Pizza cutter sidewall...

I am in the market for new tires for my truck. I have been holding out for new tires until the stock firestones wore out... I am going on 78k miles and they are just getting to the point I am recommended to change them. I have been contemplating going up to a 235/85/16 tire. I have been reading about it and have heard that soft sidewalls might be an issue. I have also heard the KO2's have a much tougher sidewall, is this the case and would it help with the wobbles that sound like could be an issue? Are there other tires that also would be good. I was planning on either the ko2s, wildpeak at3 or Cooper Discoverer. Any suggestions from those that have experience with this size of tire and brands?

 

All three you mention are good tires each with some differences and I have owned all three but only the KO2's in a 235/85R16. I am currently running Nokian Outpost AT's in 235/85R16's and am a fan of "skinny" off-road tires generally. I would describe skinny for a Gen 3 Tacoma as 235-255 wide but others I am sure will disagree and feel the stock 265's are too skinny. I haven't noticed any wobbles as 235's, or any E rated tired for that matter, will be running at a much higher pressure to provide an appropriate load capacity. I am at 42lbs front and 37lbs rear when the bed is empty and bump it up to 40lbs in the rear when loaded up. Your hit on MPG's will likely be smaller with this size as well but the weights and rolling resistance between brands vary so YMMV.

I have owned three sets of Wildpeak's on three different vehicles and had issues with balancing that were mostly able to be resolved, but it took several trips to the shop to re-balance, and often move tires around on the wheel to get a better balance and/or road-force balanced. Out of the five tires on each set, I would usually have two or three that required extra work. Some have experienced no issues at all so it's a luck of the draw. I like them otherwise but personally would try other brands - hence my current Nokians. Another I'd consider are the Yokohama Geolander AT G015. Not the most aggressive looking tire, much like the Cooper AT's, but I have had good luck them on other vehicles over the years. Got kind of noisy near the end of their tread life as I recall.

 

I’d stick with a p metric tire unless you enjoy reduced performance and the fuel economy hit is tough. Edit: if you’ve got $ to burn do what you like. For whatever it’s worth, I’m back to stock 245/75/16 Mastercraft stratus ap and glad I’d did. Good luck!

 

I'm running 245/75R16 Toyo Open Country III on an SR5 4x4 and I find them to be a really good versatile tire. Highway in the rain, no problem..mud and loose gravel no problem, they are even very quiet imo for an AT tire (they're even pretty decent in snow, but I run dedicated winter tires)

What do you mean by 'wobbles' btw?

 

FWIW my 255/80/17 wildpeaks don’t feel any different in city/highway than my previous 265/70/17 C load ko2s. I was actually surprised.

I run my wildpeaks 39psi front, 37psi rear. Ko2s were 37 - 35.

 

I've been running the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LTs in 235/85/16 as summer skins for two years over varied terrain. I like them a lot. I do wish the AT3s were available in a C load in this size, but they only make Es.

Road mileage is fine - the pizza cutter size makes up for the heavier construction, weight wise. I didn't notice a mileage hit going from stock size AT3s in a P rating, nor are they appreciably louder or rougher riding. They're actually very well mannered on the street/highway (and don't scream "bro"), and have been excellent offroad.

Interestingly, this tire in this size just about exactly corrects the speedo on my truck, giving me within 0.5MPH indicated vs. measured, where I was 2-3 under measured on stocks.

I was particularly impressed with the performance on high speed dirt and scrabble in volcanic fields in the Southwest, and they're excellent aired down for wet/rocky/muddy trails across New England. Pretty good in frost and early light snow, but I live where it makes sense to have dedicated winters so I haven't used them much in real snow.

The only thing I don't do is hardcore bouldering or rock gardens, so I can't speak to that. Overall I would definitely recommend them. Take the time to chalk them out properly on your rig as loaded for daily driving.

 

Nice looking truck sir!

 

Do it, do it!

 

I have the Cooper Discoverers in 235/85/16 All Terrain(load Range E) on my long bed. Have had them about a year and about 8,000 miles with about 1500 miles off road in the Arizona deserts which have really sharp rocky trails. The stock Goodyear Wranglers were getting their tread chewed to bits. Wobble has not been a problem, probably because of the load range E.
Unlike the others, I definitely have seen a hit to my mileage. Used to get 18.5 - 19mpg on the stock Goodyear Wrangler 265/75/16??). Now I am in the 16.5 to 17 range.

Overall they are really good for what I use them for and I like them.

I run them at 47 to 50 psi usually and air down to 20 to 22 psi off road. They aren't noisier at all but have a noticeably stiffer ride on the streets--combination of the LR "E" along with the higher pressure I run them at. But I am used to a pickup truck ride and don't mind it.