dremel. But I'm a little worried new tires would hit?

 

If you like the Maxxis Bighorn then look hard at the Dick Cepek Extreme Country. It is an E rated tire but is very light for an E rated. That is an excellent tire. All three of the choices you have listed are good tires but the Maxxis tires tend to be on the heavy side.

 

Hey duststorm, did you end up ordering the ST MAXX? How are you liking them? I'm ordering some tomorrow. 285/75/16.

 

I like them. The ride extremely smooth. Here’s the thread for them. My only problem is that they almost seem to wander. They just require a little more driver input. I’m hoping I just get used to it, but for now it’s a bit annoying. Other than that, so much better than my previous tires.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/show-off-your-cooper-st-maxx.346956/unread

 

What PSI are you running them at? Thanks DustStorm!

 

Not actually sure. I just installed them not too long ago and haven’t really checked since the shop installed them.