What size tire/rim for smoothest ride?

The 2001 Prerunner I just bought came with 17 inch 265/65/R17 Pathfinder all-terrain tires which seem to give a significantly looser, rougher feeling drive than my previous 93' truck. Per the sticker on the door jam, O.E. on the Prerunner was 225/75/15. I'm not an off-roader so I don't need all terrain tires. My neighbor says a 16" rim might give a better ride than a 15" but what I read online suggests smaller rim generally provides smoother ride. I would appreciate any advice/feedback --including brand suggestions--from those of you more knowledgeable than myself. (That's most of you

 

if possible look at the calipers before you go smaller on the rims. There is a popular modification where people put the larger Tundra brake calipers on Tacomas and this requires a larger rim. There are a series of numbers on the Tundra calipers that ID them as Tundra calipers. As to your question, cant go wrong with Michelins for the tire, quite, smooth ride but price wise...

 

Thanks, Glamisman!

 

go into local tyre store

compare 1 size against the other.....................side by side

more sidewall usually results in smoother ride

remember its a truck..............salesman said when i bought my PreRunner

‘ Drives like a car ‘ !!!!! true dat

My SR doesnt weigh as much.....rides a little choppy

its a TRUCK

 

My 2004 prerunner came with 265/70/16s. It's not the rim size. Just get some tires that look like car tires in that size and it'll be a lot smoother then all terrains.

 

Smallest rim means more tire, which means smoother ride. The tire is able to absorb shock along with the suspension.

That said 15-16 isn't a huge difference.

I'm always a fan of running the smallest rim and thickest tire I can, that way the tire can absorb shock along with the suspension.

I would run 225/75R15 with a street tire. Hakook Kinergy ST is a simple choice.

Alternatively you can run 235/75R15, this is a hair larger than stock in diameter but gives waaaaay more choices, including the coveted Michelin LTX tire. Will likely look better.

 

I'm installing 16's on mine since I'm doing the tundra brakes, Have 15's with brand new tires that I'm looking to get rid of.

 

An engineering rep from Uniroyal (during an 18 wheeler braking test several years ago) told me that roughly 1/2 of the suspension of the truck was due to sidewall flex. My Taco came with 18 inch wheels - 30.5 diameter and after a change to a 32 inch tire the ride definitely was improved.

 

Thanks, all for the info. AbbyNormal where are you--I am in Boulder, CO.

 

What's your tire pressure? Are you running the recommended pressure in the door jamb? And are your shocks in good shape?

 

Stay away from all terrain, load E LT tires. Make sure you use a p metric highway tire.

 

Poplarville Ms.

 

Abby-Sorry you're not closer--I would have been interested in your rims/tires. Oh well---cheers!